Teaching Banking to Kids

Commonwealth Bank of Australia recently launched Coinland, a fascinating virtual online game for junior school children to learn about money management and banking.
Mark Murray, general manager consumer marketing at CBA says Coinland creates a virtual world where children can have fun while starting to build their knowledge about money.

"The once simple lessons of personal finance have grown more complex, and the ways children learn has evolved," he says. "Coinland teaches children in a format they can easily relate to and have fun along the way."

Children create a personalized avatar which represents them in the game, alongside their guide Platy, who shows them how their actions impact their savings goals. The Bank's saving super heroes, the Dollarmites interact with players to bring money management to life. They also meet Mr. Save-a-lot who teaches children about money, while Gobbler - Platy's nemesis - entices them to spend.

Players develop their money management skills through a series of challenges and games, visiting eight different zones with the aim for each player to earn and save coins.

The site also offers social media tools, so that children can connect with friends by adding other players to their buddy list via safe chat using pre-defined messages.