You Pinspire Me
I’ve got a new job! I finished up my time at WestJet as a Customer Service Agent last month – what a fun (and exhausting! and rewarding!) job, but at this point in life, I’ve decided that getting up at 3am to go to work is not so much what I see myself doing for the next few years, or even for the next few months. Kudos to those of you who do it on a daily basis for years on end. (now go take a nap. You deserve it.)
Anyhow, my new position is at Mohawk College here in Hamilton, and my focus is promoting financial literacy to students. We’ve got a credit counselor on staff for students to come in and see (for free) about budgeting, debt repayment, saving for future expenses, etc. How cool is that?
As such, I’ve been learning a lot more about financial literacy over the past month and how important it is. I have a lot to learn about the basics of financial literacy – nevermind the students! One of the great things about this job is that I’m realizing how important it is to involve the kids in financial discussions and give them the right tools early on.
I’ve come across quite a number of really awesome-looking online games and apps designed for kids of varying ages to expose them to basic financial literacy ideas and principles in a fun and non-threatening way. I’d encourage you to take a look at some of these and try them out – with OR without your kids! (I won’t lie, I’ve played a bunch of them myself.)
I don’t know about you, but about 8 years ago, I was obsessed with playing Desktop Tower Defense (competing for high score with my husband and one of our other friends) – Save the Camp is a tower defense game designed to help you learn how to manage resources and save for larger expenses.
“You’re the boss now, and if the flag is stolen, you are fired. You’ll be given a daily budget to purchase and upgrade towers – but be careful, your success will depend on how well you save!”
The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Brazil-branded version of Visa’s fast-paced, multiple-choice question game tests players’ money management skills as they advance down the field and try to score. This link will take you to World Cup Soccer
Kids ages 5–8 can practice identifying, counting and saving money while learning facts about Canadian currency with this innovative and engaging game. After completing sorting challenges, kids are able to test out their new money skills with an interactive budgeting task. Players can choose whether to ‘save’ or ‘spend’ their winnings in a virtual store equipped with accessories for Peter Pig! This link will take you to Peter Pig’s Money Counter.
Money Metropolis allows young children (7-12) to navigate a multi-dimensional world, making life decisions that will affect whether their virtual bank accounts shrink or grow. Completing tasks like raking leaves, mowing lawns and babysitting adds money to their virtual accounts that can be saved or spent in the virtual store. Click here to be taken to Money Metroplis.
Meet the challenges of four weeks on the road as you steer your way to financial stability. This game requires players to make decisions about income, expenses and savings. Coming up short on cash means losing your wheels. Click here for Road Trip to Savings.
Jenn vanOosten
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Congrats on the new job, Jenn! Sounds very interesting – these games look like so much fun. Can’t wait to share them with our kids. 🙂