Penny Pushing

For this activity, you'll need: small animal, fish, or teddy-bear crackers or some type of desirable dry cereal, 100 pennies, and a handful of nickels.

1. On a table, line up five crackers.  Then line up five pennies about one foot from the line of crackers.
    
2. Explain to your child that each penny can be used to "buy" one cracker (or several pieces of cereal).
    
3. Allow your child to buy cereal by sliding or pushing the penny across the table to the cracker line.  Replace the cracker with the penny, and then have your child slide the cracker back to the original penny line.
    
4. Allow your child to continue "buying" crackers until he or she has completed the five possible purchases.  Make sure you count the five pennies and the five crackers to emphasize that each cracker is "worth" one penny.  Repeat the process for reinforcement.
    
5. Line up five crackers again, but this time place one nickel across from the crackers.  Explain that each nickel can "buy" five crackers.  Now allow your child to buy several rounds of crackers using nickels.  (For older children, you can add dimes and even quarters to the spending spree!)
    
6. Remind your child that this is what mom and dad do when they buy groceries at the store.  They give the store money, and then they can take home bags of food.