Wondering how ClassBank will work with your younger students? With a few simple adjustments, you can make the platform hands-on, developmentally appropriate, and still give your youngest learners all the benefits of a classroom economy. Here are our favorite tips for using ClassBank with younger students.
1) Use paper dollars for tangible rewards
Younger students often still benefit from something they can hold, count, and stack, so keep paper dollars on hand to hand out bonuses in the moment.
⭐️ Pro-tip: Have students "cash in" their paper dollars at the end of the day or week by turning them in with a deposit slip. Issue them a matching digital bonus (for example, a custom bonus titled "Deposit") so their ClassBank balance stays accurate while they still get the tangible, real-world experience of handling money. Check out How to Use Paper Money with ClassBank for printable resources and more ideas. This is a great job for older students too (see tip #4 below).
2) Turn off math calculations
Younger students may not be ready to calculate their own new balance every time they make a deposit or withdraw. Turn off math calculations for individual students, or your whole class, so ClassBank automatically updates their balance for them, no addition or subtraction required.
⭐️ Pro-tip: Learn how in How do I turn student math calculations on and off? You can turn it off just for your younger or emerging students and leave it on for the rest of the class.
3) Use group rewards
Instead of managing lots of individual transactions, reward and redeem as a class:
Group bonuses: Check the box at the top of your student table to select the whole class at once, then send everyone the same bonus in a single click. See Send a transaction for step-by-step instructions.
Shop as a class: Rather than having students shop individually throughout the day, open the store for a designated "class shopping day" and walk through it together, calling students up one at a time. Or decide as a class to purchase whole group store items like "Pajama Day" or Pizza Party."
⭐️ Pro-tip: Group rewards keep things simple for younger students while still reinforcing the connection between good choices and earning money.
4) Bring in older students to help
Pair your class with a buddy class of older students, or recruit a few responsible upper-grade helpers, to assist with day-to-day logistics: handing out paper dollars, collecting deposit slips, and helping students check out in the store.
⭐️ Pro-tip: Older students can even be given Student Helper access as a Banker or Store Clerk, so they can send transactions or manage store purchases on your behalf. Check out How to Train Student Bankers for tips on getting them started.
Have another tip for using ClassBank with your youngest learners? We'd love to hear it! Shoot us an email at [email protected] :)