ABOUT
As a caregiver, there’s no greater joy than seeing your child thrive, whether academically, socially, or emotionally, and facilitating that success is a true reward. While reading is a go-to method for boosting language skills, The Coin Fairy provides a fun, daily way to nurture math skills and confidence.
Our Beginning
The Coin Fairy was born when a mom discovered how tricky it was to replace a tooth with money without waking her child, and noticed that kids delight in the jingle of coins more than bills. She devised a two-bag swap system to ensure a magical morning surprise, then realized these coins could foster hands-on math lessons, transforming the lost-tooth tradition into an educational adventure.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Money is a complex skill that is taught over many of the early childhood years. It is a skill that, in order to master it, many previous levels of understanding need to be acquired first. Skills are acquired in a stepwise fashion starting from the pre-kindergarten years all the way to approximately ages 9-10 years until the concept is fully understood. This unique early- childhood curriculum goal is rich with opportunity to reinforce so many different foundational math skills. As soon as a child starts learning to count, he or she is on the way to achieving the first necessary skill which is called one-to-one correspondence! One-to-one correspondence involves the skill of understanding that each item should be counted once, and only once, in order to understand the quantity, value or total amount of item. It is never too early to start building these foundational skills which lend themselves in the later years to understanding the advanced skill of money.
Learn More About Coin Fairy
All the information you need to get started.
About the Founder
Laura E. Schleelein, MD, founder of Coin Fairy, is a married, working mom of two children, ages 8 and 10, in the Tampa, FL area. As a Pediatric Anesthesiologist, she has had the unique opportunity to interact with children across all age groups, gaining insight into their milestones, emotions, and experiences.
When her own kids started losing their teeth, she began searching for a way to make the moment even more magical. At first, she was simply trying to make the exchange of money for a tooth easier—a clever "bait and switch" using a two-bag system.
But soon, her focus shifted to transforming the experience into something both fun and meaningful. Losing a tooth is more than just an exchange; it’s a rite of passage, an opportunity to celebrate growth, pride, and joy. And so, the Coin Fairy was born—a tradition designed to bring excitement, wonder, and a little extra magic to this childhood milestone.
Early childhood education is vital for future success, and integrating playful elements like the Coin Fairy can make foundational math and money skills both engaging and memorable.
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