Handling notes and making change is one of the best ways for children to understand money, and play money makes it hands-on without the risk of losing real cash. Here are some ways teachers use it.
Why oversized play money?
Our classroom notes are 240 × 100 mm — far bigger than any real Australian banknote. The size makes them easy for small hands to count and sort, easy to see from the back of the room, and impossible to confuse with real money. They use fantasy designs in five colour-coded denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100.
Activity ideas
- Classroom shop: price items, take turns as shopkeeper and customer, and practise giving change.
- Make the amount: call out a total and have students build it with the fewest notes.
- Budget challenge: give each group a set amount to plan a class party or excursion.
- Saving jar: pay classroom jobs in play money and let students save toward a reward.
- Skip counting: count stacks of 5s, 10s and 20s aloud.
Linking to the curriculum
Money activities connect naturally to the financial maths strands in primary school mathematics — recognising notes and their values, counting collections, and solving simple purchasing problems. Check the current Australian Curriculum for the outcomes that apply to your year level.
Cashier and retail training
For older students, TAFE retail courses and workplace training, our cashier training kit provides a mixed float of training notes and a till tray for practising counting, change-giving and end-of-day cash-up.
Prop money stacks, filler bricks, kits and play money — shipped Australia-wide.
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