Finances are important. Of course, money shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of life but it can be helpful if you can manage your money well. What I think is lacking in school education right now is home economics here in the UK. The ability to put maths and other subjects into real-life scenarios is beneficial in many ways.
From handling taxes to paying bills, these are real-life tasks that most people will need to do in their lifetime. My mum is probably one of the most influential people to me when it comes to managing money. She taught me the value of money and how to save. As such, I want to teach my kids the same thing.
We have to acknowledge that games can be educational for children in small doses. That’s where the Mortgage Calculator comes in. Collaborating with them on a number of blog posts, they are a trustworthy and beneficial platform when it comes to understanding money. Mortgage Calculator provides free financial video games for kids and being a big kid myself, I decided to try some of them out.
*This is a collaborative post. Image Source
*This is a collaborative post. Cashier Simulator
I was always a big fan of playing shop as a kid and it was probably my first interaction with money – even if it was fake and pretend. With Cashier Simulator, you are able to become a cash register operator at the grocery store.
You get to ring up each individual item that the customer buys. It’s a great way to note prices, inputting them and using the register as a calculator to see totals. You also take payment, which gives your child the opportunity to understand how much change they receive from the total charged.
The game has 160 stages and you can earn up to three stars on each stage. I loved this game and it was perhaps my favourite of the ones I tried. I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to online games, so I was keen to get three stars on each level that I played.
For kids, it’s simple to understand and a great way to get to grips with money in a real-life situation – even if it’s a simulation. I can imagine a kid getting excited about playing out the game in a grocery store, especially nowadays with the self-service checkouts available at most supermarkets.
Hazardville
Hazardville is an educational instructional game that explores natural disasters. It’s important for little ones to understand that hazards occur in life and these natural disasters can sometimes be a commonplace, especially in certain parts of the world.
I think this game is an equally important one because climate change has resulted in more unusual weather conditions nowadays in places that wouldn’t normally see such hazardous weather.
With this game, you get to navigate natural disasters such as thunderstorms, floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis. With each natural disaster, the game explains the disaster type, the root causes of the disaster, and what solutions are available.
Plays can mitigate the impacts of each disaster by improving the city’s infrastructure bit by bit. I really enjoyed this game and when it comes to money, it can be helpful to know what you might need for your property to protect it from harm. By minimising the damage, it shows children how it minimises the financial damage caused.
City Builder
City Builder is a simple tower-stacking game that requires precise drop timing. This one was my least favourite because as you know from above, I’m a perfectionist. Therefore, when I didn’t get the stacking perfect, I’d have to start again.
For kids, this is great to learn about timing and to also improve counting skills.
You lose the game if the building falls over, which then resets it from the beginning to play again. Once the roof is on the building, you’ll then get to select another location on the map to stack your next tower.
Mortgage Games is a great place to provide some educational value to your kids when they play games online. They have plenty of other games to try out, so check out their page for gaming opportunities.
Have you tried any of the games on Mortgage Calculator? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post with Mortgage Calculator. All words are my own.
