simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, Alphabet Recognition, Brain Power, game, hands-on learning, Interactive Activity for Students, Kids, preschoolers

Alphabet Book for Preschoolers and Up with FUN MEMORY TRICK

Learning the alphabet is one of the first academic concepts children are exposed to at home and/or school. It can be a daunting task to learn the alphabet in the beginning. Kids must know 26 upper and lower case letters. Fortunately, there are helpful tools to help children master the alphabet like games and books. Today we want to share a fun and entertaining alphabet book for preschoolers and up.

Many children get the letters confused, which is understandable. I remember getting the lowercase b and d mixed up during a writing assignment in the first grade. Our teacher hung those writing assignments on the wall. I still remember being embarrassed that the letter d was where b should have been. Every day, I wanted to take the paper down.

While teaching my son, Corban, the alphabet, I don’t recall him getting the letters mixed up. This is because we read over 60 alphabet books, played games, and did a lot fun activities with the letters.

Corban has fond memories of learning the alphabet. When my baby boy was born, Corban wanted to write an alphabet book to help his younger brother and other kids learn the letters in a fun way. I was deeply touched by his desire and decided to help him achieve this goal.

Corban worked on the book, Alexander’s Hide and Seek Alphabet, for six months. He took the lead on the whole process from writing and critiquing the illustrations to approving the cover and marketing the book. While there are many alphabet books out there, this book has a different spin.

In the short video below, my son will tell you more about his book

Alphabet Book with a FUN MEMORY TRICK

Alexander’s Hide and Seek Alphabet uses a learning technique called the “Loci Method” to help kids learn and review the alphabet. The Loci Method is a memory tool which connects the information kids want to remember with places they know well. We used Alexander’s home in this book because children know their living spaces very well. Additionally, we used familiar household items to make it easier for children to find what they are seeking.

In order to make the Loci method fun for kids, we incorporated the game, Hide and Seek. We encourage you to take this book with you while walking through your home to find each item in this book. Have your child identify the beginning letter and sound of the item. For example, when you find an apple in your home, encourage your child to pick it up, say “apple” and its phonetic sound “ah”.

If you don’t have something named in this book, find an alternative in your home. Make up your own Alphabet Hide and Seek Game and play with your child.

Your child will be amazed that they could find so many things that start with each letter of the alphabet in their own home.

Have fun playing, learning, and reading this alphabet book for preschoolers and up!

Click the image below to access the book on Amazon

simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, game, hands-on learning, Interactive Activity for Students, math

HOW TO PLAY DOMINOES FOR KIDS – TWO FUN GAMES

Many of my family and friends have dominoes in their homes but do not use them much. Often times, people are not aware of the various ways to play with them. Dominoes is a fun and playful material where children can create a design and knock them down. Additionally, there is the famous Dominoes game where kids can match numbers. In this post, we will show you how to play dominoes for kids. You will see two fun games we made up.

We purchased dominoes because my son loves making various designs and creating chain reactions. They are also great for practicing numbers and other math skills. You can play various matching, sorting, building, and sequencing games with them.

In the video below, you will see a game that reinforces the math concept greater and less than. You will also see us playing a competitive building game.

The video comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please subscribe and share if you like what you see.

How to play dominoes for kids

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simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, Alphabet Recognition, game, hands-on learning, Kids

ABC Hide and Seek Game – Easy and Fun Activity for Kids

Learning the ABC’s doesn’t have to be a boring task for kids. There are many ways to make it fun and engaging. In fact, here at over 100 activities, tips, and resources.

My son learned the alphabet at an early age. However, we still love to create games that are based on the letters. One activity we created is called the ABC Hide and Seek Game. The game will help children learn and review their letters in a fun way.

We incorporated one of my son’s favorite toys, the Geo Safari Walkie Talkie. We used it to communicate various clues to one another during the ABC Hide and Seek Game. Don’t worry if you don’t have walkie talkies, each player can give clues by simply talking in a normal voice.

ABC Hide and Seek Game

Below is a video of how we played the game.

The video below comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please subscribe and share if you like what you see.

You have the option of making this an indoor or outdoor activity. Add more learning to this game by having children identify the phonetic letter sound once they find it. Here are other fun activities to learn the alphabet.

Remember the alphabet is one of the first steps to teaching a child to read. If a child does not know the alphabet first, it will be hard for them to connect letters to make words. Therefore, play this game so they can get the fundamentals of reading and literacy in a fun way!

Have fun with the alphabet!

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Our books are available on Amazon, “Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play,” “Fun Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write, and “Teach Your Child About Money Through Play.“

THE TEACH YOUR TODDLER TO READ THROUGH PLAY ONLINE COURSE HAS A $97 DISCOUNT.

simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, Alphabet Recognition, Brain Power, family activity, game, hands-on learning, Interactive Activity for Students, preschoolers

Letter Recognition & Word Game for Preschoolers, Kindergarten, and Up

Letter Recognition and words are one of the first concepts children learn when starting school. Letter recognition can be perfected by singing the Alphabet song, reading books, watching educational shows, and by simply playing with letters. Children often become familiar with words by reading, spelling, playing word games, etc.

My son and I have used all the methods mentioned above to get him familiar with letters and words. This time we decided to do something different. We created a fun activity called the Blindfold Alphabet and Word Game.

This game starts out easy with letter recognition but then gets harder with spelling words. The unique part of this game is that you have to identify letters and words with a blindfold.

We had so much fun playing this game. There was a lot of laughter during this activity. This game is a great way to reinforce letter recognition, how letters are formed (which is beneficial for handwriting skills) phonics, and spelling.

My son and I made a video of us playing the Blindfold Alphabet and Word Game. We had a friendly competition. You will see us having fun while learning. Watch the video below to see who won the game. Have your children participate while watching by identifying the letters and words with us.

The video below comes from my son’s YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and subscribe for other fun learning activities.

We used foam alphabet letters for bathtub in the video below.

Enjoy playing this game with your family!

OUR KID FRIENDLY FAST & FUN STUDY TRICKS FOR BETTER GRADES: 9 FUN STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN LEARNING AND SCHOOL HAS $29 OFF THE ORIGINAL PRICE.

Our books are available on Amazon, “Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play,” “Fun Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write, and “Teach Your Child About Money Through Play.“

THE TEACH YOUR TODDLER TO READ THROUGH PLAY ONLINE COURSE HAS A $97 DISCOUNT.

Take our free mini course on How to Teach Alphabet Recognition in a Fun Way by completing the form below. It has over 100 activities.

simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, clean up, game, hands-on learning, life skills

6 Games that Make Clean Up Fun for Toddlers

As parents, one of the first life skills we teach our children is to clean up. When one has a clean environment, they tend to think and feel better. Ensuring that a child cleans up after playing can be a challenge for some parents and kids. Therefore, I have created six games that will make clean up time fun for toddlers.

Let’s Get Started!

Eat Monster

Create an “Eat Monster” with bags or bins. Let your child pretend the bags or bins are eating toys or whatever needs to be cleaned up. Below is how we played…

  • Make a mouth out of the opening of a box or bag you would like the toys to go.
  • Pretend the box or bag is hungry and wants to eat the toys.
  • If you have a bag, use your hand to open and close the opening with your hands.
  • If you have a bin with a lid, move the lid up and down to represent the monster’s mouth.
  • While your child is picking up the toys, the monster should say, “I AM HUNGRY AND I NEED TOYS TO EAT!”
  • Your child will hurry to put the toys in the monster’s month.
  • They will most likely have fun and laugh during this activity.

Create a Slide

  • If you have toys that belong in a bag or bin, get curled paper, newspaper, cardboard (folded), or poster card and place it in the bag or bin.
  • If you have a bigger bag or bin, it would be better to use newspaper, cardboard, or poster board.
  • Have your child put the toys at the top of the bag or bin and slide it down the paper, newspaper, cardboard, or poster board.
We created a slide with paper and put it in a bag. My son slid magnetic letters down the slide.

Race Against the Count or Clock

Tell your child they have a certain amount of time to clean up. Challenge them to beat the clock!

  • Tell your child they have 55 seconds to clean up their blocks
  • Count to 55 and see if your child has beaten the clock or the count.
  • Count in different languages if you are teaching your child to be bilingual.
  • If you see your child struggling to complete the task, count a little slower to give them a better chance to win.
  • You may also help your child clean up, so both of you are racing against the count or clock.

Race Against Each Other

Most of us want our houses or rooms to be neat and tidy, why not make it a friendly competition?

  • Start the race by grabbing a toy.
  • Tell your child to say, “Ready, set, go!”
  • Both of you will hurry to clean up the room.
  • The person who cleans up their area first, wins!

Sorting

Many times while cleaning up, we have certain bins, bags, or places we want toys to go. Why not expose or reinforce sorting during this activity?

  • While your child is putting toys in certain places, identify what is similar about those items.
  • For example, all the toys are used for building such as colorful Legos or hard wooden blocks?
  • You may also identify what is different about two areas.
  • Does one area contain building toys such as magnetic tiles while the other has soft toys like stuffed animals?

Music

Music is a great way to motivate kids to do a tasks. Try these ideas below…

  • Play the “Clean Up Song” while your child is cleaning up.
  • Create your own clean up song with your child.
  • Bang on a box and create a “Clean Up” chant while the children are cleaning up.

Incorporate these games during clean up time and make it fun. It will bring enjoyment to this task.

If you want more games, check out our post, Games/Activities for Kids and Parents to Make your Morning Routine Efficient.

Happy Cleaning!

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simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, game, hands-on learning, Interactive Activity for Students, math

Addition Bowling Game for Kids

In our household, we have something called “Creative Time.” This is when my son chooses an activity or a game he and I can play. This is my time to follow his lead in whatever creative project he wants to do.

This time, he pulled out his bowling game and said, “Let’s play!”

While playing the game we incorporated addition so my son could practice his math skills. If your child is not doing addition yet, use this game to practice counting and number recognition. Like all games we play, we had a blast!

I will show you how we played below!

Let’s get started!

Materials:

How to play:

  • On a piece of paper, draw separate columns and put each player’s initial at the top to keep score
  • Set up the ten pins
My son set up the pins.
  • Have the first player roll the first ball towards the pins
  • Have the first player roll the second ball towards the pins (the bowling game comes with two balls)
  • The number of pins a player knocks down is the person’s score that round.
    • For example, if a player knocks down eight pins then their score is eight for that round.
  • Record the score in that player’s column on paper.

  • The next player will go and repeat the previous five steps.
  • My son added both our bowling scores for all the rounds.
  • It was a great way to practice addition.
  • Below is what my son wrote.
M is for mommy. The score was 26 to 24. I won the game but it was really close. The second to last number under the C column is 10 and NOT 16.
  • Have your child count the number of pins knocked down for each round if you want to do number recognition instead of addition.

My son created a spin-off addition game. You will hear about that next week!

Stay tuned!

Have Fun with this Activity!

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Our books are available on Amazon, “Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play,” “Fun Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write, and “Teach Your Child About Money Through Play.“

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simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, Brain Power, creativity, Critical Thinking, game, hands-on learning, Interactive Activity for Students

Teach Kids, ages 3 and up, Chess in a Fun Way

Admiration and Failure

I have always admired people, young and old, who can play the game of Chess. Throughout my life, I have heard the many benefits of playing this strategic game. Also, people who play Chess seem intelligent to me.

Honestly, I have tried three times to learn chess and failed. It was the time and energy it took to learn the name of the pieces and how they moved. I would read or watch online videos about the game and eventually become bored.

Grandma’s Inspiration

The idea of tackling Chess again came from my mother. One of her gifts for my son’s third Christmas was a Chess game. It was the same cycle again.

I read the book that came with the game she gave my son and I got bored. Additionally, I thought my son was too young to learn the game. However, in the back of my mind, I knew Chess would be a game that he would like because it challenges the brain.

My Bright Idea

My decision was to wait until he got a little older to introduce him to the game.

My future plan was to take him to some type of community program that would teach him how to play Chess. Then, maybe I would learn through him. This was a win-win situation!

The Solution

It wasn’t until one night while skimming Facebook, I saw an advertisement for Story Time Chess. After seeing the advertisement’s picture of young kids playing chess with their parents, I wanted to learn more. On the website, I saw these words, “A revolutionary new game that lets you teach your child how to play chess as young as the age of 3!”

It is revolutionary because it teaches kids to play through fun stories with colorful diverse characters instead of rules. Each piece has a story about how it moves. Each piece holds a character’s picture from their story which allows children to visually connect it to the chess board and understand how to play.

Another helpful aspect of Story Time Chess is each story is concluded with a mini game that reinforces how the pieces move.

Our Experience

We love it! My four-year-old son and I learned how to play chess within a week and a half of opening the game! He was highly motivated to learn because of the engaging stories and pieces in the game. We currently play almost daily. Sometimes, he wins and other times I am the victor.

Watch the two videos below of my son and I playing chess. The first video is footage of us playing a game. The second one shows my son winning against me in the game of Chess.

My four-year-old son and I playing Chess.
My son is the winner in this game.

Below I will answer frequently asked questions parents have about Chess. It will be through the lens of our experience.

What age can a child learn chess?

The programs that I have researched in my local area start teaching kids chess at the age of seven. However, I have seen kids learn chess as young as five-years-old. My son learned how to play through Story Time Chess as a four-year-old. However, if I’d known about this game earlier, our starting age would have been three.

If your kids love fun engaging stories with colorful characters, they can learn at an early age.

What is the easiest way to play chess?

Of course you know the easiest way for us to play chess was to learn through Story Time Chess. We learned how the pieces moved in this order: king, pawns, knights, rooks, bishops, and queen. There were mini games at the end of each story that gave us a hands-on perspective on how each piece moved.

The best way to learn is be consistent with playing. It is important to learn the basic steps first and then take it a step further by learning various strategies.

We play daily which helps to hone our skills and learn new strategies.

What Chess teaches?

Chess teaches children so many important skills. I will concentrate on three skills below.

Chess teaches kids problem solving skills. During our games, my son spends time concentrating on how to keep his king safe while capturing mine. I can see him thinking about and planning his next move.

It also increases your child’s creatively. There is one piece my son loves to use when capturing my king. When I take that piece away from him, he has to be creative and think outside the box to win the game.

Chess has improved my son’s memory and observation skills. I use a particular strategy to win games against him. One day, I noticed he began to remember my first three moves while playing. He told me what the moves were and asked why I always did that. Then he developed some strategy to counter my moves. Amazing!

Try Story Time Chess! Be persistent and play with your child often!

Have fun Playing!

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Our books are available on Amazon, “Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play,” “Fun Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write, and “Teach Your Child About Money Through Play.“

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simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, game, hands-on learning, Interactive Activity for Students, Science

Slime Time Game for Kids

One day my son came home from daycare with DIY Slime. He could not wait to show it off after he greeted me with a kiss and hug. It was in a yellow container and sparkled with glitter.

We decided to take the slime out the container to play with it. It was sticky, slimly, ooey, gooey, and fun to play with. We smashed and constructed it in to various shapes.

About 30 minutes before dinner, we decided to make up an activity called the Slime Time Game. The game is simple and will encourage your child to think on their feet while being creative. This is a great indoor activity for rainy and cold days. Below I will explain how to play.

Let’s get started!

Materials Needed:

How to Play:

  • Give your child the slime.
  • Let them play with it for a while to get used to shaping and forming it.
  • I encourage you to play with the slime as well.
  • Tell your child they have a certain amount of time to make a letter, number, shape, or image.
  • During the first round of the game, I told my son he had 45 seconds to make the letter A.
My son made the letter A in 25 seconds.


  • Have your child give you the slime.
  • Have them tell you to make something in a certain amount of time.
  • My son asked me to make the number 89 in 40 seconds.
I made the number 89 in 30 seconds. This slime was very sticky.

Watch this video of my son making the letter H in 30 seconds.

We had a lot of fun with this activity. It kept us busy for about 35 minutes! It is great for letter, shape, and number recognition.

Have fun with this!

OUR KID FRIENDLY FAST & FUN STUDY TRICKS FOR BETTER GRADES: 9 FUN STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN LEARNING AND SCHOOL HAS $29 OFF THE ORIGINAL PRICE.

Our books are available on Amazon, “Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play,” “Fun Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write, and “Teach Your Child About Money Through Play.“

THE TEACH YOUR TODDLER TO READ THROUGH PLAY ONLINE COURSE HAS A $97 DISCOUNT.

Click here for the PAYMENT PLAN OPTION!

simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, game, hands-on learning, hygiene, morning routine

6 Games/Activities for Kids and Parents to Make your Morning Routine Efficient

I am a full-time working mom who occasionally rushes in the morning. There is so much to do such as packing my three-year-old’s lunch and snacks, exercise, get myself and son dressed, and so much more.

When I am in a hurry, it does not transfer well to my son. He is probably thinking, “Why do I have to do everything so fast?” 

One way I have solved this problem is by getting up earlier and playing games to lighten our morning routine. 

Below are some of the games we play…

Stop (Freeze) and Dance

Have your child dance in between self-care activities. Below are examples…

  1. DANCE to the bathroom then STOP to use the toilet. 
  2. Do a little DANCE to the sink then STOP to wash hands.
  3. DANCE while at the sink.
  4. STOP when they have to brush their teeth.

My son loves this game. It helps him to get dressed faster. When he STOPS, it provides an opportunity to focus on his self-care activity. Plus, this game encourages us to laugh in the morning.

Race against the Clock

Tell your child they have a certain amount of time to do a task. Then challenge them to beat the clock!

  1. Tell your child they have 45 seconds to take off their pajamas.
  2. Count to 45 and see if your child has beaten the clock. 
  3. Count in different languages if you are teaching your child to be bilingual.
  4. If you see your child struggling with a task, count a little slower to give them a better chance to win.
  5. You may also help your child with the task, so both of you are racing against the clock. 

This is a fun and educational game in the morning. For young children, it is a great time to practice counting. Once your child becomes more efficient in a self-care task, they will complete it faster. My son really concentrates during this activity because he wants to beat the clock and he is competitive!

Chant to put clothes in hamper or wherever they belong

Say a chant to encourage your child to put clothes in the hamper

  1. Our chant is “Shirt, pants, underwear, and socks in the basket!”
  2. We repeat this chant loud while marching from the bathroom to the bedroom.

This is a great way to incorporate song and movement in the mornings! The repetition in the chant helps the child to concentrate on one task at a time without getting distracted. Sometimes, we will clap and stomp our feet to make the chant more musical.

Storytime to keep child still while brushing their hair or putting on lotion

Tell a quick story that will interest your child and keep them still.

  1. I usually tell silly stories about skunks, elephants, cartoon characters, and cars.
  2. Create child friendly stories that will keep their attention.

After dancing and chanting, my son usually wants to move around. In order to settle him, I tell a story that interests him.  He likes stories where a problem is being solved. Sometimes, I will ask him to fill in the story details to ensure he is paying attention. This is a great activity to help your child listen, focus, and use their imagination.

Race Against You

You and your child have to put your shoes on before going out the door, right? Why not make it a friendly competition?

  1. We start the race by grabbing our shoes.
  2. My son says “Ready, set, go!”
  3. Then we both hurry to put our shoes on.
  4. The person to put their shoes on first, wins!

This is another friendly game that gets my son moving in the mornings. Sometimes, I forget to mention this game before putting our shoes on. However, he does not let me forget and reminds me every time!

Another Chant to Move Things Along

We say a catchy chant to go downstairs or to get dressed.

  1. Our chant is “LET’S GO FLOW JOE, LET’S GO!”
  2. We repeat this chant to help us get things done in the morning!

This chant is a reminder to us both that there is a certain task we need to complete. It helps us get finish quickly and more efficiently. We are definitely more focused when it is time for this chant!

Incorporate these games in the morning and make it a fun time! It has definitely help us to lighten our morning routine!

Happy Morning Play!

What are some tactics used in your household in the mornings?

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Our books are available on Amazon, “Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play,” “Fun Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write, and “Teach Your Child About Money Through Play.“

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simplyoutrageousyouth Accelerated Fun Learning, Financial Literacy, game, Kids, life skills

4 Simple Financial Literacy Games/Activities for Kids

April is financial literacy month. I wanted to start the month off by giving you fun and simple financial literacy activities to do with young children.

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad said  when you are an adult your report card is your credit score. This is one reason why teaching kids financial literacy is so important. Once a child becomes an adult, handling money becomes inevitable. So, let’s strive to build an early foundation for our children!

Check out our new book available on Amazon, Teach Your Child About Money Through Play! It has over 110 Games/Activities, Tips, and Resources. The book is great for kids ages 4-10 and their parents.

To Find Out More About This Book Click Here

GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST AND GET 10 ACTIVITIES TO BOOST KIDS’ FINANCIAL LITERACY KNOWLEDGE

Let’s get started with our activities!

Money Recognition

The value of money and how to count it is a basic skill every child should learn. The activities below will teach money recognition in a fun way.

  1. The first step in money recognition is for kids to hold and interact with money.
  2. Have your child put money in a piggy bank.
  3. Another activity is for the child to sort money by pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, etc.
    • Help your child learn the difference in colors and sizes.
  4. After your child has mastered this, then teach them the monetary value of each coin by doing the following.
    • Repeat step 3 by having the child sort coins, then make a COLORFUL SIGNS with the value of money.
    • Create a sign for each coin and place it near each type of coin. The signs should read the following…
      • Pennies = 1¢
      • Nickels = 5¢
      • Dimes = 10¢
      • Quarters = 25¢
  5. Review the values frequently.
  6. Read books about the value of money such as…
  7. Watch the value of money videos on YouTube.
  8. Then move on to the next activity, Ice Cream Store.
Sorting money




Using a money funnel to sort money


Putting money in coin wrappers.

Ice Cream Store

This is a great activity to reinforce the value of money. It also introduces your child to entrepreneurship.

  1. Create ice cream by using the following suggestions.
    • Make ice cream with Playdoh. An example is shown in the picture below.
    • You may also put various colored balls in cups to make pretend play ice cream.
    • Another option is to purchase an ice cream set like the Melissa & Doug Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter.
  2. Create price tags and put them on the ice cream.
  3. Get pretend play money and give to the customer.
  4. Have your child play the ice cream store owner.
  5. As the customer, start by giving your child the correct amount of money for the ice cream.
  6. Once they become more advanced, give them more than enough money and help them determine the correct change to give you.
  7. This is also a great activity to teach your child about kindness and customer service.
My son giving me change after my ice cream purchase.
Ice Cream Cones made from PlayDoh

Monopoly

Introduce your child to investing in real estate with this game. Use this game to teach your child financial literacy vocabulary such as Assets, Liabilities, and Transaction.

  1. If you have a young child, start off with Monopoly Junior.
    • There are various versions of this game. The tips below can be used with most versions.
  2. Read the directions on how to play the game.
  3. Play the game with your child until they start to understand the concept and do the steps below.
  4. View the video below to learn how to teach your child the words, Assets, Liabilities, and Transactions by playing Monopoly.

Saving

This activity teaches kids how to work towards something they want or would like to purchase in the future.

  1. Explain to your child that saving money means putting money aside.
  2. Most kids like to save for something they want in the future.
  3. Is there a toy your child has been begging you for?
  4. Use this as an opportunity to teach them about saving.
  5. You may create a project around the house that allows them to earn money.
  6. It doesn’t have to be money, you many use a behavior chart so kids can earn awards at the end of the week.
  7. We use the Melissa & Doug Chore Chart.
    • If my son completes his chores at the end of the week, then he earns a privilege of his choice like going for a fun outing or watching television.

Bonus Activity – How the Stock Market Works: A Simple Explanation For You and Your Kids

Financial Literacy can be taught to children in a fun way on any level.

Have fun with these activities!

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