We have been homeschooling for a year now and one thing I have noticed that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention in the homeschool community is financial literacy. If you are anything like my husband and I you have probably made lots of financial mistakes throughout your lives. So why not begin educating our children at an early age on how to earn, manage and invest money? Well Coindexter is one way you can teach your children financial literacy in a FUN way. I learned about Coindexter at the GHEA Homeschool Conference. They were luring kids and parents to their booth with two computers where kids could play the game. They also gave out free adorable canvas tote bags, activity/coloring pages and pens. Gwyn had a great time playing the game at the conference and was immediately hooked. She begged me the rest of the day to get the game for her.
A moms review:
Throughout the game children earn money by having jobs and doing chores. Gwyn's favorite job is the lemonade stand. In this game children must purchase their own inventory, budget their funds, serve customers and count back the customers change. Most of the time I have to assist Gwyn with this game because she has a difficult time toggling back and forth between recipe and ingredient screens and runs out of time. Children can also earn money through a newspaper route or by cleaning grimy dishes.
After children earn their money they can do all sorts of cool things like buy a piggy bank which will fly around behind them during the game and allow them to carry more money with them, open a savings account which will earn interest, visit the ATM to deposit or withdraw money, learn to write a check, and invest at the stock exchange where they will learn the concept of stocks both the good and the bad. They will learn terms like portfolio, value, market, shares and more. Once kids get $200 into their savings account there is a special VIP room that is unlocked.
They can also have fun buying clothes, hairdos and gear. This is Gwyn's favorite part and she is learning a valuable lesson already because she keeps running out of money before she can even buy herself a piggy bank. She is such a girl and likes to change her clothes and hair way too much.
There are some other fun games as well like the recycling game, ispy game where children must find the missing time machine pieces and a memory game which uses currency types from around the world. Throughout the game there are Coindexter club members with red icons who will tell your children all there is to see in and do in Econopolis.
Your children will be able to see and interact with other children who are playing the game at the same time. Now I know what you're thinking...but don't worry because children can only interact using canned dialog making the conversation very friendly. The Coindexter program does conform to the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Act and is certified by TRUSTe.
Gwyn, age 6, has been able to navigate much of the game on her own. She has needed my help with reading dialog to her and playing two of the games. The controls are pretty simple and use the arrows on the keyboard and the mouse.
The program is geared towards kids as young as 5 or 6 up to early teens.
Program Updates Coming This Year:
- By the end of the year Coindexter will be adding 10 additional games as well as several more areas to explore.
- Coindexter will be converting to a FREE play model in September of this year. This means that a paid membership will not longer be required unless you wish to have a premium account where you can access more advanced games and features.
- There will be an updated parent portal which will also have a phone app available. In the portal, parents will be able to track and analyze their children's progress in four behavior categories: earning, saving, spending and investing.
- The 'Coindexter Mission Objective' feature will be added. Mission Objectives will send children on mini-quests where they will work on a behavior category they are struggling in. In return for completing the objectives they will earn rewards.
- The 'Coindexter Savings Bank' and 'Coindexter Rewards' features are being added. This feature will allow parents to enter real world chores and activities that children can perform in order to earn Coindexter Rewards which can be spent in the new Coindexter Reward Zone. These items will be real items (like toys, games, puzzles) that will be available through participating financial institutions, as well as virtual items that can be used in the game.
- A Coindexter mobile app for both Android and iPhone is in the works
and the app will be connected to the Coindexter nextwork so any money and
rewards earned will be reflected at all times on your child's account.
Gwyns review (6 yrs old):
I like the game
because its fun and educational. You can learn about getting pieces to fix the
time machine. You can learn to earn money. You can learn to count money. I like
the characters that live in the town.
Links to follow:
-Coindexter Website
-Coindexter on Facebook
-Coindexter on YouTube
Where to buy:
Currently you can purchase a Coindexter 1 month membership
for $5.99, a 6 month membership for $17.99 and a 1 year membership for $24.99.
You can also check with your bank or credit union to see if
they offer the Coindexter program in your area. AND remember in September the program will be FREE so make sure you save this website as a favorite!!-Coindexter Website
-Coindexter on Facebook
-Coindexter on YouTube
Where to buy:
*Disclaimer - I received a 90 day trial in return for my honest review. Please note that prices indicated in the post are subject to change. I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are our own! Many of the links found on my side bars and in my blog posts are affiliate links. As a result, I might get paid money and I will most likely spend the money on homeschool supplies.
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