How much class time does a simulation activity need?

A focused activity can fit into 15 minutes. A comparison activity works well in 30 minutes, while a full lesson with team presentations can use about 50 minutes.

How should teachers assess simulation results?

Assess the quality of the student's decision, evidence, explanation, and reflection rather than grading the highest simulated profit alone.

Free Business Simulations for Teachers

Q: Which subjects can use these business simulations?

The activities support entrepreneurship, business, economics, financial literacy, career education, marketing, and applied mathematics lessons.

Start here

A simple classroom routine

1. Frame the decision

Give students one question, such as whether to raise a price, add staff, or protect service quality.

2. Predict

Students record what they will change and predict the effect on one revenue metric and one cost or quality metric.

3. Test twice

Run a baseline, change one important decision, and run again so the comparison has a clear cause.

4. Explain

Students use result metrics as evidence, identify a tradeoff, and propose the next experiment.

Ready-to-use timing

Choose a lesson format

15-minute decision sprint

2 min: introduce one decision and one success metric.
8 min: students predict, run once, adjust one variable, and rerun.
3 min: record evidence and a tradeoff.
2 min: share one surprising result.

Exit ticket: “I changed ___, which caused ___, but the tradeoff was ___.”

30-minute strategy comparison

5 min: assign pairs different strategies to test.
15 min: complete two runs and capture the same four metrics.
7 min: compare strategies and separate correlation from likely cause.
3 min: write a recommendation with evidence.

Deliverable: one completed worksheet per pair and a two-sentence recommendation.

50-minute team challenge

8 min: assign roles: operator, analyst, recorder, and presenter.
22 min: run a baseline and two controlled experiments.
10 min: prepare a claim, evidence, tradeoff, and next step.
10 min: present and compare across teams.

Debrief: reward defensible reasoning, not only the highest simulated profit.

Learning objectives

By the end of a focused activity, students should be able to:

distinguish revenue, operating cost, profit, capacity, and customer-experience metrics;
predict how one operating decision may affect more than one business outcome;
compare a baseline with a controlled change using numerical evidence;
identify a tradeoff instead of assuming every improvement is free; and
recommend a next decision while acknowledging uncertainty in a simplified model.

Topic-based selector

Match a simulation to your lesson

Each option includes a playable simulation and a printable worksheet for prediction, results, and reflection.

Pricing, margin, and demand

Restaurant simulation · worksheet — price, labor, food quality, and profit
Coffee shop simulation · worksheet — price, queue time, attach rate, and waste
Food truck simulation · worksheet — location, menu focus, capacity, and weather
Bakery simulation · worksheet — production, freshness, waste, and wholesale orders

Capacity, staffing, and service

Motel simulation · worksheet — occupancy, room condition, staffing, and channel fees
Car wash simulation · worksheet — bay use, labor, memberships, and equipment uptime
Hair salon simulation · worksheet — appointments, walk-ins, utilization, and retention
Auto repair simulation · worksheet — diagnostic time, parts margin, bays, and trust
Dry cleaning simulation · worksheet — turnaround, backlog, machine capacity, and quality

Inventory, waste, and product mix

Grocery store simulation · worksheet — freshness, shelf availability, checkout labor, and shrink
Pet store simulation · worksheet — product mix, animal care, grooming, and staffing
Bookstore simulation · worksheet — inventory curation, events, slow stock, and online competition

Utilization, recurring revenue, and routes

Racket court simulation · worksheet — court use, memberships, staffing, and maintenance
Fitness studio simulation · worksheet — memberships, classes, churn, and equipment
Landscaping simulation · worksheet — route density, crews, fuel, contracts, and seasonality
Ride-hailing simulation · worksheet — trip choices, fuel, fatigue, rating, and earnings

Quality, safety, and responsible constraints

Use the childcare simulation with its printable worksheet to discuss enrollment, staffing ratios, tuition, safety quality, licensing pressure, parent satisfaction, and cash flow. Frame safety and staffing requirements as constraints to respect—not costs to evade.

For any simulation, remind students that a simplified model supports comparison and discussion; it is not a substitute for real regulations, professional advice, or a complete business plan.

Discussion prompts

Which result changed most, and which decision most likely caused it?
Did higher revenue also produce higher profit? Why or why not?
What customer, worker, quality, or capacity tradeoff appeared?
Which variable should remain controlled in the next run?
What important real-world factor is missing from this simplified model?
What additional evidence would make your recommendation stronger?

Four-part assessment rubric

Score each category from 0 to 2 for an eight-point activity:

Decision: identifies a specific, testable change.
Evidence: records relevant metrics from both runs.
Reasoning: connects evidence to a claim without overstating certainty.
Reflection: names a tradeoff and a useful next experiment.

Differentiate the activity

More support: preselect one variable and two metrics; provide the exit-ticket sentence frame.
Standard: let pairs choose one variable and justify which metrics matter.
Extension: require three runs, a small results table, and a critique of the model's limitations.
Group option: assign operator, analyst, recorder, and presenter roles, rotating them in a second activity.

Before students begin

Open the chosen simulator and worksheet on the devices students will use.
Choose whether students will print the worksheet or complete it from the browser.
State the time limit, success metric, and permitted collaboration.
Use your school's approved submission method; no xdage account is needed.

Teacher FAQ

Are the simulations and worksheets free?

Yes. The simulations and printable browser worksheets are free to open, and students do not need to create an account.

How much class time does an activity need?

A focused decision sprint can fit into 15 minutes. Use 30 minutes for a two-strategy comparison or about 50 minutes for a team challenge and presentations.

Which subjects can use these activities?

They can support entrepreneurship, business, economics, financial literacy, career education, marketing, and applied mathematics. Select the metrics and discussion depth that fit your course.

Do students need to submit personal information?

No account or personal information is required for normal simulator and worksheet use. Have students submit only through the method approved by your school.

Should the highest simulated profit earn the highest grade?

Usually not. Assess the decision, evidence, reasoning, and reflection. A student who explains an unsuccessful experiment well may demonstrate more learning than a student who reaches a high result by guessing.

More classroom resources

Open the student worksheet collection, compare every option in the business simulations hub, or browse the complete simulations and learning resources index.