If we don’t teach our children about money, where will they learn? Public schools in the U.S. do not have mandatory financial literacy classes, and even if your kids are lucky enough to take a Personal Finance course, they won’t have that opportunity until they reach high school.
Many adults today grew up with piggy banks and jars of loose change that allowed them to visually see and handle money. With less change in circulation and the increased reliance on debit and credit cards, we hardly see money anymore.
Children have formed their financial habits by age seven. As parents, we need to start teaching our kids about the value of money early.
Luckily, there are a lot of great books you can use to teach your kids about money.
Money Books for Children Under 6
Kids at this age will be happiest with stories and illustrations that are relatable to them.
Bunny Money by Rosemary Wells
This book follows the story of a bunny named Ruby who had money that disappeared. This is a great lesson for kids.
Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins and G. Brian Karas
Two children decide to sell lemonade during winter. This book follows their story of starting a business in the off-season.
The Berenstain Bears: Trouble With Money by Stan Berenstain
Brother and Sister learn that money doesn’t grow on trees. A lesson that would be good to teach your kids early.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkYPSJlmkM0
One Cent, Two Cent, Old Cent, Blue Cent by Dr. Seuss
This book is a classic from Dr. Seuss (remember red fish, blue fish?). Teach your kids about banks and currency with the help of some rhymes with this book.
Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong
In this book, the main character Mr. Haktak discovers a magic pot that doubles the money he puts inside. This can be a way to introduce the concept of interest.
A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts
Your children will notice that not every kid in school can afford the same clothes, tech, or toys. This book tackles that concept with a story your child will relate to.
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
Everyone wants things sometimes that they can’t afford. In this book, the main character Jeremy learns to appreciate what he has after wanting a new pair of shoes.
Money Books for Children Age 6 Through 10
You can begin talking about handling money at this age and teach them more about finance to satisfy their curiosity.
Curious About Money by Mary E. Reid
Learn along with your child as you read about the history of currency in this book.
Rock, Brock, and the Savings Shock by Sheila Bair, Illustrated by Barry Gott
In this book, written by financial expert Sheila Bair, twin brothers Rock and Brock are each given one dollar over ten weeks and their grandfather doubles the savings they have by the end. This is a good story to teach your kids the value of saving money.
The Go-Around Dollar by Barbara Adams
This book follows a dollar as it passes hands over time. This is a fun story to show your kids how the economy works.
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
This story will show your kids that money is finite: Alexander’s dollar disappears as he spends more and more money. This is a fine example that kids will relate to.
The Penny Pot by Stuart J. Murphy
This story will help show your kids how they use math every day when they use money.
National Geographic Kids Everything About Money: A Wealth of Facts, Photos, and Fun! by Kathy Furgang
This book is for the curious kid who likes to read. This collection offers stories and crafts about money.
Money Books for Adolescents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl6RDLUPvtQ
At this age, tweens want to be taken seriously and taught practical information.
Finance 101 for Kids: Money Lessons Children Cannot Afford to Miss by Walter Andal
This book explains investing, credit card debt, and other aspects of personal finance in a way that is meant to be relatable to kids.
Neale S. Godfrey’s Ultimate Kids’ Money Book by Neale S. Godfrey
Author Neale S. Godfrey founded the Children’s Financial Network, Inc. This book explains how to budget, basics of supply and demand, and how taxes work.
Show Me the Money: Big Questions About Finance by Alvin Hall
This book teaches young teens about how to handle money as well as how the country’s business, financial, and economic sectors work.
Growing Money: A Complete Investing Guide for Kids by Gail Karlitz and Debbie Honig
The authors of this book make investing accessible to children. They explain stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investing basics.
Dollars; Sense: A Kid’s Guide to Using — Not Losing — Money by Elaine Scott, Illustrated by David Clark
This book tackles more challenging topics like supply and demand, inflation, and the causes for economic downturns.
DK Eyewitness Books: Money by Joe Cribb
This author is a currency expert and in this book, he explains everything you might want to know about the history of money all over the globe.
Money Books for Teens
Teach your teens how to handle their money and begin investing as they start to earn money.
How Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained by DK
This book is full of statistics and useful facts to help your teen learn about everything related to personal finance. It even covers advanced topics like diversification and asset allocation.
How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000: Earn! Save! Invest! by James McKenna, Jeannine Glista, and Matt Fontaine
This book gives teens a plan for budgeting and personal finance while teaching them about wealth, saving, compound interest, working, and more.
Heads Up Money by DK
This book goes beyond personal finance to address larger economic issues like the wage gap and understanding wants versus needs.
Money Books for Young Adults
Many adults could use some guidance.
More Money, Please: The Financial Secrets You Never Learned in School by Scott Gamm
This book gives financial advice to young adults leaving home for the first time.
Get a Financial Life by Beth Kobliner
This book gives adults steps to take control of their finances.
Money Books for Parents
Learn alongside your kids or teach yourself how to teach them.
Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even if You’re Not): A Parent’s Guide for Kids 3 to 23 by Beth Kobliner
This book guides parents on how to teach their kids about money and financial values.
The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart by Ron Lieber
Learn from a personal finance expert and parent about how to teach your kids about money.
Go! Stock! Go!: A Stock Market Guide for Enterprising Children and their Curious Parents by Bennett Zimmerman, Illustrated by Kathy Kamel
This book will help you gain an understanding of the stock market and investing while you learn how to teach your kids about these areas.
Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Financially Responsible Children by Neale S. Godfrey
This book was a New York Best Seller and teaches parents how to develop good money habits in their children. It also serves as a resource to use when teaching kids the basics of financial literacy.
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