Money skills
Blu’s Shopping Cart
Suggested age: Ages 5 to 9
Help Blu buy what he needs without going over budget. Watch out for Fram’s cravings!
Choose the difficulty
For parents and caregivers
How Blu’s Shopping Cart helps your child
Before handling money, children need two ideas: money runs out, and not everything we want is what we need. This game practices both in a shopping trip.
How to play
Blu has a budget (for example $10) and a list of what he needs. The shelf also has cravings, like Fram’s in the book Impulsivamente. Your child drags products from the shelf to the cart; the budget thermometer shows how much has been spent and marks the line of what they have. At the register, if they went over, Blu suggests putting back a craving first; if something from the list is missing, he says so too. Whatever is left goes to the piggy bank. On hard the thermometer is hidden: they keep count or use the calculator.
What they are learning
Telling needs from wants is the basis of every money decision. Watching the meter fill up, your child understands that a budget is a limit, practices small sums and learns to prioritize: first what’s on the list and, if there’s money left, a treat or saving.
Ideas to keep going at home
- At the supermarket, give them a short list and a budget, and let them help you choose.
- Ask together before buying something: do I need it or just want it?
- If there’s money left, decide together whether it goes to the piggy bank or a treat.
A tip from Mora: play together for a short while, 5 to 10 minutes, and talk when you finish. Screens work best as a starting point for family conversations rather than as a solo activity: real learning happens in the conversation, which is the heart of the Mora method.