Economy for kids. To children about money. Step 2.

To children about occupations.

Base of reflextion:
1. The majority of the trades specified in our favourite "old" children books today are not actual.
2. I don't want my child to choose any of these trades
3. Trades known to children are not connected with money

I do not ask parents to tell about the uninteresting themes. Not at all. In my opinion the child should receive the adequate information on all professions, including the modern. Every kid can tell you about a doctor, a builder even about a chimney sweeper :) But most of the children don't understand who is bookkeeper, economist, programmer. But these are the most demanded trades nowadays (mmm...more precisely before crisis :))).

It seems to me we shouldn't be afraid to talk about it with our children. And to involve them in role games, but not only games of doctors and builders. Try to play with your child as manager, financial analyst, bookkeeper and even dady-programmer ;)

I represent these games approximately like this: One idea:

Game "businessman".
Step 1. The child should think up interesting business. Something he likes to do. For example: to make the pancakes, to grow toy carrot. Then find some buyers (dolls to bye pancakes, hares to bye a carrot). Please, come to an agreement about food delivery by big truck. They need to pay timely (for example - 10 coins per every truck).

Step 2. Find one more toy for making pancakes or growing carrots. We should pay salary to this toy (1 coin, maybe).

Step 3. Sit down and discuss. Where are you going to take a land to grow your carrot...(seeds, flour and other components for pancakes)?
How many coins we can give for it? What about other expenses?

Step 4. Try count what"earnings" you have. Discuss if he can you spend them and for what.

Step 5. Sit down and play..., and of course any time you play you can enter new elements of difficulties.

The elements of difficulties: Take one more toy. It is a bookkeeper. He is going to pay salary and count our spendings.
It is possible to change a part of carrots for something you need. Explain, it is called barter. For example to change a big harvest of carrot for honey and deliver it to bears family.

In this case you can always explain that there are two kind of busines activity - realisation and production. You can sell something you buy or sell something you make. Discuss what is the best business.

I'm in the stage of reflection and search of this theme. Have you any ideas for other games? Please, share !