Money Matters: teaching money with pictures, not just numbers

anshulkukreti
Jul 17, 2025
1 min read

Why I’ve made this

I have an autistic brother. He’s 20, bright and funny, and he still finds money confusing—especially when it shifts from tokens (notes) to abstract numbers. We’ve tried worksheets, apps, and flashcards. They all expected him to “get” the numbers first.

So I flipped it: start with what he can see and touch. Build the number sense after he’s comfortable with the visual and practical flow of buying something.

That’s how Money Matters started—first for him, and now (hopefully) useful for more families, therapists, and classrooms.

The problem we’re aiming to solve

Numbers are abstract. For many neurodivergent learners, numbers-only teaching is a wall, not a door.
Generalization is hard. Recognizing a ₹100 note in a picture and recognizing it at a shop are different skills.
Change is tricky. Subtraction on paper ≠ “What change should I get back?” in a noisy, real-world moment.
Executive load (too many steps, too much text, too many choices) can quickly overwhelm.

Money Matters reduces the cognitive load and grounds the lesson in visual, concrete actions.

Design principles I’m sticking to

Big touch targets. Tappable notes with generous spacing.
Low text, high signal. Clear icons and minimal language.
Predictable screens. Repeated layouts reduce surprise.
One skill per moment. Don’t teach counting, paying, and budgeting all at once.

(I have consulted therapist and took their feedback as well while designing the game, I’d love to here your take on these—what to keep, what to tweak. Feel free to comment)