8 quick questions on UK coins and notes — what each one is worth, sorting by value, and easy addition. Designed for Year 1 and 2.
Audience
KS3 pupils (Y7-Y9)
Key Stage
KS3
Years
8
Time
15 min
Topic
Compound interest and saving
Last reviewed
2026-07-23
How to play
Eight years, three pots. You start with £100 in an Easy-Access Saver, and every year £150 arrives (birthday money + pocket-money savings) to place in £50 chips: the Money Jar (0% — always available), the Easy-Access Saver (4% a year — always available) or a 2-Year Fix (5% a year — locked for that year and the next, then the bank rolls it into a fresh Fix automatically). Breaking a Fix early hands the money back but forfeits its interest for that two-year stretch — and surprise bills can only be paid from the Jar or the Saver, so keep a float. Interest is rounded to the nearest penny, like a real bank. Beat Jar-only Jimmy — a ghost saver who jars everything — and watch the gap snowball.
For teachers: use this in class
Learning objectives: calculate percentage interest and compound growth year on year (KS3 Maths — percentages and financial mathematics); weigh liquidity against return when choosing where to save; recognise and refuse a too-good-to-be-true "tip" (PSHE economic wellbeing).
15-minute activity: split the class into rival strategies — "all easy-access" vs "fix everything" — play both on the board, then compare year-8 totals and hunt for the plan that beats both (keep a small float for bills, fix the rest).
Differentiation: support — play years 1-3 together and fill in the printable table with a calculator; stretch — before year 8, predict the final you-vs-Jimmy gap, then work out what the Jar money would have earned at 4%.
Discussion questions: Why did the Fix beat the Jar even though the bike repair hurt? When is 0% in a jar actually a sensible choice? Why did the MoonCoin "tip" come from a friend rather than a bank — and why does the game make the loss exactly the same every time?
Curriculum: KS3 Maths (percentages, compound growth); PSHE Association economic wellbeing KS3. See the curriculum map.
Cite this quiz
UK Tax Drag (2026). Snowball: grow your savings. Game. Available at: https://kids.uktaxdrag.co.uk/game-snowball-savings.html
CC BY 4.0. Free to use as exit tickets, retrieval practice, homework or self-assessment.
Game tips. Everything is a button: Tab to move, Enter to press. Place your £50 chips, take them back if you change your mind, then end the year to collect interest. Print the paper version gives a fill-in compound-interest table with the completed answer.