Now or later? A kindergarten waiting game for saving
What it is: a kindergarten routine that practices the waiting part of saving. Each student chooses one sticker now or two stickers at the end of the day, and the class talks about how it felt to wait. Saving money often means waiting before you can buy what you want, and this game lets students feel that trade without any money at all.
Time: about 10 minutes. Grade: kindergarten.
Materials: a sheet of stickers or a stamp, a chart with two columns labeled Now and Later, and a clothespin with each student's name.
- At morning meeting, show the stickers and explain the deal: "You can have 1 sticker now, or 2 stickers at closing circle."
- Each student clips a clothespin in the Now or the Later column. There is no wrong choice.
- Give the Now stickers right away. Ask the Later students: "What can you do while you wait?" Collect ideas: play, look away, think about something else.
- At closing circle, give each Later student 2 stickers.
- Talk: "How did waiting feel? Would you choose the same tomorrow?"
- Connect it: "When people save money, they wait so they can get something bigger later."
- Repeat on 3 days in one week and count how many students choose Later each day.
Differentiation: students who want a quicker reward can choose a shorter Later, such as lunchtime. Students who are ready draw something they think is worth waiting for. English learners can use the words now, later and wait.
Quick check: ask a student: "If you save, do you get your thing now or later?"
Do you use waiting games like this before you teach saving? Tell us how many of your students chose Later by the end of the week.
Found this helpful? Get the week's best posts like it.
About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 31, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades K–2
- Subject
- Life skills & money
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.