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Teaching Kids Everyday Money Skills

teach kids money through games

10 Ways To Teach Your Kids Money Through Games!

  1. The Great Counting Race – Empty a change jar on the table. Somebody calls out an amount (ex: $1.25!). Players race to collect the coins that add up to that amount. The first one to reach it correctly wins! This challenge practices coin value recognition and counting.
  2. Match It – Empty a change jar on the table. Write a set of cue cards with various money amounts. Shuffle the cards. Let your child pick one at random and then ask him/her to find that amount. This activity is great for identifying an amount in written form and matching it with physical money.
  3. Flip or Flop – Flip a coin. Heads mean up and Tails means down. If you get Heads, name an action that makes your account balance go up (ex: I sold a toy). If you get Tails, name an action that makes your account balance go down (ex: I bought a candy). This game thinks through transactional outcomes.
  4. Saving Challenge – Try to think of ways to save money. When you think of one, mark an “x” on your calendar. (ex: fix a toy instead of buying one). See if you can fill your calendar with saving ideas! This exercise helps kids think about more ways to save than just piggy banks.
  5. Thinking Deeper – Pull out any item from your pantry. Talk about the jobs that it supports. (ex: tuna can – supports fishermen, fish cleaners, can factory workers, shippers, cashiers) This is a great activity to start thinking about the economy and pricing.
  6. MoneyPrep – Play on the MoneyPrep app for 15-20 minutes per day. Kids can explore all the concepts of smart money management in a fun online interactive game.
  7. Board Games – Play Payday or Monopoly once a week. These games are great for introducing kids to paychecks, purchases and money handling.
  8. Build Your Own Money Dice Game – Assign an action and a value to every number 1-6 (ex: You sold a book for $5, Nothing sold at your yard sale – collect $0). Take turns rolling the dice 5 times and keep track of your balance. Who made the most money? This game is great for understanding that circumstance affects your bank balance.
  9. Deal Maker – Name an item and a cost (ex: running shoes – $100). Then call out various “deals” and see who can calculate the new price the fastest (15% off, buy one get one 50% off). This is a great exercise for fast math and understanding incentive value.
  10. Fast Tax – Taxes are a part of life and everyone should know them. Name a series of items (ex: can of pop $2, book $10) and ask “What are the taxes?”. Kids can use calculators or mental math to find the answer. This activity helps kids determine item taxes in their area and teaches the overall cost to buy.