Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
Home
  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
  • What You Need To Know About Curb Ramps
  • Combating Childhood Obesity
  • 9 Things You No Longer See on Playgrounds
  • Benefits of Nature Play
  • Train Themed Playground
  • The World is a Kiwanis Playground
  • sapling growing out of a pile of quarters

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Play
  3. Education
  4. How Can You Use Play to Teach Kids About Money?

How Can You Use Play to Teach Kids About Money?

Education
January 19, 2021
Profile picture for user PGP
By PGP on
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print
316
family saving money in a piggy bank

Use play to teach kids about money

Money: It’s one of the most important aspects of adult life, but schools don’t spend nearly enough time on it. Beyond the basics, financial literacy is something most of us are expected to pick up on our own. This can put kids without financial knowledge at a disadvantage, rendering them incapable of moving beyond their socioeconomic status.

So, how can you ensure your children become financially savvy at a young age? One way to get children interested in money is through play. Instead of talking at them, present children with projects that actively engage them in the learning process. Making that process fun for them will help them build a positive relationship with money. It will also help them retain financial knowledge they may not have learned otherwise.  

Here’s how to teach kids about finances through activities and games.

Comprehending Currency

Any child hoping to learn about finances will need to be able to tell bills and coins apart. This matching activity makes a game out of that endeavor. Similar to what you’d find in many coloring and activity books, it has kids determine which bills and coins are the same. While this may not directly teach them about currency, it does open the door for parents to provide a better understanding of each piece of money and its value.

Separate Those Savings Accounts

If you’re working with children in preschool and kindergarten, it’ll be some time before they need to worry about a savings account. However, when they do eventually start saving, they’ll need to make the most of that money. That’s where this piggy bank activity comes in.

This worksheet has children set up different piggy banks, each one with a distinct goal. Much like you’d separate savings based on what that money is being set aside for, kids can separate their currency based on whatever goals they have. This opens the door for a discussion about which goals take precedence over others. It also highlights the need to save the money you make, even if it’s just a little at a time.

Necessity or Luxury?

In the spirit of saving money, kids also need to know the difference between items they want and items they need. Although nonessential purchases are okay from time to time, necessities must come first. Only then can financially savvy adults confidently purchase luxuries. (And you may want to point out that saving should take priority over impulse purchases the majority of the time!)

This activity, which asks kids to judge which items are necessities and which aren’t, will start these conversations.

Credit Cards and Credit Scores

Kids enjoy swiping fake credit cards on their play cash registers, but most don’t truly understand credit. Learning what credit is and what it’s used for can be beneficial at an early age, even if that knowledge can’t be applied until adulthood.

Rather than having kids memorize credit terms and their definitions by studying, parents can use activities like this word search puzzle to play and educate. Learning about loans and interest will prepare kids to make decisions that affect their credit scores once they do reach adulthood. (With any luck, it’ll help them make decisions that work in their favor, too.)

Real-World Application

Once you’ve made it through the other activities on this list, it’s time to test how your kids apply their financial literacy to everyday situations. They may not always be fun, but word problems allow us to measure how we implement knowledge to solve problems. Managing finances comes with plenty of challenges, including the ones addressed in this activity. Repeated practice at working through and around those challenges will give kids a leg up when they’re faced with the real-life versions of such events.

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Profile picture for user PGP
PGP
Published 2 years ago
Last updated 6 months ago
316
2
min read
A- A+
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

More About

Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
Jun 02, 2015
Education

Why Winning a New Playground for a School Matters

Alli Delano
Interesting Educational Resources for Kids Stuck at Home During COVID-19
May 05, 2020
Education

Interesting Educational Resources for Kids Stuck at Home During COVID-19

Vasy Kafidoff
How To Help Your Kids Overcome Stress During The Exam Period
Nov 11, 2021
Education

How To Help Your Kids Overcome Stress During The Exam Period

Inna Atwood
Learning Activities
Aug 11, 2020
Education

5 Fun Learning Activities to Keep Kids Engaged in Summer

George Maybach
Kids enjoying the playground.
May 07, 2018
Education

Teachers Place High Value on Recess

Ipema Association
Image by Esi Grünhagen from Pixabay
Sep 10, 2019
Education

How To Develop Self-Discipline In Children

Rebecca Temsen
International Signpost
Oct 25, 2018
Education

Top 7 Games for Learning Foreign Languages

Samantha Gilbert
Fun And Educational Ways Children Can Learn Through Outdoor Role Play
Aug 18, 2020
Education

Fun And Educational Ways Children Can Learn Through Outdoor Role Play

Jackie Edwards
Manipulative Play
Oct 13, 2015
Education

Science, play, and learning

Anne-Marie-Spencer
The Importance of Play for Pre-school Children
Dec 17, 2018
Education

The Importance of Play for Pre-school Children

Kacey Mya
St. Louis Zoo Includes Children's Interactive "Zooground"
Jul 01, 2002
Education

Lions and Tigers and Bears... and More!

Playground Magazine
Books in a library
Apr 20, 2020
Education

Helping Your Child Learn How to Read

John Caviness

Education Professionals

Playworks
Playworks
Organization
More
Guildcraft Arts & Crafts
Guildcraft Arts & Crafts
Sales Rep
More
US Play Coalition
US Play Coalition
Organization
More
Shape America
Shape America
Organization
More
Lakeshore Learning Materials
Lakeshore Learning Materials
Manufacturer
More
National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Organization
More
Tout About Toys
Tout About Toys
Manufacturer
More
Association for Childhood Education International
Association for Childhood Education International
Organization
More
Peaceful Playgrounds Foundation
Peaceful Playgrounds Foundation
Organization
More
New England Symposium On Play
New England Symposium On Play
Organization
More
KidKiddos Books
KidKiddos Books
Organization
More
Natural Learning Initiative
Natural Learning Initiative
Organization
More
Home

Follow Us

Play and playground news and information since 2001

  • instagram
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • linkedin

Company

  • Playground Magazine
  • Contributors
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Copyright © 2001 - 2023 Playground Professionals, LLC

Footer menu

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions