Life Skills - Game of Life - Real World Budget Practice - Math

In this activity, students will get to jump right into what it's like for them to live on their own. They will get randomly assigned a career and salary, and have a variety of "stations" they rotate through to simulate real world expenses they will need to budget for.

Students will get to select a wide variety of options while participating in this game of life simulation. Whether it is finding the right home, car, cell phone package, or place to shop for groceries, all of their choices will matter! They will also experience random life events that get thrown their way like a flat tire, broken appliance, or a surprise bonus at work. The financial ups and downs just never stop!

How I Use This In My Classroom:

Teachers can use this activity in one of two ways. The first way is my favorite and involves students rotating through different "life centers" around the classroom. Each of the posters can be laminated and placed for students to easily access and pick from. They move throughout the room picking their choices and adding the numbers correctly to their budgeting sheet. The second way to use this activity in your classroom is to use the version where students can get all the financial data from the printable packet that is included. This would be a better option for classrooms with limited room or for students who might get easily distracted moving around. Option two allows students the opportunity to work from their seats. Both options provide students with a deep look into what it's like to live on their own in the real world!

Purchase Includes Access To:

• Version One: Large posters with real world financial choices students will have to pick from. A total of 11 "station" posters are included. A budgeting sheet is also included. Teachers also have access to a "Random Life Events" worksheet that they can pass out randomly to students for them to practice budgeting for unplanned financial events.

• Version Two: This version condenses everything noted above into a printable worksheet format for easy all-in-one access. Simple comprehension questions are also included for each "station."

• A reflection worksheet comes with both versions.