For educators
Money Mayhem in the classroom.
A standalone, single-period activity that turns abstract financial concepts into hands-on decision-making. Built with NZ teachers, ready to drop straight into your next lesson.
Classroom photo placeholderFinancial literacy is decision-making — not theory.
Most lessons end at definitions: budget, interest, credit, opportunity cost. Money Mayhem closes the gap. Students step into a job, earn a salary, weigh real purchases, take risks, and live with the consequences — all in one class period.
Learning outcomes
What students walk away with.
Budgeting & saving
Plan income against expenses, build a buffer, and discover why a savings habit pays off when chaos strikes.
Risk & reward
Weigh probability against payoff. Practise tolerating uncertainty and recognising the cost of doing nothing.
Numeracy in context
Calculate income, expenses, and credit balances in a setting where the maths matters to the outcome.
Cause & consequence
Short-term choices, long-term outcomes. Students see how today’s spending shapes tomorrow’s options.
Financial vocabulary
Credit, debt, interest, insurance, opportunity cost — concepts they'll use for the rest of their lives.
Collaboration & turn-taking
Group play builds discussion, negotiation, and shared learning — financial literacy as a social skill.
In your lesson plan
Drops in clean.
No prep beyond opening the box. The game is timed for a standard NZ class period, splits naturally for group work, and packs back up in under five minutes.
45–60 min
Full game in one period
2–6
Players per game · scale to class size
9+
Intermediate & junior secondary
5 min
Pack-down time
Game contents photo placeholderWhat's in the box
- Game board
- Occupation cards
- Player pieces
- Expense, Spend or Save, Challenge, Loan & Occupation card decks
- Play money
- Dice
Classroom-ready
Runs as a standalone, single-period activity — no prep beyond opening the box. Setup instructions for whole-class play, in-play discussion prompts, and post-game debrief questions are all included, with differentiation that works across ages 9+.
100% sustainable
Built from recycled materials.
Money Mayhem is made from recycled 3D-printing filament and recycled wood — a natural fit for environmental science, technology, and product-design units, and an easy story for schools committed to sustainability.
From the classroom
What teachers and students say.
"An excellent concept — the students loved seeing how much money they’d made at the end! Engaged the whole way through."Teacher · Te Nikau School
"Students were engaged and asking really good questions — recognising the value of money, expenses, loans and debit."Teacher · Te Nikau School
"I saw my students learn how to value money, and they really enjoyed themselves doing it."Teacher · Te Nikau School
"It kind of teaches you about adult life: how money comes and goes, and whether to save or spend."Year 6 student
"I learned how credit works, and how careful you need to be with it."Year 6 student
"I love how it teaches kids to spend money wisely — and to be their own CEO."Year 6 student
Most students rated Money Mayhem 5 out of 5 when asked how likely they were to recommend it.
Bring it to your class.
Single games are $49.99 NZD. For classroom sets and bulk pricing, get in touch and we'll sort the right quantity for your roll.