‘India celebrates one year anniversary of demonetization,’ read the morning headlines on a popular news portal. One year already? I was reminiscing about the disruption the sudden move had caused in the life of the common man when my 4-year-old daughter, Kaira, quipped:
“Mom, my little pig is full of pink notes, I need to create a mix of other colors.”
She was smart, and even though she didn’t understand the value of currency, she knew it was important to her to safeguard her mini-bank from raids by her brothers. While her wit captivated me, what she worried me about were thoughts of how she could channel her curiosity to increase her interest in math, a subject she dreaded. And, this in a playful way to keep her hooked.
So, I outlined some fun activities that could keep her busy over the holidays while teaching her the science of ‘MONEYOLOGY’. Here are a few you might think of:
Sort and Stack: We open your piggy’s lock and empty it on the mat. The next step was to ask him to stack all the colored notes separately; coins to be sorted and stacked according to their value. The next step was to have him calculate the value of each stack and write it on sticky notes, cutting them out on each package. Dive into the crisp bills, it was a joy to watch her carefully add up the bills and coins and have more fun doing it.
Scaling the length bar – The new coin introduced was thinner and shorter than the previous ones, not to mention the bright colors. This clicked into another idea to familiarize her with the values. I asked him to take a note from each pile and arrange them according to their length. I followed this session by asking you to identify the highest and lowest value in the stack. Once this was done, he had to place them in ascending and descending order, one after the other. Look and see! The task was done in the blink of an eye!!
Flip Flop Shapes: Notes of various shapes and colors. Now I asked him to create different shapes with them, including hexagons and octagons. He could use varied notes to achieve the desired dimensions. Once this was done, I asked him to name the shapes and then summarize the total value of each one.
The Mathematics of the National Flags: I merged into Geography to give the game a twist in addition to breaking the monotony of the calculations so that she did not understand my intentions. So, I gave him a chart that listed all the national flags in the world along with the names of the countries. I asked him to arrange the notes in a way to create the national flag of each country. For the missing colors, he would cut paper in the shape of the notes he was using to create the rest of the flag and paint it the color he wanted. A selection there and an arrangement on the other side, my pumpkin was engrossed for hours matching the colors to the chart and creating the flags. Once done, I took out the chart and asked him to name the countries, looking at the national flags. One more conquered subject!!
Math Sting for Shopaholics: Kaira is quite the fashionista and loves to follow trends. So, I gave her a copy of the latest designs from popular designers, specifically her personal favorites, and listed their price next to the image. All she had to do was browse through her new bag and keep the cost of each design above the image. She drooled over the couture and carefully calculated the price, placing the final amount on each image. Hello! She knew exactly how many she could grab herself and the money she would have to raise for her next shopping spree.
While my bundle of joy was enjoying the activities, I was also enjoying watching her blow herself up on the little tasks so as not to forget her juggling with the Math Monster. Share any cool things you’ve done to help your kids understand currency trading!