Montessori Activity: Inserting Ice-Cream Sticks

Age: From 1 year old

Objective: To train fine motor skills in a fun way

Materials:

1. Piggybank with opening at the top

2. 5-10 ice-cream sticks

3. 1 tray (optional)

Directions:

1. Demonstrate to your child how to do it.

2. Invite your child to try

Additional Information:

Don't be discouraged if your child is not interested or could not do it. Each child develops differently. Our Little FECS only did this activity at 2 years old, while our Baby FECS is doing it at 1 year old.

Video Demonstration:

Here is a video demonstration by our Baby FECS

21 May 2017 (1Y6D)

8 July 2017 (1Y1M22D)

J Summary (4Y10M27D) - Angbaos (Red Packets)

J (4Y10M27D) received CNY anybaos from his gong gong and po po (grandparents) and Auntie J in Singapore. He was only allowed to open on New Year's Day. It was past the first day of New Year, but I still had not find the time for it due to work. This evening, we had a little time, and he was very excited to unwrap the red packets.

I took the time to teach him Personal Financial Management. I showed him the 5 empty piggy banks, explaining that the first one is for God, the second is for parents, the third is for charity, the fourth is for spending and the fifth is for saving. The first one he placed money in was for parents. He said he wanted to share with us his red packets. Oh how sweet. Then he placed some for charity, for spending and for saving. And he went back to place more money for parents, and then again placed more money for in the same piggybank marked for parents, saying that the money he placed there this time round was for his grandparents, but none in the piggybank for God yet.

It was very sweet to see him giving so much money to us and grandparents, keeping so little for himself.

Then he asked me how we can give money to God, since God is not a human? I explained that when we give money to God, the money is used to help the less fortunate through the church. The money is also used to uphold the administration and expenses of the church. Then he went on to place some money in the piggy bank for God.

It was also heart-warming to see that he was so generous in giving most of his angbao money to all the other piggy banks (parents and charity) and keeping so little for himself in the piggy bank marked for Spending.

J placed God last for his angbao money. From here, it helped me to identify areas where I should focus on teaching. During our next time together, I will remember to share with him this verse:

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. - Proverbs 3:9-10

Pretend Play: Inserting Coins

Age: From 1 year old

Objectives:
1. To train fine motor skills.
2. To teach cause and effect.
3. To teach colours.

Additional Information:
This toy teaches a clear cause and effect. It gives a sound, when a coin is inserted and is a lot of fun for a one year old. I love the colourful coins.

Montessori Activity: Sorting Coins

Idea from a Chinese Pre-schooler workbook

Age: From 3 years old

Objectives:

1. To get the child familiarize with money.
2. To teach counting coins.
3. To inspire the child to save.

Materials:

1. 4 piggy-banks or purses for each value of coins.

2. 1 bowl containing a handful of coins with different denominations. I have got 1 kr, 2 kr, 10 kr and 20 kr on hand, and thus I use them.

3. 1 tray or mat.

Directions:

1. Demonstrate by putting the 1 kr coin into the piggy-bank meant for 1 kr.

2. Invite your child to sort the coins to the respective piggy-banks accordingly.

Additional Information:

We were doing school this evening and came across this exercise in one of J's Chinese workbooks. I thought it would be too difficult for him and turned over to the next page, but J (3Y3M2D) saw it and wanted to do it straight away. So I let him try. To my surprise, he could do everything. Thus, this exercise inspired me to make a Montessori-style activity with real coins.

I will be collecting more coins to increase my stock. Actually the Danish coins are not so suitable, as the sizes are similar and the number on the coins are very small. I will try to use the Singaporean coins instead.

I use real coins, as it does not cost anything. But if you feel that it would be too inhygienic, you can use toy money, which is available from Amazon:

  http://amzn.to/1NbvTSd

We bought our piggy banks from the Japanese store Daiso in Singapore, but you can get similar ones from Amazon:

http://amzn.to/1X063Tc

Other Resources:

http://teachmama.com/2011/07/playing-with-money-counting-wrapping-estimating-coins.html

How to Teach Children Financial Management?

Idea adapted from Lisa Tong

Now that we have implemented the Children Chore Chart for JN and his siblings and the corresponding Coupon Reward System, what do we do with the coupons that are being exchanged for money? We teach them to save... not just with 1 piggybank, but with 5 piggybanks.

The 3 "S" Lesson:

This provides a very good opportunity to teach the children early in their life the good habits of prudent financial management – what I call The 3 “S” Lesson about Life – namely, Sharing, Saving and Spending.

I am going to give each child 5 piggybanks with the following percentages:

1. S is for Sharing - 30% with the following breakdown:

a. 10% to God – As Christians, this teaches Joshua to honour God with his “first fruits”.

b. 10% to parents – As Chinese, this teaches Joshua in an early age the Chinese concept of filial piety, something not many Europeans could comprehend.

c. 10% to charity – This teaches Joshua the concept of sharing with the less fortunate.

2. S is for Saving - 20% – This teaches Joshua the concept of being thrifty and saving up for rainy days.

3. S is for Spending - 50% - This teaches Joshua the enjoyment of spending within his means after taking into account the other two “S”s.

Additional Information:
You will notice that I have arranged the piggy banks in a row in the order with God first and Spending last. This is in accordance to what the Bible teaches and commands us to do:

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. - Proverbs 3:9-10

This is a personal testimony that I have experienced since I started my working life some 12 years ago. And God has always kept His promise with giving me enough to share with others. Not one day do I have to go out to beg or borrow money from others. I want to share my testimony with Joshua and the children, that they will always grow up trusting God to provide financially, if they honour God and put Him first in their life.

Now that Joshua is older and started wanting me to spend money to buy things for him, it is also a good time for me to introduce this activity to him, when I am back home in Denmark.

If it is too overwhelming with 5 piggybanks, you can also start with 1 piggybank, and work it up, instead of trying to achieve this lesson overnight.

Btw, I have found a brilliant piggybank that compartmentalizes it into different compartments:

  References:
http://lisatong.com/index.php/2009/01/10/childrens-chore-charts/

Montessori Acitivity: Inserting Ice-Cream Sticks

Inspired by Having Fun at Home

Age: From approx. 1.5 year old

Activity Duration: 5-10 minutes

Preparation Time: 3 minutes

Objective(s):
1. To train the child’s fine motor skills
2. To teach the concept of full and empty

Materials:
1. 10 ice-cream sticks in a container
2. 1 Piggy-bank
3. 1 tray

Directions:
1. Show your child how to insert an ice-cream stick into the piggy-bank.

2. Encourage your child try it.

Additional Information:
I have some ice-cream sticks at home and a piggy-bank. So today, I let J (2Y4M26D) tried this game. At first he was very thrilled by all the teddy bears, and started to count them. He could do it rather well, but needed to be reminded to point the stick down, instead of inserting it horizontally. Soon he got tired of inserting them one-by-one and went for the fast way by taking off the lid and pouring the ice-cream sticks into the can. He shaked it to listen to the sound.

References:
http://havingfunathomeblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/popping-posicle-sticks-into-oatmeal-can.html