In my childhood, school wasn’t really meant to be fun. You studied, you learned, you were tested – that’s the way it was. Today’s teachers try much harder to make learning more like fun and less like being taught. They find that students are much more willing to learn things if the manner in which they’re taught is exciting. So, whether you’re a home school teacher, or just a mom with a child who loves to play “store”, you’ll enjoy making pretend checks for the kids. They can learn to fill out checks, keep track of numbers, and more.
It’s not hard to make play checks when you use your computer. Print out the template, here, and then customize it to say what you want. You can print the child’s first and last name, your real address, a fake address, a real or fake phone number, the name of a real or fake bank, and other details. Although you can add backgrounds to the checks, or use assorted ink to make colorful checks, you’ll find it cheapest if you print with black ink on colored or white paper.
Print out some pages of the checks and then cut the individual checks out with scissors. There is a dotted line along the top of each check and you can perforate this – to make it easier to tear out the checks – by sewing it. Stack several of the checks together and sew along the dotted line without using any thread. Do this to all of the checks.
Stack as many checks as your stapler can accommodate. Fold a manilla folder or similar check cover in half, slide the stack of checks between the layers of the folder, and push the checks against the fold. Trim to size. Use your stapler to staple three times along the fold of the folder, making sure to staple through all the checks at the same time.
Let kids practice writing checks in a home school, at home for fun, or for a play store they’re running. Or, you use the checks to purchase things from the play store. Kids can reward parents for things the parents have done or kids can just write checks to each other. If you want, make a register and show kids how to keep track of their checkbooks. They’ll learn about adding and subtracting, writing checks, keeping track of money, and more.
Pretend Checks