Save & Spend: gamifying financial literacy for young minds

Save & Spend is a board game innovation designed to introduce primary school students to basic accounting concepts in a fun and accessible way. The game simulates everyday financial activities such as earning allowance, spending on small items, and saving for future goals. Players move along a colourful board, collect and spend tokens, and draw scenario cards that reflect real-life situations. A simple, colorcoded ledger sheet reinforces the principles of income, expenses, and savings, encouraging children to practice record-keeping while playing. This innovation emphasizes experiential learning by combining storytelling, role-play, and visual aids, ensuring that accounting knowledge is easily understood at an early age. The interactive format promotes collaboration among small groups and fosters creativity, while the gamified approach enhances engagement and motivation. By transforming financial literacy into play, Save & Spend supports co-curricular development and provides a strong foundation for lifelong financial awareness. The project highlights the adaptability of gamification in accounting education. Teachers can customize cards and scenarios to reflect cultural contexts, making the game relevant across diverse learning environments. Its simplicity ensures implementation with minimal resources, while scalability allows integration into classroom activities, workshops, or competitions.