Shopping With Barbie
This fun board game give practice with counting money. It also provides time to talk about wise shopping choices, real bargains, discounts, and sales.
To Make:
I had a pretty pink file folder which seemed perfect for this game. Since the inside of the folder was white, pink stickers made a nice path. The stickers were from a sticker/coloring book. Note that the path is circular. It really has no beginning and no ending. Although it could be seen as using the large Barbie as a START and END space. This is basically a generic gameboard as there is no skill on the board itself.
THE PLAYING CARDS:
The playing cards are scenario cards. Each card describes a purchase made. Some indicate sales and discounts that need to be figured. There are credit cards that may be saved to be used for a purchase.
To Play:
We have played in a variety of ways with this game.
One way was to play with LOTS of cash. Each player was given a large amount of cash. As we moved around the board, we made purchased indicated on the cards. One child would act as cashier, collecting the money and making change.
One day I made copies of checks and created a checkbook for each player. This included a register so each player could keep track of their spending. We started each player off with an equal amount in their accounts. As we spent, we wrote and recorded our checks. If a player ran low on money, we allowed them to make a deposit and keep playing. Cortney loved this game. After we played we got out a calculator and checked our balances. I explained about balancing a checkbook. The next time my statement came from the bank she insisted on helping me. I was amazed at how well she understood it.
WINNER:
Who is the winner? We all are. We all had fun together and we all learned. Games do not need to have a "winner." In fact, we found these kinds of games to be the most satisfying since there is no losers either.
HOW DOES THE GAME END?
Since we play with the circular board, we can just play as long as we are having fun. The game ends whenever interest lags, the child gets tired, or it is time to do something else.
