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Making change from paper money was a lesson I learned in second grade and from there dimes turned to ten percent and 25 cents turned to quarters which in turn became 1/4 and everything made sense.

That simple basis did me well my entire life and I just completed another year without using Algebra once.

Making change from paper money was a lesson I learned in second grade and from there dimes turned to ten percent and 25 cents turned to quarters which in turn became 1/4 and everything made sense.

My mind worked that way too; don't remember the grade level things like that kicked in.

My math advisor opined that Common Core Standards presume this art will not be necessary because of computer-cash registers that tell the check-out attendant how much change to give the customer. And I regularly watch customers put the change in their pockets without checking first.

Making change from paper money was a lesson I learned in second grade and from there dimes turned to ten percent and 25 cents turned to quarters which in turn became 1/4 and everything made sense.

We started giving our daughter an allowance when she was three. Pennies at first, graduating to nickels, etc as she got older. She would count her stash regularly as part of play time. She had counting, adding, subtracting and reading all mastered by the time she started kindergarten. By the third grade she could make change better than 90% of the McDonald's crowd, without benefit of a fancy computerized cash register.
All without pressure, unreasonable expectation, or schizophrenic teaching methods changing every year.

Yes daily personalized attention and challenges have always been a parent's primary duty. It's always possible, even when both parents work.

What is most parents' present priority? Zombie fancy cell phones! Going out these days and watching adults is really scary! No wonder kids are mostly self-centered zombies, too.