Teaching your homeschooler about money is a requirement, and particularly necessary in today's economic situation. However, teaching your child about money does not have to be boring. Here are ideas to encompass many age and grade levels, as well as subjects and topics. Feel free to adjust these ideas accordingly for your homeschool student.

Math- Math is the first subject that comes to mind when teaching money. Here is a fun game to get your child's feet wet for adding money. Remind your child to use the $ sign in his or her answer. Older children can multiply the numbers below, or you can assign each letter a higher number value. A basic example is as follows:

Each letter of the alphabet is assigned a value-



A=$1 J=$10 S=$19


B=$2 K=$11 T=$20


C=$3 L=$12 U=$21


D=$4 M=$13 V=$22


E=$5 N=$14 Y=$25


F=$6 O=$15 Z=$26


G=$7 P=$16


H=$8 Q=$17


I=$9 R=$18


Have your child answer these questions, based on the value chart-

1. What is the value of your name?
2. What is the difference between your first and last name?
3. Figure out the name value for every member of your family. Find an average value, a median and a range. Subtract the lowest family member's value from the highest.

Another math idea is teaching with hands on manipulatives, such as real or fake money. Try to get the fake money to look as realistic as possible, so younger children will not get confused with coin classification. Use money manipulatives to have children figure out math problems based on their grade level.

A fun activity is to create a family store at home! Use a large empty box to make a store front and offer your child real or pretend items to sell to family members. Help your child decide fair values for each item. Then, have family and friends shop at the store. Be sure to encourage your child to make change accordingly.

Games are a great way to teach math at home, too. Games like Monopoly, Payday and Life are classic and educational. You will even enjoy playing these old favorites again! Melissa and Doug offers a great play money set for kids, and so does Educational Insights. Try these ideas to introduce the concept of money to your child today!