Tackle those economics & social studies standards with these 5 fun economics themed center ideas. Your students will learn all about needs and wants, saving and spending, goods and services and how to count and use money responsibly. These interactive center ideas are easy to implement in any classroom and fun for everyone. Use these ideas to help teach your students a little about financial responsibility and how money works in the real world.
Learn the difference between needs and wants with this fun hands-on center game. The Wants vs. Needs Sorting Game helps your students look at everyday items and decide if they should be classified as a want or a need. The two shopping bags help students identify the items correctly. When your students are all done sorting their cards they can choose 4 items from each bag and create a T-chart identifying needs and wants for a quick comprehension check.
shop it!
The Goods and services sorting game is great for a quick review. Just turn the cards over and students can play with up to 3 or 4 friends. They can take turns drawing a card and deciding whether the card is a good or a service. Working together in a small group will help them as they validate their responses.
Shop it!
A good, old fashioned board game can help teach so many different things in the classroom. From taking turns to reading and math skills, they are a great component to include in your classroom. The Managing My Allowance Board Game is a great way to introduce economics concepts in a fun way. Students work in teams to play each other and learn how to budget and save with this fun, interactive game.
Shop it!
Students can learn how to spend and save money when they earn it as a class reward. By creating a classroom economy simulation, students will have to budget and spend wisely as they learn how to use money. Set up a classroom economy in just a few quick steps. As a class write down the cost of a few common classroom needs like a new, sharpened pencil, paper, snack pass, reading corner visit etc. Include wants too like a trip to the classroom treasure box. As your students complete assignments correctly or demonstrate excellent behavior reward them by paying them with paper money. Have them keep track of how much they earn. This is a great way to review economics in a hands-on way.
Shop It!
Give your students plenty of opportunities to count money. They can practice their math skills while learning the value of a dollar. A great way to review how to count money is with the Money Magnetic Activity Set. Students can learn how to add money by teaming up to play this game. Just roll the dice and draw a card to see how many of each you will need. Each player can use a different colored expo marker to record their calculations. The magnetic money stays put as your students learn to add up their dollar and cents.
Shop It!