Piggy Bank Counting

Tools

1. Coins

2. Coin Bank (alternative: container with a slit for coins)

Activity Description

Placing coins into the palm of your hand and then moving the coin to the fingertips and into the coin slot requires skills and precision. Practice counting how many coins you have or learn about the value of different coins for older children.

Steps

• Step 1: Use your "crocodile fingers" (thumb and index finger) to pick up a coin and move the coin from the fingertips to the palm of your hand. For older children, attempt this four more times so that you have 5 coins in your hand total).

• Step 2: Attempt to remove the coin from the palm of your hand to the fingertips of the thumb and index finger ("crocodile fingers") and place into the coin bank.

• Step 3: Continue step 2 until all coins are placed into the coin bank.

• Step 4: Now let's switch! Attempt steps 1-3 with the opposite hand.

Goals

While placing coins in a coin bank may look simple, there are actually quite a few skills involved for a child to successfully complete this activity. Picking up a coin while using your "crocodile fingers" (thumb and index finger) helps to develop a neat pincer grasp. When combined with moving the coin in the hand from the tips of the finger to the palm of the hand and vice versa, this skill is referred to as in-hand manipulation (specially palm-to-finger translation or finger-to-palm translation). Placing the coin into the coin bank requires eye-hand coordination. When breaking down the task, there really is quite a number of skills involved.