Montessori Activity: Inserting Coins

Age: From 1.5 years old

Activity Duration: 5 minutes

Objective(s):

1. To train hand-eye coordination for toddlers
2. To inculcate the value of savings for pre-schoolers

Directions:

1. Show your child that coins belong to piggy-bank by inserting the coins into piggy bank. While doing so, tell them that piggy-bank is a tool for saving money.

2. Invite your child to try.

Additional Information:

It is a Chinese tradition to give angbaos (red packets containing money) as a gift to children. J is soon 3 years old and he is more aware of things. He was very thrilled to receive angbaos. However, he took the money out straight away and put it into his pocket, and said that he is going to go shopping to buy something with the money. I am amazed that at this age, he seems to understand the concept of spending, but I wanted him to save, not just spending money

So I decided to turn this into a "Montessori" style activity, but telling him that home of the coins he received is the piggy-bank.

This morning, J (2Y10M18D) had a great time dropping the coins into the piggybank. It is an easy task for him, considering that he is soon turning 3 years old, so I was surprised that he wanted to do it again and again. The good thing with this activity is that he stopped telling me that he wanted to spend those money, but kept dropping the money into the piggy-bank. I think it is teaching him a good habit.

Although inserting coins into piggybank is a motor-skill training more suited for 1.5 years old, they are not the cleanest objects for 1.5 year old toddlers to touch. However, since giving angbaos is a Chnese tradition, this Montessori style activity integrates very well with the angbaos tradition.

When J is older and can count, I would like to give him 5 piggy banks and teach him how to save the money for different purposes - one for spending, one for saving, one for God, one for charity and one for parents (filial piety) (see the post here).