National Coupon Month in September

Using coupons as a learning tool for school-age children can help strengthen fundamental reading, math, memory, organizational and money skills. Charles Brown, Co-Chair of the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Coupon Council says, "It's never too early to start teaching children about the value of money and importance of saving. I've used coupons to turn everyday shopping trips with my twins into great learning experiences and quality time spent together."

Here are some tips you can use to make your next trip to the grocery store, department store, restaurant, etc. an educational one that fosters:

Mathematical Skills

Look for and learn to recognize numbers, first single digits, then combinations (a two and a five make twenty-five). Practice counting and basic math functions. Introduce percentages and working with decimals. Talk about double/triple couponing and practice multiplication. Do price comparisons.

Memory Reinforcement

Point out and name familiar things when flipping through circulars, and then play games to encourage your child to spot those items first. For example, look for colors, numbers, toys (balls, doll), people (baby, boy, daddy), grocery items (juice box, milk, toothpaste) etc. When in the store, show them a coupon for an item and ask your child to find it on the shelf.

Organizational Skills

Ask them to file the coupons by category in your organizer. Shoppers who spend 20 minutes clipping and organizing per week can easily save 20 percent or about $1,000 per year.

Calendar Familiarization

Find the expiration date written on a coupon, and then find it on the calendar. Count how many months, weeks and days the coupon can be used.

Computer Learning

While nearly 90 percent of all grocery coupons are issued in the Sunday newspaper inserts, retailers and manufacturers are increasing coupon distribution through online channels via Web sites and e-mail. Use computers and search engines with your child to find online coupons and promotions.

Value of Money

Have your child earn their own money by doing special chores for you, discuss how they would like to spend their earnings, and then have them hunt for coupons for those items. Show them how they will be able to purchase additional items with the money they save.

Transaction Learning

Let children participate by holding coupons and handing the money to the cashier.

Savings Comprehension

Offer to split the savings you obtain on your register receipts by allowing your child to purchase something with the savings and see the tangible result.

Goal Setting

Allow children to help plan family meals by searching through circulars and making a list of items that need to be purchased. This will also limit impulse buying when you arrive at the grocery store.

Budgeting

Teach the value of budgeting by using coupons on your next dining trip. Let children decide which restaurant to visit by searching through circulars and coupon books. Decide upon a specific budget and let the child decide what to order off the menu using the coupons they found.
Teachers looking to incorporate coupons in the classroom can find an interactive lesson plan that can be modified for a variety of age groups at Coupon Month. Lesson planning tips include forming break-out groups of students to simulate a supermarket shopping experience and simple ways to increase the level of difficulty for each assignment.

Related Articles: Teachers Lesson Plan - Using Coupons to Teach Applied Math