I know the issue of finances is not an easy one to tackle, but with the economy the way it is today, we need to be even more diligent about teaching our young people how to handle money. It truly bothers me whenever I go to a store or restaurant and realize the person taking my order does not have the skills to count out the change without trying to rely on what a computerized register is telling them. Have you ever been in such a place and have the electricity go out? I actually was in a gift shop once after a thunderstorm and they said they could not sell anything because they didn't have their registers working. I was surprised - all you had to do was calculate the cost of the item(s), multiply by .06 to get the Kentucky state sales tax, and add it all together for the total bill. Taking the money and counting back any change should not have been an issue. Because they couldn't handle doing it all "by hand" (or "by mind", as I like to think of it), they totally shut down and missed out on quite a few sales. I've been concerned about the state of our economy and the lack of financial skills (and just basic math skills) of our citizens ever since.
Here is a Website dedicated to financial literacy for everyone. Practical Money Skills for Life has all sorts of free materials to help anyone understand finance. But the best part is the section developed just for educators. Teachers can find free lesson plans and educational games for classroom use for students all the way through college age. Another advantage to the site is being able to take their lessons and match them with state standards.
Using games to help teach financial skills is well-researched. According to the site, in the early 20th century scholars like Swiss philosopher Jean Piaget began challenging the notion play was considered a diversion rather than a means for education. Piaget found the way kids play evolves as they grow older and his work helped transform education to a more child-centered approach. Other researchers have found children have always learned through play "and today, digital media has resulted in increasingly ore sophisticated games that can engage youth while at the same time encouraging learning." (Donnini, L., Miller, K., and Walker, K.) Several games are available for free on the site - Financial Soccer, Financial Football, Money Metropolis, and Peter Pig's Money Counter. Some of the games are available for SmartPhones, too. Some are downloadable and others are played right on the site.
If you are concerned about teaching financial skills, then the Practical Money Skills for LIfe Webite is for you! Check it out soon!
