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Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations
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What others say

"This was the best purchase I've ever made from TPT. I had 100 percent engagement for an entire week. "
star
Samera A.
"My students absolutely loved this resource! The resource allowed them to get a taste of how real life finance work and how a situation can play out when for example they lost their job and the necessary measures they need to take to make their budget work. "
star
Fayth H.

Description

Engage students with a real world math project as they simulate adult life using financial literacy and algebra operations. This activity helps students apply budgeting, income, expenses, and real-world decision making in a meaningful context.

Analyze spending, use budgets, compute monthly payments and tie everything together in the Game of Life! A REAL WORLD 21ST CENTURY MATH PROJECT! Basic Operations, Percentages and Critical Thinking are put to the test in this financial literacy challenge!

This is 60 page pdf with 3 assignments and 1 mega-project. Answer Key included when possible (students will make a lot of choices)!

In “Bookkeeping Basics” students analyze the spending of different individuals and determine whether or not they have the available funds necessary to purchase an item they would like. “Can I afford this?”

In “Budget Busters,” students analyze the budgets and real-world spending of different individuals to determine whether they are living within their means. To do this, students calculate net pay by determining taxes owed and translating between percents, fractions, and decimals. The task mirrors real financial decision-making while reinforcing essential math skills.

In “Monthly Payment 101”, this assignment asks students to calculate monthly payments of different loans. Students will also be asked to choose between different loans.

and this leads to the mega project --

The [simulated] Game of Life. This project is multi-faceted, but you can modify (shorten as desired).

***THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A GOOGLE SLIDES INTERACTIVE VERSION FOR DISTANCE LEARNING INCLUDED. REDOWNLOAD IF YOU HAVE IT ALREADY***

Students will choose between 54 career cutouts, which start them off with an annual income, income tax rate, debt, and savings account. (NEW! As an alternative you can dish out careers and updates with this app: http://tiny.cc/GameofLife)

With this information, students will…

Consolidate their Debt. Students will choose a single loan to pay it back. They need to be careful about what they choose, because they don’t want a monthly payment they can’t afford.

Once they have their loan’s monthly payment information, they will…

Complete a Budget. They will calculate their Net Monthly Income and create a Budget for their spending.

With their budget set, it is time to make…

Choices! They will select a plan for housing, utilities, phone, food, transportation, savings and extras. They need to be sure not to spend too much money. (All data is included). Note: I have included an option of cigarettes to show how much they cost and how unaffordable they can be. (We have added a version in the file without them as an option)

Once they are done with these tasks, they will put your choices to the test. They will complete SIMULATED YEARS.

You will give students an Update (30 included) which will change information regarding their employment, family changes and unforeseen obstacles!

Students may get married or have children. If they get married, they need to find someone else in the class that also got married and POOF they are now partners on this project. They are married. If for instance, on their next update, they get divorced, they need to split their savings and move on.

Students will then reassess their finances, re-evaluate choices and complete their Year 2 (or 3 or 4 or 5) assignment.

In this 60 page document you will be given a mapping to the Content Standards, and a thorough packet that will challenge your student's critical thinking skills.

You may be interested in the following discounted bundles. SAVE $$$!

21st Century Math Projects -- All the Projects

Pre-Algebra Projects Starter Bundle

Need an Entire Curriculum?

21st Century Pre-Algebra –- the Entire Curriculum

21st Century Algebra –- the Entire Curriculum

And join our community where I post ideas, anecdotes, elaborations & every once in a while I pass out TPT gift cards! And jokes! I do jokes too!

Clark Creative Education Facebook Page

Terms of Use

This product includes a license for one teacher only for personal use in their classroom. Licenses are non-transferable, meaning they can not be passed from one teacher to another. No part of this resource is to be shared with a colleague or used by an entire grade level, school, or district without purchasing the proper number of licenses. If you are a coach, principal, or district interested in transferable licenses to accommodate yearly staff changes, please contact me for a quote at teach@clarkcreativeeducation.com

This resource or answers to the questions may not be uploaded to the internet where it is publicly available in any form including classroom/personal websites, network drives or student Prezis (can be made private), unless the website or app is password protected and can only be accessed by students.

Thank you for respecting my work!

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.
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Game of Life Financial Literacy Math Project | Real World Algebra Operations

Clark Creative Math
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Highlights

Digital downloads
Grades icon
Grades
6th - 12th
Standards icon
Standards
Pages
60
Answer Key
Included
Teaching Duration
2 Weeks

What others say

"This was the best purchase I've ever made from TPT. I had 100 percent engagement for an entire week. "
star
Samera A.
"My students absolutely loved this resource! The resource allowed them to get a taste of how real life finance work and how a situation can play out when for example they lost their job and the necessary measures they need to take to make their budget work. "
star
Fayth H.

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Description

Engage students with a real world math project as they simulate adult life using financial literacy and algebra operations. This activity helps students apply budgeting, income, expenses, and real-world decision making in a meaningful context.

Analyze spending, use budgets, compute monthly payments and tie everything together in the Game of Life! A REAL WORLD 21ST CENTURY MATH PROJECT! Basic Operations, Percentages and Critical Thinking are put to the test in this financial literacy challenge!

This is 60 page pdf with 3 assignments and 1 mega-project. Answer Key included when possible (students will make a lot of choices)!

In “Bookkeeping Basics” students analyze the spending of different individuals and determine whether or not they have the available funds necessary to purchase an item they would like. “Can I afford this?”

In “Budget Busters,” students analyze the budgets and real-world spending of different individuals to determine whether they are living within their means. To do this, students calculate net pay by determining taxes owed and translating between percents, fractions, and decimals. The task mirrors real financial decision-making while reinforcing essential math skills.

In “Monthly Payment 101”, this assignment asks students to calculate monthly payments of different loans. Students will also be asked to choose between different loans.

and this leads to the mega project --

The [simulated] Game of Life. This project is multi-faceted, but you can modify (shorten as desired).

***THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH A GOOGLE SLIDES INTERACTIVE VERSION FOR DISTANCE LEARNING INCLUDED. REDOWNLOAD IF YOU HAVE IT ALREADY***

Students will choose between 54 career cutouts, which start them off with an annual income, income tax rate, debt, and savings account. (NEW! As an alternative you can dish out careers and updates with this app: http://tiny.cc/GameofLife)

With this information, students will…

Consolidate their Debt. Students will choose a single loan to pay it back. They need to be careful about what they choose, because they don’t want a monthly payment they can’t afford.

Once they have their loan’s monthly payment information, they will…

Complete a Budget. They will calculate their Net Monthly Income and create a Budget for their spending.

With their budget set, it is time to make…

Choices! They will select a plan for housing, utilities, phone, food, transportation, savings and extras. They need to be sure not to spend too much money. (All data is included). Note: I have included an option of cigarettes to show how much they cost and how unaffordable they can be. (We have added a version in the file without them as an option)

Once they are done with these tasks, they will put your choices to the test. They will complete SIMULATED YEARS.

You will give students an Update (30 included) which will change information regarding their employment, family changes and unforeseen obstacles!

Students may get married or have children. If they get married, they need to find someone else in the class that also got married and POOF they are now partners on this project. They are married. If for instance, on their next update, they get divorced, they need to split their savings and move on.

Students will then reassess their finances, re-evaluate choices and complete their Year 2 (or 3 or 4 or 5) assignment.

In this 60 page document you will be given a mapping to the Content Standards, and a thorough packet that will challenge your student's critical thinking skills.

You may be interested in the following discounted bundles. SAVE $$$!

21st Century Math Projects -- All the Projects

Pre-Algebra Projects Starter Bundle

Need an Entire Curriculum?

21st Century Pre-Algebra –- the Entire Curriculum

21st Century Algebra –- the Entire Curriculum

And join our community where I post ideas, anecdotes, elaborations & every once in a while I pass out TPT gift cards! And jokes! I do jokes too!

Clark Creative Education Facebook Page

Terms of Use

This product includes a license for one teacher only for personal use in their classroom. Licenses are non-transferable, meaning they can not be passed from one teacher to another. No part of this resource is to be shared with a colleague or used by an entire grade level, school, or district without purchasing the proper number of licenses. If you are a coach, principal, or district interested in transferable licenses to accommodate yearly staff changes, please contact me for a quote at teach@clarkcreativeeducation.com

This resource or answers to the questions may not be uploaded to the internet where it is publicly available in any form including classroom/personal websites, network drives or student Prezis (can be made private), unless the website or app is password protected and can only be accessed by students.

Thank you for respecting my work!

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

Reviews

4.8
Rated 4.78 out of 5, based on 1448 reviews
1448
ratings
5
1,263
4
172
3
11
2
1
1
0
Grades used with
Reviews
68
111
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73
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80
6th
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What customers are saying
Met expectations
100%
Is a great value
100%
Is standards-aligned
100%
All verified TPT purchases
Fun project
Rated 5 out of 5
July 17, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
Such a fun and cute project to do in math class.
Shasta B.
74 reviews
Grades taught: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Business Class
Rated 5 out of 5
July 9, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
This was an excellent project for my middle school personal finance/business class.
Maurie B.
43 reviews • Idaho
Grades taught: PreK, K, 1st, 2nd, 7th
True to real-life
Rated 5 out of 5
May 21, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
Love that this is helping my students think about real world finances BEFORE they get there, in a fun way! The simulated game of life "surprises" are great!
Christine N.
255 reviews • New York
Grades taught: 10th
Student populations: Learning difficulties
Great End of the Year Project
Rated 5 out of 5
May 5, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
My students loved this project. It was surprising to them how the real world works! Their conversations were fun and engaging.
Melinda D.
117 reviews • California
Grades taught: 6th, 8th
Student populations: Emerging bilinguals, Learning difficulties
Well-Crafted and Engaging
Rated 5 out of 5
April 10, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
My kids really enjoyed this project! It had a lot of elements and I enjoyed the introduction before actually getting into the game of life portion.
Noelle H.
22 reviews
Grades taught: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Student populations: Learning difficulties
Great Resource
Rated 5 out of 5
March 10, 2026
This was a great resource to use with my financial literacy unit.
Kristie P.
1,439 reviews • Tennessee
Grades taught: 8th
AMAZING!!!
Rated 5 out of 5
February 20, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
This was perfect; exactly what I was looking for - thank you!
Kristin L.
460 reviews • Ohio
Grades taught: 6th, 7th, 8th
Nice resource
Rated 5 out of 5
February 9, 2026
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
Fun project! Worked well for my foundation math 10 students
Ziyi W.
21 reviews • Outside the United States
Grades taught: 9th, 10th

Questions & Answers

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Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
Understand that positive and negative numbers are used together to describe quantities having opposite directions or values (e.g., temperature above/below zero, elevation above/below sea level, credits/debits, positive/negative electric charge); use positive and negative numbers to represent quantities in real-world contexts, explaining the meaning of 0 in each situation.
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving the four operations with rational numbers.
Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.
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