Learning coin names and values

Let me just say — time flies in the summer! It really has been wonderful. I took the entire month of July completely off and cherished every moment with my husband and son. We spent several weeks in Tennessee visiting my parents and it was SO relaxing and refreshing.

Now I am ready to dive back in full force into the school year with blogging and songwriting. I’ve been writing tons of songs and can’t wait to share them with you!

Though today’s song was written for one particular client, it is applicable to children everywhere!  I’ve seen and used various rhymes and piggybacked tunes over the years but decided it was time to put my personal touch on this topic – COIN RECOGNITION!

Tips & Tricks

Don’t forget the manipulatives.  Real coins, pictures of coins, printed coin words, printed corresponding numbers.  Keep it exciting by changing up the material you use each time.

Repetition. I say this almost every time. I know. But it’s true. You can’t expect your child to listen to it once and have it memorized (though I’ve seen it happen!). Sing it over and over and over again!

Fill in the blank.  Once you have practiced the song, practice filling in the lyrics. You might say, “A penny’s worth ____” (child answers “one”).

Generalize. Expand your use of the song to places where money is exchanged. Allow the child to participate in making purchases with change.  No need to go into the whole song — Sing the pertinent lyric and give your child the opportunity to identify the coin and its value.

Lyrics

Chorus:
Penny nickel dime & quarter. Four coins to know.
Penny nickel dime & quarter. Go with the flow.

Verse 1:
A penny is brown. The rest are silver.
A penny is brown. That’s how I remember.
A penny’s worth one. That’s one cent.
A penny’s worth one. It’s very important.

Verse 2:
A nickel is silver. Its sides are smooth.
A nickel is silver. And that’s the truth.
A nickel’s worth five. That’s five cents.
A nickel’s worth five and it’s no coincidence.

Verse 3:
A dime is smallest. Its sides are rough.
A dime is smallest. Rough and tough.
A dime is worth ten. That’s ten cents.
A dime is worth ten. Gotta be persistent.

Verse 4:
A quarter is biggest. Sides are rough too.
A quarter is biggest. That’s my point of view.
A quarter’s worth 25. That’s 25 cents.
A quarter’s worth 25. It makes a big difference.

I never know when I start laying tracks what the final product will sound like. This one turned out to have a nice beat with fun guitar parts.  What do you think? Send me a quick note – mary@musictherapykids.com

Sing on,

Mary

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