Teach Property Investing to Kids
(Reading level Age 9 to 12)
“Oh I never win!…I’m loosing already!” shouted Kevin to his Aunt Mo. “Calm down Kevin, you are doing fine. Besides it is just a game,” said Aunt Mo trying to calm down her 9-year-old nephew during a monopoly game.
It was 15 minutes into the game before Kevin got upset about not being in the lead. Kevin did not feel good about losing to his Aunt Mo. He wanted to learn how to win but instead of learning the game he complained.
His Aunt Mo wanted Kevin to have fun and learn new things during the game of monopoly. She thought it would help to boost Kenya’s confidence.
“Aunt Mo, how come you spend money to buy properties and houses on the boardwalk? Aren’t you afraid to loose all of your money?” asked Kevin.
“Well, it’s a little hard to explain, but sometimes you have to spend money to make money, ” stated Aunt Mo. “Whenever I buy a house or property, I loose money only at the first. I make a purchase, but then I earn the money back once you land on my property during the game. Since I own the house that your ‘game-piece’ lands on, I get to collect a fee or money, grows each time you land on the property.”
“Does that mean you will make even more money than which you bought the property for? asked Kevin.
“Yes Kevin, now you’ve got it!” said Aunt Mo.
“Well,…I don’t think that makes any sense at all,” Kevin huffed.
Aunt Mo shook her head and smiled.
It was Kevin’s turn to roll the dice. He picked up the two little squares, blew on them and shook them in his hand. He started to think about what his Aunt Mo said about spending money to make more money. This concept was really tricky for Kevin to get a hold of. He noticed the more his Aunt Mo spent money on a property, the more money she collected. Kevin on the other hand, saved his money during the game and it was getting less and less. He would land in jail, pay a fee and loose money. Then he landed on another property that belonged to his Aunt Mo and he paid another fee. Kevin decided that he wanted to try something different.
“Oooh look Aunt Mo, a pair of sixes!” shouted Kevin. During the game of monopoly, if a player rolls the dice and both dice land with the same amount of black dots, then the player gets another turn. “One, two, three..,” It was Kevin’s turn to move his ‘game-piece’ on the board. Kevin counted _______ spaces. He shouted for joy when he landed on a ‘Chance’ card. The ‘Chance’ card is a pile of cards on the game board that allows you to move ahead or collect money. Kevin was able to collect $100 dollars. He hurried to pick up the dice and roll again for another turn.
“Come on doubles, I need some doubles!” shouted Kevin.
Kevin moved his game piece pass his Aunt Mo and collected another $200 dollars for passing ‘Go’ on the game board.
This time, after Kevin moved forward on the board he looked at a property on the board for $150 dollars. Kevin placed his hand on his chin and grinned at his aunt across the table.
He chuckled and said, “You’ll never guess what I am thinking about doing.”
“So tell me what is your game plan?” asked Aunt Mo.
“Well, instead of holding on to the money I earned, which is not growing, I think I want to buy this property for $150 dollars. That way everytime you land on it, I will collect a fee,” explained Kevin.
“Sounds like a great idea, I wonder where I have heard it before,” Aunt Mo chuckled.
As the game continued Kevin began to earn back the money he spent on his property. Then he used the new money he earned to purchase more property. He enjoyed collecting rent from his Aunt Mo, especially because he was now winning.
In the end, Kevin won the game and enjoyed the feeling of learning to try something new. Though it was a tricky concept to grasp, he was proud that he tried and successed. He learned to win by watching his aunt. He also learned that in the game of monopoly sometimes you have to loose money to earn money.
