Click here for a printable version of our Game for Kids: Intro to Personal Finance (12 pages).
Final Module – Community
I’m not gonna lie – I’m a little sad that this is our final module. You can find this one on page 8 of the game.
Community isn’t super related to financial planning – it’s not like learning about interest or stocks. But I knew I needed to include it here, because being engaged in your community in a positive way (through actions or donations) is, simply, important. We know it at Agili, and we try to live it, and we see that our clients do too.
The point of this module is for your child to think of a way they can be helpful in their neighborhood (through actions). My daughter Jojo (10) worked with me on this one.
Remember paper footballs? Remember folding them in school, and flicking them at your friends, and being irritated when one flew at you randomly from across the room? A few years ago I learned to make plastic bag footballs, and I’ve been stashing them in our camping gear ever since (because you can never have too many extra bags when camping [this is also true for socks]). Jojo and I decided to make plastic bag footballs to keep in my car’s glove box. Jojo is a nature lover and routinely picks up garbage when we’re out. Now we’ll have a place to stash that trash until we can dispose of it properly.
Illustrated Instructions!
- Take a regular grocery plastic bag.
- Flatten the bag into a neat rectangle.
- Fold the bag in half the long way.
- Fold the bag in half again.
- Start from the seam (to push the air out while you’re folding) and begin to fold triangles.
- Fold the triangles over themselves. Try to keep it kind of tight (there are more layers than a piece of paper) and remember to push the air out while you’re going.
- Keep folding until you’re near the end.
- Tuck the handle parts of the bag into one of the folds of the triangle, and make it snug.
- You have a plastic bag football!
- Four (or eight!) plastic bag footballs fit neatly into a sandwich-sized zip-top bag.
- Next time you’re at the park, take a bag with you. Help your community stay clean and pleasant for everyone. (This is the face one makes when one is told “Last photo, sweetie!”)
Making plastic bag footballs was a great project for Jojo. She already had a stake in the game, since cleaning up natural areas is important to her, and this project was just the right level (I helped, of course!). She is happy to have me on board, and with a glove box full of bags I feel more prepared to pitch in when we’re out and about. It’s time to hit up some parks!
Please tell your financial strategist if you’ve worked through this game with your child or grandchild. Agili is offering a small prize for completed games! We hope this game has been helpful and has sparked some good conversations. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback. THANK YOU!