Consumer Education
Carboot sale game
Activity based on a car boot sale, in which learners perform calculations used in buying and selling
and comparing, prices. Game includes 'buy', 'sell', 'pitch' and 'chance' cards, game board, score
card and instructions.
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Buying and selling: Unit 3 Activity 2 Car boot sale game
This document provides activities to use with learners/ participants/ service users; the material has been written to include
education focuses on literacy, numeracy, functional skills and English for speakers of other languages within a formal
education setting. However if you wish to use the activities within an informal group or as part of an awareness raising
campaign you will only need p3 onwards.
Learning resources are not designed for tutors/ educators to advise their participants on specific cases; where necessary
participants should be directed to the appropriate advice agency.
Unit/ Activity
focus
Consumer education
objectives
Literacy, language and numeracy objectives
Calculating costs
relating to car boot
sales
Perform calculations used in
buying and selling and
compare prices
Perform calculations necessary for buying and
selling, including addition, subtraction and
calculation of means and percentages
Use appropriate mathematical strategies to
compare prices
Numeracy curriculum refs
AN N1/L1.3
AN N1/L1.9
AN N2/L1.8
AN N2/L1.9
AN N2/L1.10
AN N2/L1.11
Key/ Functional
Skills
curriculum refs
KS N1.1
KS N1.2
FS Maths L1
AN MSS1/L1.1
AN HD1/L1.3
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RESOURCES AND PREPARATION
BS U3 Activity 2a Car boot game cards: one set copied, laminated and cut up for each group
BS U3 Activity 2b Car boot game score card: one for each learner
BS U3 Activity 2c Car boot game: enlarge to A3, print and laminate – one for each group
BS U3 Activity 2d Car boot game instructions: one copy for each group
Dice and counters
Play money (for simplified version only). This could be money from a board game or differently sized/coloured pieces of paper to represent
different values
NUMERACY FOCUS
SUGGESTED PROCEDURE
 Find out if anyone in the class has had a stall at a car boot sale before and ask where it was, what it was like, what they sold, whether
they made much money etc.
 Create a hypothetical car boot sale list on the board, by eliciting names, type of thing sold and money earned, such as:
Neelam and Veronica
unwanted clothes and shoes
£78.50
David
unwanted CDs, DVDs and cassettes
£49.70
 Ask learners to work out the mean amount of money taken at the car boot sale using the examples provided. The length of the list can
be adjusted according to the level of the learners. Alternatively, learners can be asked to work with different numbers of figures and
calculate the total and mean amount taken for the number of stalls they are working with e.g. total from three stalls, five stalls or all
stalls.
 Divide learners into small groups to play the car boot game. Each group needs a game board, a set of cards (pitch, buying, selling
and chance), counters, dice and instructions. Each player needs a score card.
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 Explain that they are now going to play a car boot sale board game where the aim is to make as much money as possible over three
car boot sales. Use the instructions sheets to explain the rules.
Ideas for support and differentiation
Play the game using play money. Instead of using the score card, give each player a £30 float and leave at least £300 in the kitty. As
they play, learners pay and receive money from the kitty depending on which cards they pick up. Players still keep all their cards as
they play, so that final balances can be checked.
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Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2a Car boot game cards
PITCH
PITCH
PITCH
Pay for your
pitch
£5
Pay for your
pitch
£7.50
Pay for your
pitch
£8
PITCH
PITCH
PITCH
Pay for your
pitch
£4
Pay for your
pitch
£3
Pay for your
pitch
£2
PITCH
PITCH
PITCH
Pay for your
pitch
£10
Pay for your
pitch
£7.50
Pay for your
pitch
£5
5
Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2a Car boot game cards
SELL
SELL
Sell some CDs
from your
stall for
£10
Sell a
lampshade
from your
stall for
£2.50
Sell some
DVDs
from your
stall for
£3.50
SELL
SELL
SELL
Sell some
clothes
from your
stall for
£15
Sell some
shoes
from your
stall for
£10
Sell some
books
from your
stall for
£5
SELL
SELL
Sell a desk
from your
stall for
£7.50
Sell some toys
from your
stall for
£10
SELL
SELL
Sell some
posters
from your
stall for
£3.50
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Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2a Car boot game cards
SELL
SELL
Sell some CDs
from your
stall for
£10
Sell a
lampshade
from your
stall for
£2.50
Sell some
DVDs
from your
stall for
£3.50
SELL
SELL
SELL
Sell some
clothes
from your
stall for
£15
Sell some
shoes
from your
stall for
£10
Sell some
books
from your
stall for
£5
SELL
SELL
Sell a desk
from your
stall for
£7.50
Sell some toys
from your
stall for
£10
SELL
SELL
Sell some
posters
from your
stall for
£3.50
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Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2a Car boot game cards
CHANCE
CHANCE
You feel
cold. Buy a
hot drink for
£1
You’re hungry.
Buy some
food
for £1.50
CHANCE
CHANCE
Give 10%
of your
earnings
to charity
You’re hot.
Buy a cold
drink for £1
CHANCE
CHANCE
Someone tells
you to keep
the change.
You make an
extra £2.50
Someone tells
you to keep
the change.
You make an
extra £1.50
Page 4 of 5
CHANCE
You give the
wrong change.
Lose £1.50
CHANCE
You’re a
regular stall
holder.
Get 50%
of your pitch
cost back
CHANCE
You give the
wrong change.
Lose £1.50
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Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2a Car boot game cards
BUY
BUY
BUY
Buy something
from another
stall for
£1
Buy something
from another
stall for
£2
Buy something
from another
stall for
£3
BUY
BUY
BUY
Buy something
from another
stall for
£1.50
Buy something
from another
stall for
£2.50
Buy something
from another
stall for
£3.50
BUY
BUY
BUY
Buy something
from another
stall for
£1
Buy something
from another
stall for
£2
Buy something
from another
stall for
£3
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Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2b Car boot game score card
Car boot game score card
Stall holder name:
Running balance
Boot sale 1
Total sales:
Cost of pitch:
Charity contributions (if any):
Net gain or loss from car boot stall:
Total other expenses:
(e.g. food, drink, items bought)
FINAL NET GAIN or LOSS:
Boot sale 2
Total sales:
Cost of pitch:
Charity contributions (if any):
Net gain or loss from car boot stall:
Total other expenses:
(e.g. food, drink, items bought)
FINAL NET GAIN or LOSS:
Boot sale 3
Total sales:
Cost of pitch:
Charity contributions:
Net gain or loss:
Total other expenses:
(e.g. food, drink, items bought)
FINAL NET GAIN or LOSS
TOTAL NET GAIN or LOSS for all sales:
Mean average net gain or loss:
10
Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2c Car boot game
Car boot game
Start here
Buy
Chat with a
Jump
friend –
forward one
miss a go
square
Pitch
Sell
Sell
Chance
Buy
Go back
one square
Sell
Chance
It starts
raining –
miss a go
Buy
Sell
Sell
Chance
Jump
forward
three
squares
Go back two
squares
Sell
Buy
The wind
blows things
off your stall
Sell
Chance
Buy
Sell
– miss a go
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Buying and selling:
Unit 3 Activity 2d Car boot game instructions
Car boot game instructions
You are going to have a car boot sale stall and the aim of the game is
to make the most money (highest net gain). Keep all of the cards
that you pick up as you will need them at the end of each game. Play
the game three times and record your figures on the Car boot game
score card after each game. At the end of the three games, work
out your total net gain or loss for all sales and your mean average
net gain or loss. The winner is the person with the highest net gain
for all sales
1. Each player takes a pitch card to find out how much you have to pay for your
car boot sale pitch. Keep this card as you will need it later.
2. Each player throws the dice and the person with the highest number goes first.
3. Take it in turns to throw the dice and move your counter around the board.

If you land on a square telling you to take a card, take that card and keep it to
one side.

If you land on a square with instructions, follow the instructions.

If you throw a six, take the action for the square you land on and then you get
an extra throw.
4. Continue playing until the last player reaches or passes the start square after
one turn of the board. This marks the end of that car boot sale.
Instructions at the end of each car boot sale:
1. At the end of each car boot sale, calculate your total sales
and record this on your Car boot game score card.
2. Then record and deduct the cost of your pitch and charity
contributions (if any).
3. Finally, calculate your total other expenses, record this on your card and then
deduct this from your net gain or loss from the car boot stall in order to find
your final net gain or loss for that car boot sale.
Discussion:

What made the most difference to your net gain and loss?

What have you learned form playing this game?

If you had a car boot sale stall, what would you do to try and make sure you
made a good profit?
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