Hobbies And Interests
Stock Market Game
With a stock market game mimicking the buying and selling of stocks, teachers can act as a broker and students as the traders. Each student receives a designated starting sum of money, such as $10,000 in make-believe funds. Students can purchase stocks based on the real market prices. Keep the game going for as long as you'd like, from a week to a month. The student with the highest worth at the end of the game wins.
Prisoner's Dilemma
Prisoner's Dilemma is a common economics conjecture with several versions. The game revolves around two players. Players must base their decisions on what they think the other player will choose. Each player has a choice to cooperate or compete. One version of the game available from Serendip (see link in References section) rewards players with three points when both players cooperate, and five points when one player competes and the other player cooperates.
Peanuts and Crackerjacks
Peanuts and Crackerjacks (see link in References section) combines a quiz, baseball and economics. All questions are based on economics. Each question will act as a pitch; for each question players get right, they move around the bases. Players who answer incorrectly are out. As with baseball, three outs ends an inning and nine outs end a game.
Bartering Game
A useful economics game in the classroom is a bartering activity. Give each child several different objects, as well as a list of objects they are trying to obtain. With the various supplies and demands, children will learn the arts of economics and bartering. The first student who can obtain his list wins the game. This game also provides a clever way to create a monetary value, as students will be able to compare object values mathematically, creating a basis for worth.