My younger sister can’t save money for anything. If she gets $20, she goes out and buys stuff for our nieces and nephews, not worrying about future savings. Watching her made me realize that I needed to teach my children about money.

Give your children an allowance that is age appropriate. For our kids, they get half of their age in
allowance. So, on their birthday, they always get a 50 cent raise. We provide chores during the summer
and expect them to help out when needed during the school year. Set some rules for earning the allowance
and an amount for your children. Now that they are earning some money, teach them about saving it. Many banks have savings accounts for children. Help them decide how much money they want to have to spend and how much to put away. Make them a chart that keeps track of their money so they can watch it grow. Let them spend some of it and be silly. Part of the fun of having money is spending it.

I had a friend who would not allow their child to spend any of his money. He had over $100 in the bank but
couldn’t use it. Letting your kids spend their money teaches them the value of things and how to use money
wisely. Make sure your kids only spend what they have. Don’t loan money against the allowance they
will receive. Our boss doesn’t give a paycheck advance, kids need to learn this too.

Teaching your kids about money will provide them a valuable tool for when they are older and get their first job.
Make spending and saving money a success for them.

Is your child starting to ask you questions about money and change? Maybe you are at the checkout counter in the super market and you get the curious questions “What are you doing?”,  “What did you give that person?”, “How much is this?”, and the dreaded “Do I have enough money for this?”.  This is a great time to start teaching your kids how to count money, and the best card game for the job is Exact Change.

The money card game for kids ages 5 and up is a very simple card game but it is packed with a lot of family fun and learning.  To play this money card game everyone gets 7 cards each. The money cards have picture of money and 4 different colored borders.  The object of the card game is to get rid of all your cards by matching color, currency value or Exact Change.  The best match is Exact Change because players are allowed to discard multiple cards that make up Exact Change. For example, if the top card on the discard pile is 25 cents, you can get rid of 2 dime cards and a nickel card. This rule is the best part of the game because it allows everyone to have a chance to win, right up to the very end! It also gets kids trying to figure out the best match to play and quickly start learning how to count money.  Another nice feature of this money card game is that younger kids can play by matching color and currency picture, and learn at a pace that is comfortable to them.  This money card game is packed with a lot of fun elements, like draw cards, combination cards and wild cards.

The traditional ways to learn about money like the plastic coins or flash cards lack the important element for kids: HAVE FUN.  Kids need to have fun while they learn, when they are having fun they start to associate learning to be fun and that is a great association for a child to learn.  Exact Change is a great money card game for parents and also teachers. The multiple award winning card game has been selected by numerous child development experts, parents and kids as the best money card game.

So the next time your child asked you a question about money, go pick up a copy of Exact Change and get your child learning about the important lesson of counting money.  Better yet, take the game with you as you make purchases and ask your child to make the transaction with you, or make up your own fun variations with the game!

I do not know about you, but when I was young I was pretty much intimidated with money counting. There are kids that would have natural math skills, but for some children (like me), math and money counting could be difficult. Knowing this fact would actually help us have motivation to make learning to count money fun and interesting.

For some children, the biggest math challenge is becoming interested. The subject can be very boring since children find it difficult to understand, if they cannot understand something they would lose interest on it. But, you as a teacher, can make it different.

- Knowing basic money counting skills like addition and subtraction will go a long way. If your child knows how to add and subtract very well then it fractions that money counting would not be of a big problem. If your child or your student is showing any sign of difficulty on this field, then make sure that they would be mastering this part first.

- Teaching math does not have to be just numbers. You can use different methods or approaches, math can be illustrated too. So you use different kinds of pictures to illustrate concepts. Children would easily understand if they can visualize it. This would be great if you are teaching fractions, addition, multiplication and other topics.

- Aside from using pictures and images, you could also use or incorporate money counting games into your classes. You can determine a specific date of the week that you would be able to play money counting games to exercise their math knowledge. You can give small gifts or incentives to students who have won. But to do not scold those who do not win, praise them still for their improvements. One money countng game that kids love is Exact Change. It’s a fun and simlpe money counting game where kids try to get rid of their cards by matching color, currency value or Exact Change.  Exact Change is the key rule that helps kids learn about money counting because it allows players to get rid of multiple cards that make up Exact Change! Really fun game that can be easily incorporated into the classroom. Another fun money counting board game is Money Bags, it’s another coin value game that kids really love playing and keeps them interested.

- If you find playing money games too rowdy and noisy, then another thing that could make money counting lessons interesting, is by encouraging students to answer a money challenges. You could also give them small incentives for taking part or answering the problems correctly.

- Sometimes, teachers tend to approach formulas in an imposing manner. They would force students to understand and follow the formulas, just explaining its basic concepts. But you could still make it interactive. You can encourage students to interpret and explain the formulas themselves. Let them share their opinions. They could learn a lot from their discussions with each other, compare to when you stay in front of them lecturing about formulas.

- Research is essential. Whether you are a teacher, tutor or parent, there are numerous ways or techniques that you can do to make learning fun for your kids and students. There are numerous books, websites and resources that can help you come up with your own teaching technique and style. Do not just rely on you school textbook.

- Tests and exercises do not have to be boring. You can create a different kind of exam like puzzles, riddles or brain teasers.

To be an effective teacher, you would have to love what you do. For math teachers, you can make the money counting subject interactive, creative and fun if you really love the subject. For example, if you love doing something then it is natural that you would like to improve yourself in that field. The same applies with teaching. Your love for the profession will manifest on your lessons and how you strive to make your students learn something in your class.

If you happen to be in charge of event planning for a child’s birthday party you are in the enviable position of having a whole host of games to choose from. One of the first things to consider is the age of your young guests. Obviously if you are in charge of entertaining a crowd of three-year-olds you’ll need to choose a card game that doesn’t require the player to have a long attention span. Standard favorites like old maid and Uno are fun for children who haven’t mastered skills such as reading yet. Another fun card game that keeps children laughing is Spot It, a card game where the kids must be the first to spot a match on the cards.

For older children you might consider a treasure hunt. This is a great activity that can keep children busy and occupied while you tend to the other aspects of the event. You just hide some objects in your home and draw out maps for the children to search for them. Another twist on this idea is the scavenger hunt. In this instance you give the children a list of items they have to search for and whoever finds all of the items first, wins a prize. If your child is really enthusiastic about this idea you can make it the center of your event planning process. Perhaps choosing a scavenger hunt theme for the entire party including invitations shaped like a magnifying glass or a hunt to find the pizza you’ve hidden in another room for dinner. Children love activities like this and it’s a great way to encourage their junior detective skills.

For the more mature crowd, you can incorporate fun activities into your event planning as well. Perhaps a game of charades or a fun board or card game will entertain a more adult crowd. These types of games are a great way to socialize and they also act as stress relievers. Many men do this already when they have their weekly poker night with their buddies. They may not view it as an event, but it’s a great way for them to get together and challenge one another’s skill. Exact Change is a money card game for kids that incorporates money counting into the game theme.  The card game for kids ages 5 and up allows kids to get rid of cards by matching by color, currency value or Exact Change.  Matching cards by Exact Change allows players to get rid of multiple cards, for example if 25 cents is the top card you can get rid of 3 cards that add up to 25 cents!  It’s a really fun money card game for kids and parents too.

Depending on the event you are planning, it can be a plus to play a game or two. It keeps the event moving along and the guests will appreciate having a fun activity to engage in. The smaller ones will appreciate it even more if they win a prize for their efforts.

Anyone who teaches preschoolers should choose their learning games very carefully. Teaching preschoolers is a rewarding experience and young children are like pliable putty in their preschool teacher’s hands. Those who teach children, especially preschoolers, experience one of the finest joys that life has to offer. If you have ever watched a young child’s eyes widen in amazement as they see a new creature emerge before their sight – as with a science-based preschool learning activity, then you understand the true rewards of teaching children.

Choosing the best preschool learning games for young children will enhance their skills, prepare them for kindergarten, and help them develop important emergent skills. Some games that are critical to early childhood development include:

- Language Arts/ Literacy Games
- Mathematics/Counting Games
- Science Games
- Social Studies/ Character Building Games
- Physical Education/Health Games

You should make sure that any preschool learning game that you select will enhance the child’s understanding and awareness of these core skills and developmental areas. Language skills are critical for developing an understanding of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and communicating. Some simple Language activities may include listening games, rhyming, and following oral directions.

Mathematics and counting games are essential for the early learner’s awareness of numbers, spatial concepts, patterns, and how mathematics pertains to their daily environment. Mathematical preschool activities may include counting, estimating, reading books that focus on numbers, and using items such as toy cash registers and number based puzzles.

Science and Social Studies games are essential for children to develop an understanding and awareness of the world around them. It is important to teach children how to draw conclusion, ask questions, and observe the world that they live in.

Teaching children the importance of health and physical fitness through games is not only fun, but it is also vital to develop their sense of self. Activities should promote safety, hygiene skills, and health through proper nutrition.

If you have kids in school, then you have a very important person to thank come Christmas time. Your child’s teacher is tasked with helping them learn to grow intellectually while at the same time generally does the work for a small amount of pay and appreciation.

Teachers always need board games to play in class, and even to enjoy at home with their own children. You can very easily choose a good quality game and then let the teacher decide on where she would like to use it.
In order for you to show your appreciation to your child’s teacher this Christmas, here are some game ideas to help you think of the perfect gift:

Learning Game Suggestion #1 –  Scrambled States by Gamewright is a great learning game for the classroom. Kids learn about geography as they try to quickly find clues and match their scramble cards.

Learning Game Suggestion #2 – Exact Change by Continuum Games is an award winning card game that helps kids learn about making change in a very fun game.  It’s simple, just get rid of all your cards by matching by color, currency value or Exact Change.

Learning Game Suggestion #3 – Rory’s Story Cubes by GameWright is a great game for teachers to let your students practice using their imaginations and artistic expressions.

Learning Game Suggestion #4 – ThinkFun’s Math dice are a great addition to any teachers lesson plan.  Simply rolll the dice to get your target number, then roll them again to try and come up with your target number using the most dice possible.

Learning Game Suggestion $5- Crossen Creations Magical Rainbow is an award winning kids board game
that combines colors, counting, strategy, patterns and sharing into a fascinating kids board game.  
 

Halloween indoor games, therefore, can be really fun and goopy, if you wish. The kids will go with it, don’t worry.

First up, a brain game. There’s a fun indoor game on store shelves where you pick through a rubber “brain” to figure out what’s in it. You can create this easily yourself. Make some jello and fill it with a variety of items, like gummy worms and other gummy candies, some small candy and trinkets and other items. Tell the children to root around in the bowl of jello (call it a “brain” if this will get the kids more interested) to figure out what’s in it. It’s goopy and messy and kids love it. Best yet, color the jello black so it’s too dark to see what’s inside and it looks more like goopy brain matter (the way kids see it, anyway).

Another indoor game kids love is the spaghetti game. Be sure they are wearing a smock over their clothes or are wearing play clothes before playing this game. Make a big bowl of spaghetti and fill it with all kinds of items, like plastic bugs, gummy worms and other items that might feel a bit strange. Make the children feel around in the bowl of spaghetti and identify the items they feel. Once they are done and cleaned up, have them list as many items as they can remember. Whoever gets the most items listed (and right) gets a prize. Spaghetti, anyone?

Another similar indoor game that’s always popular is to take a cardboard box and paint it black, both the inside and outside. Carve a small hole in the top, really just large enough for the children to get their hands into, and fill the box with a variety of items. They can be related to Halloween (like a small pumpkin) or not (wrapped Tootsie rolls or a tiny toy Hummer car). Have the children guess what’s inside the box and award the box itself to the child who guesses the most number of items correctly. To make this goopy and silly, be sure to include some items that might feel like body parts or brain matter.

Kids love creating silly fictional stories, often with absurd plotlines. Halloween is the optimum time to let them run wild with their imaginations. Have them spend a bit of time writing out the scariest story they can think of. Some children might need some direction not to make it ridiculously grotesque, so use caution with these children in your clarification of this assignment. Once the stories are written, have the children hand them in and then have a guest reader for each one of them. Each child will come to the front of the class and read the story with as much dramatization as they can muster. Once the story is read, everyone has to guess who wrote the story. The writer should play along, otherwise everyone will know it was their story! The winner is the child who wrote a story so intriguing and unusual that nobody knew it was his or hers!

Kids love the word find games when you give them a word or words relating to a holiday or something else and have them find words within those words. In this case, give them Halloween-related words and ask them to find as many scary words as they can. For example, you might give them the word “Halloween” and see how many scary words they can make from the letters. Or you could give them a series of words and let them rearrange the letters in all of the words to create scary words, or even create a story from the scary words. Put a time limit on this game and award a prize for the child who creates the most words in the least amount of time.

Often for one reason or another your family may be stuck indoors. Physical activity is does not need to be compromised. You don’t have to have a home gym for your child to stay active during rainy, cold and snowy months? There are plenty of places to take your child when cabin fever sets in and fun game activities that you can do indoors. Always try to make activity a fun family time. After all playing games with your kids is a great for you to keep in shape too!

Try these indoor games for kids:

Gyms/Fitness Centers:

Check out your hometownl YMCA, gym or fitness center for calorie-burning fun activities that they offer kids like gymnastics, indoor basketball, wrestling, kick boxing, martial arts, wall-climbing, track, badminton, volleyball, ping pong, swimming, racquetball and tennis. You could even get your own workout while waiting.

Dance Studios:

A great way to burn calories and have fun. Classes including ballet, tap, modern, jazz, hip-hop, line dancing, ballroom dancing, yoga, free movement classes and other music/dance combination classes.

Indoor Rinks:

Ice-skating, roller-skating, inline-skating can fill hours of fun on rainy days.

Museums:

Take your kids to a museum, they provide interesting, educational and fun activities that keep your kid on the move! Indoor nature centers or aquariums offer similar movement opportunities.

Restaurants with Games:

They’re everywhere. Choose restaurants that offer the greatest energy burners, including laser tag and other fast-paced indoor games. Another great option is to create an ‘Activity/Play Room’ in your house, where you set up areas for your child to try different indoor games.

At Home:

 A plastic tub filled with costumes, dress-up clothes, and accessories like crowns, wands, toy shields, armor, masks, vests, belts, shoes, hats, grass skirts, scarves, play jewelry, wigs…

 Boom box with dance music tapes or CDs to have family dance parties

 Build a tent and have a living room camping trip.

 Hop scotch mat, action indoor games like Twister, Charades, Simon Says, Follow the leader

 Paddle balls, indoor ball toss games, bean bags, juggling balls, hacky sack

 Indoor basketball hoop and soft foam balls

 Jump ropes, skip-it, small kid-safe hand weights, exercise stretch bands.

 Try household cleaning with items such as brooms, mops, vacuum cleaners, feather dusters. You would be surprised how many kids love to clean!

 Do the “TV commercial boogie” whenever the ads come on. You’ll be amazed at how much moving you’ll do to the soundtracks of those endless commercials! And be sure to engage in collective booing when junk-food ads fill the screen.

Often for one reason or another your family may be stuck indoors. Physical activity is does not need to be compromised. You don’t have to have a home gym for your child to stay active during rainy, cold and snowy months? There are plenty of places to take your child when cabin fever sets in and fun game activities that you can do indoors. Always try to make activity a fun family time. After all playing games with your kids is a great for you to keep in shape too!

Try these indoor games for kids:

Gyms/Fitness Centers:

Check out your hometownl YMCA, gym or fitness center for calorie-burning fun activities that they offer kids like gymnastics, indoor basketball, wrestling, kick boxing, martial arts, wall-climbing, track, badminton, volleyball, ping pong, swimming, racquetball and tennis. You could even get your own workout while waiting.

Dance Studios:

A great way to burn calories and have fun. Classes including ballet, tap, modern, jazz, hip-hop, line dancing, ballroom dancing, yoga, free movement classes and other music/dance combination classes.

Indoor Rinks:

Ice-skating, roller-skating, inline-skating can fill hours of fun on rainy days.

Museums:

Take your kids to a museum, they provide interesting, educational and fun activities that keep your kid on the move! Indoor nature centers or aquariums offer similar movement opportunities.

Restaurants with Games:

They’re everywhere. Choose restaurants that offer the greatest energy burners, including laser tag and other fast-paced indoor games. Another great option is to create an ‘Activity/Play Room’ in your house, where you set up areas for your child to try different indoor games.

At Home:

 A plastic tub filled with costumes, dress-up clothes, and accessories like crowns, wands, toy shields, armor, masks, vests, belts, shoes, hats, grass skirts, scarves, play jewelry, wigs…

 Boom box with dance music tapes or CDs to have family dance parties

 Build a tent and have a living room camping trip.

 Hop scotch mat, action indoor games like Twister, Charades, Simon Says, Follow the leader

 Paddle balls, indoor ball toss games, bean bags, juggling balls, hacky sack

 Indoor basketball hoop and soft foam balls

 Jump ropes, skip-it, small kid-safe hand weights, exercise stretch bands.

 Try household cleaning with items such as brooms, mops, vacuum cleaners, feather dusters. You would be surprised how many kids love to clean!

 Do the “TV commercial boogie” whenever the ads come on. You’ll be amazed at how much moving you’ll do to the soundtracks of those endless commercials! And be sure to engage in collective booing when junk-food ads fill the screen.