60 min
Invent a Board Game
They design the board, write the rules, and then make you play it.
🍋
Run a Lemonade Stand
Make it, price it, sell it, count the money.
A whole afternoon project that ends with real arithmetic and a small pile of coins.
What you need
- lemons or squash
- sugar
- water
- cups
- a table
- paper for a sign
- a money tin
How to do it
- Work out the cost of the ingredients together before anything else.
- Decide a price per cup that covers the cost and leaves something over.
- Make the drink and set up a table with a hand-drawn sign.
- They handle the selling and the change themselves.
- Count the takings at the end and work out the actual profit.
Why this is good for them
Working out cost, price and profit makes arithmetic consequential in a way that no worksheet manages. Speaking to strangers and handling money are also genuinely uncomfortable for many children, and doing it from behind a table makes it manageable.
Adapting by age
5 to 6 yearsYou handle the money, they do the pouring and the sign.
11 to 12 yearsAdd a second product, track which sells better, and donate the profit.
Keep it safe
Own driveway or garden only, with an adult present throughout. Check local rules before selling in a public place. Cover the drink against insects.
Cleanup tip
Wash everything properly, since food was involved.
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