As winter still lingers on I find my little ones bouncing off walls and needing an outlet for their energy and creativity. No matter how busy we are in the day they always seem to have a backup reserve of energy and continue to look for something new to do. Their energy is a call to action for me and I’m always on the look out for activities we can do together. Something to keep their minds and hands busy.

I came across this little game while reading a magazine and thought it was brilliant! It’s the perfect anywhere, anytime activity. It works well when your out to dinner, sitting in a church pew or just in need an something to do at home. To get started all you need is a few coins, a writing utensil, some paper and a little creativity.

How To Play Coin Critters:

1. You will need paper and a writing utensil. Pencils and pens work just fine. But crayons, markers or colored pencils will help produce more colorful and creative results.
2. Gather together a variety of coins. Nickels, dimes, pennies, quarters, or half dollars. Anything you have will work.
3. Let the children pick out the coins they would like to use to create their “critter.”
4. Encourage them to place the coins on their paper in any fashion they would like.
5. Assemble the coins and then add to eyes, arms, legs, antenna or anything you can think of to create your one of a kind critter.
6. When they are finished creating their critter, help your child count the value of the coins they used. This gives them the number of points the critter is worth.

This activity provides opportunities to teach children coin values, simple math and encourage creativity.