3-5

BUSINESS SIMULATIONS

The following links are to supplemental sites that support elementary students' understanding in the costs involved in running a business, managing staff and resources, and trying to make a profit.

Beauty Resort  
Try and build your very own beauty empire in this fun Beauty Resort Game! Start with a simple Spa and gradually work your way up to running a massive mountain resort. TEACHER REVIEW

Papa’s PanCakeria  
After much success in the pizza, burger and other fast food industries, Papa’s now into pancakes. Manage one of his PanCakeria outlets and help make it a success. Bake customized pancakes for your customers topped with their favorite syrup and fillings. Make it as perfect as you can to earn tips that you can use to upgrade your store! TEACHER REVIEW

 

Coffee Shop
The Coffee Shop business game is very easy to learn. Kids start out with "seed money" to launch their business. From the first screen, you can set your price, redesign the coffee recipe, and buy supplies. Once you've set everything up, it's time to start your business day and see how well you do. At the end of each day, you receive feedback about how many cups of coffee you sold as well as customer feedback. This game teaches children the value of paying close attention to what people expect in order to give them what they want so that they value what you have to offer above your competition. This is an important core principle of any business, and the earlier kids learn such an important lesson, the better entrepreneurs they will be as adults. TEACHER REVIEW

Junior Football Manager  
Have a go with our games that puts you in charge of the finances of a junior football team and discover the impact your financial decisions can have. The goal of the game is for you to manage the finances of the club for six seasons and keep some money in the account. If you don’t keep the finances healthy the club could go bankrupt. Of course, just keeping the club running for six seasons is one achievement - real success is taking the club from Division 3 to becoming the Champions of Division 1! TEACHER REVIEW


Diner City 
This business game is all about building a diner empire and running the competition out of the city. Choose from burgers or sushi and keep those customers happy! You begin with a small scale restaurant and a few customers a day. Eventually a competitor will open up nearby and you will both race to reach the level goal. Upgrade your restaurant but spend your money wisely! TEACHER REVIEW

Shopping Street

Your task in this business game is to create a retail empire by filling an empty street with lots of shops. Choose which types of shops to create and keep shoppers happy, too.  Watch customers spend their cash and use the income to build more shops or upgrade existing shops.   TEACHER REVIEW

McDonald’s Game

Take charge of the McDonalds Corporation! You need to produce the beef, slaughter the cows, hire the staff and create a marketing campaign. Making money in a corporation like McDonald's is not simple at all! Behind every sandwich there is a complex process you must learn to manage: from the creation of pastures to the slaughter, from the restaurant management to the branding. You'll discover all the dirty secrets that made us one of the biggest companies in the world.   TEACHER REVIEW

MONEY METROPOLIS
 by Practical Money Skills -- VISA
Players ages 7–12 create avatars, complete jobs and save for goals in this multi–dimensional video game.  Decide which capital resources will provide the most opportunity to earn income. This game requires you to make choices about earning opportunities as well as make good consumer choices all while being conscious of the balance in your savings account. Elementary students learn to navigate a multi-dimensional world, making life decisions that will affect whether their virtual bank accounts shrink or grow. TEACHER REVIEW

  PLANET ORANGE      

  KIDSECON POSTERS    

The Indiana Council for Economic Education’s KidsEcon Posters project gives teachers the tools they need to help their students understand the exciting economic world around them – making them more effective producers, consumers, savers, investors, and voting citizens. The Literature Connection is a great FREE resource for teachers where you can access specific lessons based on popular children’s books that will help you teach 22 different economic concepts. TEACHER REVIEW
 

  MONEY 101 

A site which includes four lessons which provide guidance, lesson plans and activities for teachers interested in introducing four to seven year old children (pre-k to second grade) to early personal finance concepts.
TEACHER REVIEW

 U.S. MINT H.I.P. POCKET CHANGE 
The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change Web Site is all about coins!  And taking a close look at coins can help a youngster begin to grow into a fiscally responsible adult!  Check out some of this site's fun activities and lesson plans that promote basic economic understanding... 

TEACHER REVIEW

Starting with a virtual cash account of $100,000, students strive to create the best-performing portfolio using a live trading simulation. They work together in teams, practicing leadership, organization, negotiation, and cooperation as they compete for the top spot. The setup is engaging, and the learning is a natural part of the experience. Students use real internet research and news updates, making the simulation an even better mirror of the real marketplace. While the competitive gameplay creates student excitement, the educational experience delivers the biggest impact.

EconEdLink

EconEdLink is the leading source of online economic & personal finance lessons & resources for educators, students and afterschool providers.  Many of the lessons include simulations, interactive tools, podcasts and videos.  Sort lessons to meet your needs by standards, concepts, lesson type (economics/personal finance), grade level, and interactive tools. Teacher Review