9 Financial Games for Kids That Teach Monetary Principles

As parents, we want to make sure that we have provided our children with every possible advantage in this life. Knowing that we have prepared them to succeed as adults is the ultimate peace of mind. However, finding effective ways to teach many of the necessary life skills can be challenging and it’s even more difficult to teach them in a way that is both engaging and fun. Nowhere is this more true than when we are trying to teach our kids one of the most important lessons they will ever learn: finances.

That’s why our team at Financially Simple has put together our list of what we think are the best financial games for kids. These games will expose your children to the rules they will encounter during banking and managing money as they grow up. The best part, when playing these games, is that they can take financial risks without being penalized. Now is a great time to grab one or more of these financial games and begin your kids’ financially simple education!

Financially Simple Staff-Recommended Financial Games for Kids

The Budget Game

The Budget Game is a great way to get your kids thinking about budgeting and weighing their wants against their needs! Each player constructs a budget before making their way around the board. Along the way, they will be faced with decisions based on real-life scenarios. From buying a house to purchasing groceries, players’ budgeting skills are put to the test. Your children will be rewarded with bonuses for creating reasonable and accurate budgets. Begin teaching budgeting skills by clicking here.

$30 – AGES: 5 and up

Key to The Front Door

One of our favorite financial games for kids, the Key to the Front Door will provide plenty of thrills as you navigate the road to financial success. Key to The Front Door is designed to teach your children the valuable lessons of budgeting, saving, smart shopping, and more, all while having a great time. Each player will face tough decisions that will impact their financial future. Choose wisely! Turn the Key to The Front Door, here.

$27 – AGES: 8 and up

Farkle

Farkle is a simple dice game. To play Farkle, all you need are six dice, a pencil, and paper. It’s perfect for two or more players, with each taking turns thrоwіng the dice. Eасh рlауеr’ѕ turn results in a score, and the scores accumulate to some winning total, usually 10,000. Farkle helps teach your kids to control, save, and manage their credit in the form of points. Farkle also helps kids to understand the best time to take a risk and when not to. If you would like to try the game out with an online version, click here. To purchase Farkle click here.

$5.50 – AGES: 8 and up

My 13-year-old daughter absolutely LOVES Farkle! — John

The Game of Life

The goal of this game is for players to have thе mоѕt аѕѕеtѕ аt the еnd оf thе gаmе. Aѕѕеtѕ аrе еаrnеd primarily by working and earning tokens with dollars amount on them. This game will help kids learn about the challenges people go through to college, raising a family, buying a home, working, and retiring. Pick up the classic version you played as a kid by clicking here.
$35 – AGES: 8 and up

Monopoly

Monopoly is an age-old financial literacy game! It teaches the concepts of the real estate business, by buying properties that aren’t owned, selling ones you no longer need or can afford, and paying rent on properties that are owned by others. It teaches negotiation tactics, banking, purchasing, and strategic thinking. Played by over a billion people all around the world, Monopoly is truly the classic financial game for kids. On the remote chance, you don’t already have it, you can pick up Monopoly at almost EVERY department store on the planet or by clicking here.

$12 – AGES: 8 and up

Payday

I love this financial game so much! It simulates working for a salary that is paid every 30 days. Players have to deal with different expenses and bills, while also earning money in property deals. At the end of each month, the players must pay off all outstanding bills from their salary or take out a loan. Order the game from Amazon.

$16 – AGES: 8 and up

Act Your Wage

Dave Ramsey brings his financial principles to a board game format. The goal is simple: get out of debt with gazelle intensity! Using many of the fundamentals that Dave teaches every day, players will compete to keep their emergency funds above $1,000 while constantly paying off their debt. The first one to shout, “I’m debt FREEEEE!” is the winner. You can find the Act Your Wage board game at his site or on Amazon.

$21 – AGES: 12 and up

Catan

If you love games, then Catan definitely is one game that should be in your library! Good for teaching kids about trading and resource management. Catan is straightforward and engages player interaction with a perfect balance of luck and strategy. This game allows both new and expert players to play competitively with one team always having a chance of beating the other. Begin your adventure in Catan right here.
$44 – AGES: 10 and up

One of our family’s favorite games for game night! – Michael

CASHFLOW Board Game

CASHFLOW was developed by Robert Kiyosaki, author of one of our must-read personal finance books, Rich Dad Poor Dad. This game is a great tool to teach investing and wealth building. Put your financial skills to the test and learn how to escape the rat race in the comfort of your own home. CASHFLOW is a Financially Staff favorite. You can pick up a copy on his website or at Amazon.

$80 – AGES: 14+

In today’s world of supercharged video games and smartphones galore, it’s difficult to get your kids’ attention or to even clean their room! So the chances of slowing them down to teach them financial principles may be slim to none—that is unless you utilize these fun finance games for kids! Grab one of these games from Amazon or by visiting your local department store.

Knowing financial education is so important to you, we invite you to learn the unique way we drive toward YOUR financial goals.

Here at Financially Simple™, we want to help you make informed, confident financial decisions in your small business and personal life. In doing so, we might recommend products and services that offer us compensation when you use or purchase them. This compensation is used to help offset the cost of creating the content we give to you for free. We will, however, never suggest products/services solely for the compensation received. As stated before, our goal is to make understanding money for you, the business owner, your family, and anyone visiting this website—financially simple.

While you’re teaching your children financial principles, reach out to our team to expand your own financial education and work to achieve your financial goals!