I saw this amazing post on Facebook the other day…I was going to link up but it has been taken down for some reason. =( Anyway, it was the inspiration for my latest educational and fun project with the girls! We literally just started today, and will adjust as we go. So far, they love it!
I feel like I had a pretty good grasp of basic financial skills at an early age, but in college I was surprised that several of my peers did not have the knowledge and experience of important financial things such as writing a check, paying a bill, or managing a bank account. As a former corporate banker, finance is exciting to me, but I know not everyone would agree. =) This is how I’m attempting to make these life skills fun for my kids!
Welcome to Meckley Mart!
A few months ago I found these free plans for a PVC lemonade stand and I knew I wanted to make one! My girls thought it would be fun to play with, and use in the summer for a Popsicle and craft stand. We also used it for our Girl Scout cookie booth…how cute is this?! =) I just had to swap out the sign and we were just about ready for business!
The idea is the girls “work” during the week (and weekend), get paid, then get to shop at our mart. They can save and track their money in their banks, too. I created a “work schedule” with various tasks and chores they need to do every day. They have the opportunity to earn $1 each weekday, and $2 on the weekend (yay overtime!). They can also get a weekly bonus by doing different things…extra chores, good deeds, getting good behavior charts & report cards, etc. Again, this will be a work in progress but this is a good start.
If they are especially good they might get a blue “Wow!” slip and make a little extra moolah. But, if they are naughty they will get a “Pink Slip” along with a dock in pay. (We are currently learning about having consequences for our actions!)
Each girl has a bank book to keep track of her in and out going funds. They will learn how to write a deposit and withdrawal slip and keep a running total. (Yay math!)
The girls get plenty of snacks freely, but the snacks in our Mart are “extra”, and they can use their money to buy a few treats. (I plan to add some other non-food items eventually.) Right now they want to play store daily, but once the newness wears off we may only do this a couple times a week and they can learn to budget their money and their snack food!
They love playing store, and I love that they can practice using a calculator, writing receipts and doing math by hand, as well as counting money.
I would really like to be able to leave the snacks out and not have to hide them, so we discussed how the girls are not allowed to just grab snacks whenever they please or we will shut it down. Then we joked how Daddy and his sticky fingers better stay out of our snacks, so Elliott decided to post a warning. LOL (She’s actually a great speller, but I let this one slide.)
I’m excited about this project and the girls are too! Kayden told me, “I’ve been waiting my whole life for something like this!” Ha! =D
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