Guys, I’m so excited to be talking about how to teach your kids about money today!

Teaching kids about financial literacy means teaching kiddos what money is, how it’s earned and how and why we spend it. It involves things like teaching our littles to make the distinction between wants and needs, living comfortably within their means and ultimately making smart money choices. It’s so important to teach your kids about money because by doing so we are equipping our kiddos with the valuable skills that they need to manage their own finances for a lifetime of financial well-being.

Margsy finally understands the concept of money which means this mama has been keeping busy playing money games. We’re having a blast playing with cash registers, play money and reading money-centric books which are instilling financial literacy into my little girl.

Fun while encouraging financial literacy? Yes, please!

Teaching your kids about money is beyond important folks. Financial literacy is such a crucial skill that all kiddos need and there are some super awesome and fun ways to do it. Not all financial literacy activities need to cost money but some products are well worth the investment. Here are some of our current favorites and things that I’ve gladly purchased for my little girl.

15 neat ways to teach your kids about money

Educational Toys That teach your kids about money

Smart Piggy Trio Bank: 3-in-1 Money-wise Educational Piggy Bank . Every night when her father comes home he empties his pockets of change and we decide how much we’re going to spend, save and share with our Smart Piggy Trio Bank. She doesn’t quite get the concept of what each category means but she does understand that we’re putting money away for later which at the young of age of 2 is awesome!

Ben Franklin Toys Talking Toy Cash Register. Playing store is one of our newest favorite activities. We pull out her little talking cash register and I pull items out of our cabinets to add up how much things cost. She’s now able to punch in numbers as I tell her and she has a blast hearing the sounds and playing with the coins.

Learning Resources Cash ‘N’ Carry Wallet. Whenever we head out to the store Margsy puts her little wallet into her back pack. She knows that going to the store, super market or drug store means bringing money to buy things. She loves pulling it out at the cash register and pretend paying the cashier. Every cashier we’ve met so far thinks it’s pretty cool that my kiddo wants to pretend pay for our purchases.

Learning Resources Play Money This play money sits in a large jar on our counter. When Margsy feeds the animals, puts her diaper in the trash and brings her dirty cups to the sink she gets paid for her hard work. She loves getting rewarded and immediately stashes her money in her wallet. This little girl loves to save!

Learning Resources Pretend & Play Checkbook with Calculator and Checks This lovely set of learning resources are currently sitting in Margsy’s closet waiting to be played with. She’s still far too small to understand the concept of checks. So, we’re waiting until she’s a little older. But, I love that this learning resource teaches kiddos about writing checks, balancing a check book and keeping track of finances. When she’s a little older I’m sure we’ll have a blast playing with this!

Books that teach your kids about money

Reading has been part of Margsy’s bedtime routine from a very young age. Every night while she eats a small snack we read books to settle down for bed. Here is the selection we’re rotating right now. They’re all about money and touch on topics about earning, spending, needing and wanting!

What Can You Do with Money?: Earning, Spending, and Saving By Jennifer S Larson

Shanti Saves her Money, Ella Earns her Own Money & Lily Learns About Wants and Needs by Lisa Bullard

Give, Save, Spend by Clint Greenleaf

The Everything Kids’ Money Book: Earn it, save it, and watch it grow! by Brett McWhorter Sember

A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many? by Brian P. Cleary 

DIY Activities that teach your kids about money

Invite kiddos to help you make a grocery list using local circulars. I cannot wait until Margsy enjoys looking at store circulars as much as I do. Pull out a piece of paper and let your kiddos organize a shopping list for the week including prices. Let them tally it up and see if the list respects your budget. For older kiddos you can intentionally go over by adding extra items and ask them to remove non-essential items to teach them the difference between wants and needs.

Coin Sorting. Give kiddos a jar full of change and have them sort them. This activity not only allows them to experiment with touching money but helps them learn about the shape, size and value of the coins. This type of sensory activity will help kiddos learn the value of money from an early age! But, be very careful with young children since they love putting things in their mouths. Coin sorting should always be supervised.

Play store. Let kiddos pull canned goods, toiletries and other home goods from your pantry and cupboards. Let them price it and then sell it to you so that you can discuss the cost of each item. As they age and start learning about the value of money their cost estimates will become more accurate. It’s an incredible way to teach kids about cost and value.

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How are YOU teaching your kiddo financial literacy?