|
Pretend Play Adds Up to Real Life Lessons Learned
by Rebecca Klein
When is the right time to expose your child to money management? The sooner - the better, says Heidi Bultman of Learning Resources, an educational toy company that offers money related games and activities for tykes as young as 3.
“It’s one thing to teach money or other math concepts… Interactive games can really help give children a greater understanding of the overall concepts,” shares Bultman.
Each of the following four financial literacy games and activities offered by the company reinforces coin and bill recognition and allows players to practice basic money math skills. However, you’ll find that each one also has its own twist and possibilities for advanced play.
Teaching Cash Register
Suggested Ages: 3-9
msrp: $59.95
The Teaching Cash Register will grow with your child. Younger cashiers will enjoy the lights and sounds, hitting the buttons and playing with the life-size bills and coins. As little storekeepers get older, they can challenge themselves to such skill-building games as a coin quiz, where they will be asked to enter specific coin and dollar amounts into the register. There are also addition and subtraction games and a money match challenge, where the talking register will state a dollar amount, and the player must hit the corresponding numbers and put the decimal point in the right place. Each game features multiple levels.
Cash Bash Electronic Money Game
Suggested Ages: 5-8
msrp: $44.95
This electronic game, which features duel screens and keypads, tests to see if your child knows what combination of coins and dollar bills equals a designated purchase price. In the main game, the players must keep poking the penny, nickel, dime, quarter and dollar buttons until they reach the total. Your child can play solo with limited chances to reach the amount displayed on the screen or compete tête-à-tête with a friend. To spice things up, there are also game options where players are given restrictions, such as not being able to use the nickel button or being allotted a specific number of moves. There are five different game options with two playing levels for each one.
Buy It Right Shopping Game
Suggested Ages: 6-9
msrp: $23.95
This board game teaches a kind of logic that goes beyond basic math — you can’t
get everything you want! Players move around the board, buying and selling products with the goal of filling their shopping carts with the right combination of products. When players have the opportunity to buy an item, they must pass it up if they can’t afford it or if they have already filled their shopping cart with the color category. There are also occasions to use coupons, times when you must fork over an item as a “gift,” and even chances to buy whatever you want straight from someone else’s cart. The first player with a full shopping cart wins. The instructions include two easier variations.
Money Bags Coin Value Game
Suggested Ages: 7-9
msrp: $18.95
It’s a game that will have your child racing to vacuum, dust and take out the trash. As players snake around the dollar sign shaped board, they get paid for the kinds of chores you may have to ask them twice to do normally. Of course, in this game, it’s just pretend. When you land on each chore, you have to spin to find out what kinds of coins you can use to collect the total amount you’re owed from the bank. There are even opportunities to earn interest. When the first player reaches the finish line, whomever has the most money saved up wins.
For more information: www.learningresources.com
