Fun Felt Friday-Money

 Kids love play money.  The only problem is that it usually comes in paper-form, and it gets crumpled and scattered all too easily.  As a mom and teacher, I find that scattered, crumpled, torn money to be obnoxious.  So, I created some felt money for kids to play with!  It is durable, easy to make, and is much easier to store (crumpling is not a problem-just stuff them all in a baggie to store!).

For this project, all you will need is dark green and light green felt, and a white puffy paint.  Really, though, you can use any variety of colors-I've even made my girls some pink & purple money!  

• Measure and cut your dark green felt into 2x5 inch strips.  
• Next, you will need numbers.  You can either free hand these, or print, cut and trace the numbers.  These print-outs should work perfectly: Numbers 0-5, Numbers 6-11.  Cut out your numbers onto the light green felt. 
• Using fabric glue or hot glue, glue your numbers onto your dark green strips of felt.  
• Lastly, using your puffy paint, decorate around the edges of your money with dots or other designs that your child might enjoy. 
• Allow these to dry completely before playing with them!

Money is great for kids.  It teaches them number recognition, math skills, and everyday money awareness (buying stuff costs money).  You can play "grocery store" (or Starbucks, restaurant, etc.) with your child by labeling products with price tags and having your child "pay" with the correct amount of money.