The Money Tree Activity Session

The Money Tree activity session is a family learning resource developed by the Family Matters Institute.

A typical session consists of two fun-filled hours divided into 3 phases, when adults and children earn, budget and spend money together.

The first phase consists of 'earning' activities to appeal to all learning styles and ages; balancing pennies on your nose, throwing bean bags in buckets, answering simple shopping sums, completing word searches, colouring sheets and quirky quizzes. Each activity earns a specified number of tokens that must be recorded and totalled. At the end of a frenetic 20 minutes all scores are added up and the 'family' find out just how many tokens they have earned.

The next phase introduces the idea of budgetting, that all families have essential bills which take priority over all other spending, for instance housing, heat and light, food, water, clothes and transport. The amounts vary according to the size of the family and the age of the children! All of these calculations must be completed together. The ‘family’ exchanges vouchers for the essentials and then sees how much is left to spend.

The final phase is spending. Children and adults negotiate how they will spend what they have left over. Families are invited to explore how they might benefit from saving, giving, shopping and even gambling. The family agrees together how many tokens they will have each to exchange for fruit, sweets, toys, stickers and stationery at the Money Tree shop. Families who save are rewarded with a certificate and extra tokens to spend.

Each family is sent away with age appropriate information leaflets and booklets about money.

Family Matters is currently using The Money Tree Activity Session with Extended Schools, Credit Unions, Family Centres and Churches.