Financial literacy activity
Price Tag Matching
Match prices to items! Learn that different things cost different amounts. Practice reading numbers and comparing big vs. small prices.
Materials and setup
- household items or grocery flyer
- sticky notes for price tags
- play money
- paper
- pencil
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Match prices to items! Learn that different things cost different amounts. Practice reading numbers and comparing big vs. small prices.
Steps
- Set out 5 household items: a snack, a book, a toy, a crayon, and a fruit.
- Make price tags with simple numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Ask: 'Which do you think costs the most? The least?'
- Together, assign price tags to each item. Discuss why some things cost more.
- Play store: child picks items and you help count out the matching play coins.
Learning objectives
- Understand that different items have different costs
- Read and compare simple numbers as prices
- Begin to reason about relative value (why things cost more or less)
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Match real-world prices to grocery items using a flyer or pretend labels. Compare prices, find the better deal, and stay within a budget!
Steps
- Cut out pictures from a grocery flyer or draw items with prices.
- Spread them out as a 'store shelf.'
- Give the child a $5 budget (play money). 'You have $5 for dinner ingredients.'
- Child selects items and keeps a running total. Can they stay under $5?
- Compare similar items: 'This apple juice is $2 and this one is $3. Which is the better deal?'
Learning objectives
- Read and compare multi-digit prices on real-world items
- Stay within a set budget by tracking running totals
- Identify better deals by comparing prices of similar items
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Compare 3 brands of the same item by price AND taste. Decide whether the most expensive is really the best and whether the cheapest is really the worst. Make a value-based recommendation.
Steps
- At home or at a store, find 3 brands of the same item (cereal, soup, cookies).
- Calculate cost per ounce or cost per serving for each brand. Write each number down.
- Then taste them blindfolded if possible. Rate each on taste 1-10.
- Question: is the most expensive always the best? Is the cheapest always the worst?
- Write a 2-sentence recommendation: which one would YOU buy and why?
Learning objectives
- Calculate unit price (cost per ounce or per serving) across multiple brands
- Separate price from perceived value through a blind taste test
- Make and justify a personal value-based purchase recommendation
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Conduct a consumer research project. Compare prices across 3 stores, analyze marketing tactics that make things seem cheaper, and create a practical 'Smart Shopper Guide' for your family.
Steps
- Choose 10 common grocery items. Research their prices at 3 different stores (using flyers, websites, or a real trip).
- Create a comparison spreadsheet: item, Store A price, Store B price, Store C price, best deal, and savings.
- Research 3 marketing tricks stores use: loss leaders, bulk pricing that is not actually cheaper, 'sale' prices that are not real discounts. Find a real example of each.
- Calculate: If your family switched to the cheapest store for all 10 items, how much would they save per month?
- Research: What are basic consumer rights? What can a shopper do if a product is defective or a shelf price is wrong?
- Create a 'Smart Shopper Guide' for your family with tips, your price comparison data, and warnings about marketing tricks.
Learning objectives
- Conduct systematic price comparison research across multiple retailers
- Identify and analyze common marketing and pricing tactics
- Calculate potential savings from comparison shopping over time
- Research consumer rights and create practical educational materials
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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