Before students can shop at the class store, it is important to determine what students will use for money. You can use play money, but it is exciting for students to have a special type of money used solely for the purpose of your classroom economy.

Each year our classroom money is named in relation to our class theme. For instance, one year our money was called "Captain Cash" to go along with our "Pier 13" theme. Students can help determine the name of the money and even create designs for the $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills. Students can then vote to decide which design they want for each denomination.

Download the blank Money Template (for students to use to design their own money).

Before the store opens for the first time, we read about the U.S. Mint to learn how money is made. After copying each bill on a different color of paper, we turn our classroom into a mint for an hour as students help cut the money that will be used throughout the school year.