Money Games Explained: What Each One Teaches

Every game in the Kids tab targets one specific skill. Here's the map, so you can follow up at the dinner table.

Ages 5–7

• Coin Match — recognizing denominations and counting to a total.
• Piggy Bank — the idea that money set aside grows toward something.
• Simple Store — "can I afford this?" as a yes/no decision.

Offline extension: let them pay at the register and count the change.

Ages 8–10

• Envelope Challenge — allocating a fixed amount across competing needs.
• Lemonade Tycoon — costs, pricing, and profit as separate ideas.
• Savings Race — consistent contributions beat occasional big ones.

Offline extension: give them a $20 grocery budget for one meal and let them plan it.

Ages 11–13

• Budget Sim — a full month of income, bills, and surprises.
• Stock Starter — ownership, volatility, and time horizon.
• Discount Detective — unit pricing and fake sales.
• Debt Payoff — how interest makes a balance grow if you only pay minimums.

Offline extension: compare unit prices together in a real aisle.

Ages 14–17

• Career Sim — education cost versus earnings over time.
• Portfolio Builder — diversification and risk tolerance.
• Life Decisions — rent versus buy, new versus used, insured versus exposed.
• Freelance Sim — irregular income, taxes, and cash-flow planning.

Offline extension: walk through a real pay stub line by line.

How to use points well

Points redeem for an allowance bonus, which keeps engagement high. Two rules keep it healthy: set a monthly cap so it stays affordable, and never take points away as punishment — earned money should stay earned.

Play together at least once

Kids interpret "go play the money game" as a chore. Playing one round beside them turns it into a shared activity — and gives you the vocabulary to reference later ("remember the discount detective? check the unit price").