{"id":11729,"date":"2025-03-14T11:32:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T11:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=11729"},"modified":"2025-03-14T11:32:55","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T11:32:55","slug":"4-ways-to-make-learning-about-money-a-blast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=11729","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Make Learning About Money a Blast"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Forget about workbooks and flash cards. Financial-themed videos, grocery store games and even escape rooms can be a better way to teach kids about money, according to the latest thinking from financial literacy experts. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cA lot of traditional curriculums were about the numbers,\u201d says Noel Wilkinson, a program coordinator for the Take Charge America Institute within the Norton School of Human Ecology at the University of Arizona. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That can be a turn-off for some students.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThat led me to involve more play and gamification into workshops,\u201d he adds, which led to greater engagement and, as a result, more learning. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Here are a few ways to make learning about money fun \u2014 and more effective: <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

1. Let kids practice and make mistakes<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big believer in experiential learning,\u201d says Jessie Jimenez, an accredited financial counselor in Oregon and founder of the website Cashtoons.com, where she makes engaging videos about financial topics.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In other words, learning by doing \u2014 such as practicing buying items on a budget at the <\/span>grocery store<\/span> or keeping money safe while you shop. While it might be nerve-wracking to watch your kids handle real money, those kinds of experiences can actually help them learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Jimenez says she grew up feeling like she was not a \u201cmoney\u201d person or a \u201cnumbers\u201d person, and it was only after she became a mother that she started focusing more on financial literacy. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018How did I get this far without being taught personal finance management? Where is the resource for those of us who don\u2019t want to listen to podcasts about investments?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The answer, she discovered, was that she had to create those types of experiences that allow kids to experiment with financial management on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

2. Invent money games<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about encouraging parents to learn through play with kids,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

You could play \u201cprice detective\u201d where you each try to find the best deal to <\/span>save money<\/span> on a specific item, for example, or you could play \u201crestaurant\u201d at home where your child takes your order and sets prices. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cPlay creates a safe environment where you can make decisions and choices that don\u2019t affect us in real life,\u201d Wilkinson says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

You can experiment with choices and outcomes without fear, he adds. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Teenagers can graduate to more advanced games. Wilkinson and his team developed an escape room for teenagers in Arizona where they finish a budget for a character in order to solve a puzzle and get a key, for example. Even something simple like tracking savings visually on a chart posted in the kitchen can make the process seem more fun. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThe concept of gamifying learning in general has become widespread,\u201d Wilkinson adds. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Video games like Animal Crossing, Railroad Tycoon and Atlas:Earth can also help teach teens and young adults about personal finance. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Buying digital real estate parcels in Atlas:Earth, a virtual real estate game, gives you hands-on insight into value and scarcity, says CEO and co-founder Sami Khan. Players can also earn cash back for various actions. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThe time between 20 and 30 is an important decade for compounding, so it\u2019s important for people to learn about money early,\u201d Khan says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

3. Make it fun<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

Whether you\u2019re trying to teach price comparison at the mall or explain how kids can use their allowance, Jimenez says one key is to avoid calling the process \u201clearning.\u201d Instead, it should just feel fun, whether it\u2019s a casual conversation in the car or a shopping trip. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cDon\u2019t announce, \u2018It\u2019s time to learn!\u2019\u201d Jimenez cautions. \u201cThat turns it into a chore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She also suggests giving yourself some extra time for the shopping trip if you\u2019re going to let your kid help you hunt for bargains. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cIt takes a little longer and you have to be open to that,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Part of financial literacy is simply learning to explore your own feelings and habits when it comes to money, and learning to be intentional instead of impulsive about decisions, Jimenez says. Kids can learn those skills from talking to you and watching you in your own life. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Try talking out loud when making purchase decisions or opening bills and discussing what they mean. Explaining big purchase decisions like cars and vacations can also help with comprehension. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

4. Recognize different learning styles<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

Wilkinson says some kids may be more drawn to learning through books and storytelling while others prefer video games, practical exercises at the store or a budget-themed escape room. One key to learning, he says, is to embrace the method that works best for you and to acknowledge that everyone is coming from a different place. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cSome folks just don\u2019t have experience with financial literacy. Maybe they didn\u2019t grow up in a household where parents talked about investing or building wealth,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In those cases, adults can learn alongside their children through <\/span>books<\/span>, games and other experiences. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cEven as adults we benefit from involving play in learning,\u201d he adds. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

With these fun approaches to learning about money, kids might become \u201cnumbers\u201d people without even realizing it.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Get more financial clarity with SS<\/span><\/p>\n

Monitor your credit, track your spending and see all of your finances together in a single place. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forget about workbooks and flash cards. Financial-themed videos, grocery store games and even escape rooms can be a better way to teach kids about money, according to the latest thinking from financial literacy experts. \u201cA lot of traditional curriculums were about the numbers,\u201d says Noel Wilkinson, a program coordinator for the Take Charge America Institute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[195],"tags":[4817,3712,104,102],"class_list":{"0":"post-11729","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-blast","9":"tag-learning","10":"tag-money","11":"tag-ways"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}