How The Knot String Works

The Knot String is simply a shoe lace with knots tied in a series. Each knot represents a dollar amount. In the case of my children, I assigned 5 dollars to each knot.

I tied 8 knots onto a shoe lace for each of them and then explained the rules:

“Here is your Knot String. Keep this in your pocket or tie it on your wrist.”

“Whenever you want to buy something on our trip, Mom or I will tell you how many knots it will cost and if it is something that you are allowed to own.”

“When you spend your knots, you will untie them so you can see how many knots you have left. Once your knots are all gone, you have spent all of your vacation budget and we can discuss how you can earn more.”

I did not spend a lot of time talking about how many dollars each knot was worth. Kids at a young age do not fully understand abstract values like "currency" and "product values", and it would have just just distracted them from the main lessons.

Instead, I reinforced the idea that they are in control. That is the very essence of The Knot String!

I was suprised with what happened the first time my daughter used her knots...