The City Game Book

What if one classroom activity could teach real-life skills students never forget? Since 2009, The City Game has transformed classrooms into vibrant communities where students build financial literacy, confidence, and a sense of purpose through hands-on learning. The testimonials I’ve gathered from teachers, students, and families aren’t just kind words ~ they’re powerful reflections of growth, connection, and lasting impact.

As education writer Parker J. Palmer said, “We teach who we are.” These voices show what happens when learning is meaningful, real, and rooted in experience.

Visit www.amandazanette.ca and click on Community Responses to read their stories ~ some reaching back over a decade.

Thank you to every educator, student, and family member who has supported and believed in this game. Your enthusiasm is what keeps it thriving.

We wrapped up the term with our first City Game auction!

One student, who was in my class last year and is with me again this year, volunteered to model how to be an auctioneer as students take turns in the role. With confidence from past experience, he stepped up to lead and support others.

This year, he went even further by creating a brand-new job, gift wrapper, helping classmates wrap items they purchased for friends and family.

It’s powerful to see how experience builds confidence and how students take ownership, show leadership, and create opportunities for others through The City Game.

To learn more about The City Game, visit www.amandazanette.ca

Is this the year to make a shift in how you manage your classroom?
~ Start small, or jump in fully. Either way, watch your classroom transform into a self-running, collaborative community! www.amandazanette.ca

This year, consider taking your classroom management to a whole new level with THE CITY GAME ~ a dynamic, real-world simulation that turns your classroom into a thriving community.

Students are “hired” for real-world-inspired jobs that:
1). Reduce the teacher’s workload.
2). Build financial literacy through renting/buying desks and biweekly banking.
3). Strengthen social-emotional skills as Police Officers mediate conflicts and Deputy Mayors lead City Council meetings.

This is more than classroom management ~ it’s a system where students’ voices are heard, responsibilities are real, and learning happens through trial and error in a safe, supported space.

Whether you try the full program or introduce parts of it, you’ll watch students:
~ Take ownership of their learning environment.
~ Practice problem-solving and leadership.
~ Build the confidence and independence they’ll need in the real world, where parents and teachers aren’t beside them every moment.

This term… I finally fixed something that’s quietly bothered me for years about The City Game.
I thought it would be hard to make the shift mid year, but it was such an exciting day as students created their neighbourhoods.
For years, The City Game has built connection, shared responsibility, and community in our classroom. At the same time, I struggled with how each table group was called a “city,” when what was really happening was so much more connected than that.
This small shift made a big difference.
Our classroom is now the city, and each group is a neighbourhood. That language better represents what truly goes on: neighbourhoods working together, relying on one another, and contributing to one shared community.
Students are designing their neighbourhoods for their group poster, and we’re bringing them together on a classroom map so we can name our city together.
Not separate cities.
One community.
Welcome to our city.
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Looking for a meaningful, engaging way to launch Term 2? December is the perfect time to introduce The City Game! While finishing up your report cards, you can start teaching the lessons and preparing students to play. After the break, students will be thrilled to return ~ getting hired, receiving their new cities, and creating their city posters!

Term 2 is the perfect time for students to step into new responsibilities, while you control the pace of the game so it fits your classroom's needs.

Start your Term 2 adventure now! Snag your copy of the digital book with editable sheets for $20 during our Black Friday sale! https://www.thecitygameamandazanette.ca/thecitygamepurchases/p/thecitygamebook

Ending the term feeling organized and excited makes the start of Term 2 even better for them and for me!

We wrapped up Term 1 of the City Game by finalizing banking, applying for Term 2 jobs, and giving students a voice in who they’d like to work and sit with in their new cities.

Students head into the break knowing they’ll return to new jobs, new cities, and fresh responsibilities. In the first week back, they’ll be trained by each other and begin creating their new city posters ~ setting the tone for another engaging term ahead.

www.amandazanette.ca

We wrapped up the term with our first City Game auction!

One student, who was in my class last year and is with me again this year, volunteered to model how to be an auctioneer as students take turns in the role. With confidence from past experience, he stepped up to lead and support others.

This year, he went even further by creating a brand-new job, gift wrapper, helping classmates wrap items they purchased for friends and family.

It’s powerful to see how experience builds confidence and how students take ownership, show leadership, and create opportunities for others through The City Game.

To learn more about The City Game, visit www.amandazanette.ca

Success is built on systems, not just goals—"ATOMIC HABITS" demonstrates this. A 1-degree shift each day sparks real change. Start with one lesson from The City Game today! www.amandazanette.ca

Ever wished your students could see why money, responsibility, and collaboration actually matter?
If you’re looking for a meaningful, hands‑on way to teach financial literacy, SEL, and accountability, The City Game is designed to bring real‑world learning into your classroom.
Visit www.amandazanette.ca for free videos that walk you through implementation, plus additional teaching resources to support your practice.

Today our City Game showed its power.
During a student-led city council meeting, students shared they were starting to feel that P.E. was becoming gender vs. gender rather than fully inclusive play. This led to a thoughtful discussion about language, recognizing the difference between describing an entire gender versus naming that some individuals show certain behaviours. Students reflected on how generalizations can impact confidence, participation, and belonging.
They also explored how aggression in games can cause some students to step back, and how intentional shifts can create space for more students to engage.
We then took the learning outside.
In an impromptu game of California kickball, a student called out, “way to go bros!” We paused. The student immediately said, “ohh,” and corrected themselves to “way to go class,” recognizing how their words had unintentionally divided the group.
In another moment, a student stepped in to take over third base, assuming a peer didn’t know how to play. This was the same student who had earlier raised concerns about others’ abilities. It became a powerful reflection point: are we supporting growth, or unintentionally taking away opportunities to learn?
This is the power of The City Game.
Students didn’t just discuss equity and inclusion, they practiced it in real time.

Visit: www.amandazanette.ca to learn how you can bring The City Game into your classroom this September.