Money Bags Coin Game

Money Bags Coin Game - Make sense of cents.

Money Bags Coin Game is the coin value game that helps you make sense of cents. Wind your way from start to finish, earning money for doing chores such as vacuuming, making breakfast, and recycling cans. Work on coin identification, coin value, adding coins, making change and saving.

The game board is colorful, and has a 32-space path in the shape of a dollar sign. The spaces on the board include the following:

• Chores and amount to be paid. Amounts are small, ranging from 11¢ to 51¢.
• Bank. You must exchange some of your money for greater denominations. For instance, exchange 4 quarters for a dollar bill or two dimes and a nickel for a quarter. You also earn 10¢ interest on this turn (implies you are saving your money in the bank).
• Dollar sign. You get to take all the money on the MONEY BAGS image (more about this below). 

There is a spinner at the bottom of the board that will tell you how you will add the coins if you are paid for a chore: Using no nickles, no dimes, no quarters or using any coin combination that you want. There is also a Mr. Money Bags image that the arrow might land on and, when that happens, you may use any coins to count out your earnings, but you must put the money you earn at the top on the Mr. Money Bags circle, you don't get to keep it. The arrow is attached to the board and moves freely.

The game includes four people pawns (2 male, 2 female), 10 $1 bills and 100 plastic coins (25 of each). The coins are the type that have the raised lip around the edge.

The bottom of the box forms a simple money tray that you can sort the coins into if you want. I have seen this same game in different colored boxes over time.

Object:
The game is over when the first player reaches the FINISH space at the top of the board. He then takes any money on the MONEY BAGS image and all players count their money. The player with the most money is the winner.  

Set up:
Place the board between the players. Place 41 cents on the Mr. Money Bags circle at the top of the board. Place the rest of the money nearby, this is the bank.

Play:
Players take turns. The first player throws the die to see how many spaces to move from the start space. If they land on a chore they will/did perform, they spin the spinner to see which coins they can use to count out their money from the bank. The player takes his money and puts it in front of him or on Mr. Money Bags, depending on what the spinner read. Follow the instructions above when landing on a dollar sign or on a bank. His turn is over. Play until someone reaches the finish line. That player collects any money on Mr. Money Bags and all players count their money. The player with the most money is the winner.

To see a list of games with money that I have blogged about, click here.

Try this:

• Sort the coins into the bottom of the box (forms a simple money tray) before the game starts. The sides of the box are slanted for easy removal of coins.
• Assign the person who needs money practice to be the banker or let each person be his own banker and count out his own money.
• Count all the money in the box. How much is there? Put the coins in piles of $1.00 as you go for easy adding at the end.
• Pick up (or put) several coins in the hand for sorting. Bring one coin at a time to the fingertips to drop.
• Use the opportunity to talk about different chores around the house, how everyone does his share, how and why to save money.
• Look for a nice rounded web space before flicking the arrow.
• Use different fingers to flick the arrow.
• Skip the spinning of the arrow and just advance around the board collecting money.
• Spin the arrow and then remove the coins not allowed from the bank, if the player has trouble understanding the concept at first.
• Skip the game, line up the coins on the table with the face side up. Put one coin in the players palm or a couple coins at the base of the fingers. Ask him to move coins, one at a time, to the finger tips, turn it to the correct side, and place it on the table.
• Make change for $1. See how many different ways you can do it. Pick up the coins one at a time as you count and squirrel them into the palm without dropping. When you get to $1 (or when you have so many coins you think you might drop some), lay the money on a $1 bill. Repeat. See how many $1 bills you can count change for before the bank runs out of change.
• Count out the money for each square you land on. Don't worry about accumulating the money, putting money on Mr. Moneybags or using the spinner. Just use for counting simple sums of coins.
• Work on in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, fine motor precision, palmar arch development, web space, finger isolation, thumb opposition, coin identification and value, adding coins, making change, money management, visual discrimination, spatial relations, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation
  
  In the box: 1 game board, 1 die, 100 plastic coins, 10 play dollar bills, 4 game markers
  
  Ages 7+, 2-4 players