Giving Children a Financial Headstart!
Rich Kid Smart Kid Games
Game Three: Ima's Dream
Topic: Pay Yourself First
Grade Level: 3-5

>>Download Full Lesson Plan and Materials (PDF)

Interactive Internet Game Activity
Ima has had a very different life than most of us. She has learned from her own experiences the importance of giving to charity. Ima's life story is shared with students through a narrative and then lively dialogue between her and Toki. Through class activities students will learn what it means to "pay yourself first" so that you have money for charity and for your future.

Learning Objectives
· Estimate to predict investment growth
· Compute math solutions
· Graph known amounts

Assessments
Students will: (1) estimate how an investment will grow when money is continually doubled, (2) compute math calculations by completing a table, (3) use math computations to understand investment growth by plotting computed values on a graph.

Classroom Activities
1. Ima's Dream - Read the background narrative describing Ima's life. Then continue with the dialogue between Ima and Toki. This script will introduce the concept of "pay yourself first" and charitable giving.
2. Double Dollar Math - You can do this activity as an individual or in small groups. First, describe the two pay options to students. Let them think for a moment about earning $1,000 on the last day of the 20-day job or receiving a penny the first day and having the accumulated amount double for 20 days. Have students write in their estimated total earnings for the 20-day job. Give students time to complete the Pay Day Math table.
3. Pay Yourself First - Growing Money Graph - Starting with Day 14 on your table, mark the value of the day's total in the appropriate column on the graph. When you are finished, connect your points for a visual representation of your money growth.

Class Discussion Questions
1. In the Double Dollar Math activity your money was doubled. Does your invested or saved money always double?
2. In the Pay Yourself First activities, money growth was compared to the growth of a tree. Describe the similarities and differences between money growth and tree growth. Can monsoons and droughts be used in your comparisons?
3. Big money amounts always sound great. In the case of the Double Dollar Math activity, the large amount turned out to be the small amount. How important is it to not make quick decisions and to really think through a business transaction? Are there times when you need to make quick decisions? Name several examples.

(Charts and activity sheets continue in the downloadable PDF file above.)


©2002 CASHFLOW®, CASHFLOW for KIDS®, Rich Kid Smart Kid ® are Registered Trademarks of CASHFLOW Technologies, Inc.
Games and/or game components protected under U.S. Patent Nos. 6,106,300; 6,032,957; 5,826,878 and/or U.S. Patents Pending 2002.
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