Teaching Money to Kids Using Real life Skills

You have probably heard your kids say more than once “Why do we have to know this? ” Especially when it comes to subjects that are hard or don’t interest them. Thankfully when it comes to teaching money to kids, it’s not hard to sell the importance of it. As often as I can when it comes to math, I like to use real life skills so that the learning feels more purposeful and natural.

kids making a grocery list

Teaching Money to Kids Using Real Life Skills

In this activity, we practiced counting money, adding, subtracting and multiplying using grocery ads and coupons. It’s probably one of the easiest and quickest lessons I have thrown together because it didn’t require any real supplies and all I had to do was wait for the grocery ads to be delivered that week.

There are so many different ways you can use this activity:

  1. Create a meal plan using the grocery ads and then add up the cost of that meal. (bonus, if you actually make the meal!)
  2. You the adult create a grocery list and have your student figure out the cost of the meal.
  3. Give your student a budget and have them work through “purchasing” all the items they can with the money provided.
  4. Plan a pretend special occasion meal ie. birthday, Thanksgiving, anniversary and have your student create a grocery list and budget with the available ads.

If you don’t want to wait on the mail, check out your local grocery store website and print off the ad, grab a sheet of paper and some cash and coins and you are set.

Teaching Money to kids

To add to the fun, I have created this Grocery Game resource that uses printables to teach the same concepts. Explore the life skill of grocery shopping with your children by helping them add up the cost of a grocery list, subtract coupons, practice repeated addition or multiplying when they have to purchase multiples of the same item and more.

Step 1: After all the materials are printed off give each student the grocery list and the problems.

Step 2: Using the Grocery ads have your students work through the problems

Step3: Make the activity more fun by using real life money

 

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Are you looking for other ways to make Teaching Math more fun? Take a peak at these other posts:

Teach Patters with this fun Game 

Teach Elementary Statistics with Skittles!

How to Teach Math Facts with Games 

I have partnered with a dozen or so other homeschool bloggers to bring you The Tips for Homeschool Moms series.  For 10 days, each blogger will have a new tip, idea, or resource for you to get inspired with new ideas for your homeschool. Check out everyone participating here: 

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