Let me share my Money Metropolis game review. Don’t forget – you can play this money games for kids free online, or get your own free copy without even paying Shipping & Handling!

Does your child need a place to start with learning about money? And particularly, with learning about how to set a savings goal and achieve it?

Money Metropolis, one of the money games for 2nd grade, is a free video game that your child can play either online or in their home (yes, free video games without paying shipping or handling do exist! At least when it comes to teaching kids about money).

Before your kid(dos) get started, let me give you a review of what they’ll be doing, and what they’ll be learning.

How the Money Metropolis Game Works

First off, this game is for ages 7-12 years. And the objective of the game?

Objective: Player chooses a savings goal for a particular item they’d like, then attempts to reach that savings goal through a series of earning opportunities, spending opportunities, and rounds of allowance.

Here’s the basics of how this money games for kids works:

• Choose a Savings Goal: Your child will choose one of three savings goals (in the form of an item they wish to purchase, such as a $350 plane ticket), each with a varying dollar amount.
• Choose an Avatar: Your kid then gets to create an avatar to use within the game.
• Prance Around the Metropolis: After that, your child has a lot of free reign. They get to prance around from shop to gas station, to neighbor’s house earning money (like pump gasoline for $10, babysit a sleeping baby for $15), spending money, and (hopefully) watching their virtual bank accounts grow towards that savings goal. Your child will get an allowance as well, at $15 a pop.

Psst: Looking for more money games for kids? I've detailed 6 kids business games to teach them business and entrepreneurial skills.

What I Like about Money Metropolis Game Online

As a Certified Financial Education Instructor + Personal Finance blogger of 9 years, there are a few things I’d like to talk about that I think are real assets your child will learn from this game.

• It Takes Money to Earn Money: We’ve all heard this phrase, and if you’re like me, then you even rolled your eyes at the notion a few times. But…it’s kinda In the world of Money Metropolis, I like how your child is forced to purchase certain tools to earn the money for a specific job (such as buying a rake at the general store to rake someone’s yard).
• Earnings are in Proportion to the Savings Goals: What I like about the amounts used in this game is that they are reasonable compared with the overall savings goal. For example, when I pumped gas, I was bombarded with about 15 cars and only earned $10. My overall goal to purchase was a plane ticket at $350. So, it shows children that it could take a lot of work at low-paying jobs to actually save up for something.
• Reinforces the Idea of Doing a Good Job, Not Just Getting it Done: This game also reinforces the idea of doing a good job at something (even though the work is done only by pressing buttons) because if you mess up, you don't get paid. For example, I “crashed” the mower too many times, so I wasn't paid at Luke's house.
• Gives Temptations: We’re surrounded by temptations in real life, so I like that your child is faced with several spending temptations that will stretch the time it takes to save up for their actual goal out if they choose it. For example, at Nora's Arcade where they can play a fun Pac-man like game that will cost them $1.
• Savings Goal is Front and Center: Your child can, at any time, click on “Your Budget” button in the left-hand side of the screen to see how much money they’ve saved, how much they’ve spent, and their total. This is important info!

4 Money Convos to Extend these Lessons to In Real Life (IRL)

The money lessons in Money Metropolis only go so far. Just like with any money lesson, the best way to use it is to also have discussions with your child to make sure they take away more of the deeper money lessons and not just the superficial ones.

I’ve broken down a few talking points for you, Mama Bear, to really extend these lessons to real life:

• Breaking Even Comes Before a Profit: Discuss with your child the start-up costs that you’ll need to break even with before you will make a profit on. For example, if they buy a rake for $20, they'll want to use it at least twice to get their money back (break-even), and three times+ is when they’ll actually start profiting from their purchase/investment.
• Bigger Investments Could Mean Higher Profits: Some kids are shy to spend a large sum of money at once. And let’s face it – when you’re a kid, a “large” sum of money could be $13. In Money Metropolis, higher-paying jobs (such as delivering newspapers) takes more investment up front to get started ($100 for a bike) …but you also earn more money per job ($25 instead of $10 at the gas station). You'll need to deliver papers at least 4 times to break even, and at least 5 times to make a profit. A leaf blower costs $40, and gets the job done faster…which is a good thing because you'll need to rake more yards in order to make a profit after buying that.
• Your Time is Valuable, So Choose a Wise Savings Goal: I like that it takes some real time to reach your savings goal in Money Metropolis. After playing it for 15 minutes and not being close to the $350 I needed for what I wanted to buy…I found myself getting a little bored + looking at a clock. Then I started wondering, how many times during the day do we look at the clock while working? It's good to introduce the idea that money should be valued and what we choose to save for should be really important to us as it's our time that we're using up in order to earn for it.
• Ask Your Child about a Real Savings Goal They Have: Talk about something your child wants to save up for. Choose the goal, have them research how much it will cost to achieve. Now, spring boarding from them playing this game, ask them to come up with a list for things they can do to make extra money (either in your home or elsewhere). Discuss with them the idea that the more they do something, the more better and efficiently they do it (and can then eventually raise prices). Ask them how much they should charge for their service right now. At that price, have them calculate out how many times they’ll need to do that service in order to meet their savings goal (Savings Goal/Earnings from 1 Service = # of Times they’ll Need to Do it).

Other Budgeting Games for Youth

I've got a few more budgeting games for kids that you might want to check out.

Practical Money Skills Game#1: Road Trip to Savings

This game, for kids aged 8-15, starts players with $1,000 cash. Players are forced to make decisions about how best to use that money as they trek across the U.S. in a four-week long road trip. For example, they'll need to spend wisely on things like gas and car insurance so that they don't have to end their trip abruptly!

Practical Money Skills Game #2: Financial Football

This game, for kids aged 11+, let's kids progress on the football field by quizzing them on personal finance questions. Kids choose a play − easy, medium, or hard − and then they're given a financial question. If answered correctly, then the football team they choose gains yardage.

Overall, I like Money Metropolis. I think it will not only teach your child a few money lessons if they play on their own, but it also serves as a good money conversation starter between you and your kiddo using the talking points above.

I'm going to show you how introducing money to kids can be a fun process while teaching your child to save, all thanks to the Growth Chart Method.

Introducing money to kids at an early age is such a great idea.

If this appeals to you – which I’m sure it does, because you’re here reading this! – then you’re probably thinking along the lines of ways to get them to count their change and make their first store transaction.

Great places to start, but how about we go one step further than that?

Many parents who try to instill the value of saving money into their young kids run butt-up against the problem of how to get them excited about money that sits in a savings account.

I mean…it just sits there. They can’t touch it, or hold it, or use it to purchase new things in their lives.

True, they can see the growth on a savings account statement if you were to show it to them, but let's face it: numbers lay pretty flat on a page.

So, perhaps you’ve gone the money jar route.

With money in their pockets or in a clear money jar, they can at least see whether their dollars seem to be growing “bigger” or not. And if they take money out to buy a new video game, then they can physically see that the money jar is now much emptier than before.

However, there are two issues with the money jar. First off, money sitting in a jar is not earning interest (a missed money opportunity + missed money lesson opp). Also, money in a jar becomes quit tempting to tap when the ice-cream man jingle rings.

Psst: Check out the most unique piggy banks for kids here, in case a piggy bank is the way you want to go!

But getting them really excited about money growing in a location they can't physically see or touch − a savings account − let alone the amazing effects of compound interest, is pretty difficult.

What Gets Kids Excited About Saving Money

What's going to get your kid excited about saving money is a lot like what gets adults excited about saving money: seeing the numbers go up.

Except for one difference: adults drool over savings statements, understanding that money increasing in value is exciting.

But kids? Well, that's a different story.

They drool over holding money, having some sitting in their wallet, being able to touch it, and being given the power of choice.

Savings Statements are 1D

Kids live in 3D. They want tangible things, and they don't necessarily latch onto abstract concepts like compound interest working for them around the clock.

Actually, lots of adults don't latch onto that either.

On top of that, kid savings accounts typically grow at a smaller rate than adult ones. It's not like they're out there working from 9-5, right? So, they have less money to fund their account.

This is why getting their savings statement every so often − when you actually remember to show it to them − isn't going to be really exciting.

I mean, who would jump and holler over $0.10 in interest earnings (well, besides money geeks like me)?

Let’s work on linking your kid’s savings account money with a different kind of visual so that they get interested in saving their money from the start because they can associate it to actual growth.

Nail this, and they’ll send a lot more of the green stuff to their bank account.

Pairing a Growth Chart with Money Growth

I've got a really cool idea for how kids can track their savings growth right alongside their own growth, all at the same time.

It’s using a Growth Chart.

You know, that nifty, giraffe-like chart you swore you’d fill out with them on a regular basis as they went from crawler to walker to runner?

The idea is: just as kids are excited to see how much they've grown from month to month, watching their savings account grow with a vertical visual is going to up the cool factor on saving money.

Psst: your kiddo doesn’t have a bank account yet? No worries. Here’s my article on setting up bank account for baby (even if ‘baby’ now wears braces).

How the Money Growth Chart Works

Use your growth chart as an actual growth chart, but make one minor adjustment.

On the other side, create tick marks evenly spaced apart, all the way up.

I’m using the Monster Growth Chart from Oh Bessie, which conveniently has those tick marks already laid out — click on this link and use the code MONEYPRODIGY15 for 15% off your order!). At the top of this column, write in, “Money Growth”.

Each tick mark on this side is worth $5. You can write this in (use pencil if you think you might want to change it).

Here are the steps for using this Money Growth Chart:

• Pick a Consistent Time Duration: Choose a consistent time duration to do this, such as once a month, twice a year, annually, etc.
• Log Into Your Child's Savings Account: Before you get ready to use the growth chart, log into your child's savings account online and find out their new balance.
• Mark their Height Measurement: On the right side of the growth chart, you'll chart your child's growth just like you normally would. Record the date and create the tick mark. Your child will be amazed by how much they've grown since you last measured their height!
• Mark their Money Measurement: Each tick mark on the left side of the chart is worth $5. I chose this small amount because it's helpful for them to still see some progress even when their savings isn't growing really rapidly. Mark where their new savings account balance is with a date next to it. Let them color in the column you just created. Have them watch you go through the entire process – as in check the amount of their current savings statement, then count up the tick marks and estimate where they’re at – so that they can associate the idea of money being able to grow just like they grow.

Pssst: Is your child beyond the age of thinking you measuring + tracking their growth is cool? Then high-jack their growth chart and use it solely as a money growth tracker! They’ll likely get more excited about that.

Ideas You Can Use to Make this Even Cooler

There are several ways you can adjust this chart for your own use + make it even cooler for your kiddo(s).

For example:

• Use it for a Specific Money Goal: Use the area on the growth chart to fill in for a specific savings goal that your child may have, such as a video game, a charitable goal, a trip to the bookstore, etc. You can write this savings goal out (I would do so in pencil, as their savings goal might change and you want to be able to erase!). Not sure what they want to save for? Help them come up with the best savings goal for them with this one-page savings goal guide
• Visually Separate Out the Free Money they're Getting: If your kid sees compound interest in action, then they're going to get pretty excited. Explain to them that since their money is at the bank, the bank pays them for it. So, fill in the savings money growth from actual money they've contributed, then use a different colored pen or marker to show them the free money the bank paid them for their own money (you can put the extra money earned in a different color on top of the other color – like the icing on the cake).
• Time Your Measurements with a Trip to the Bank: After updating the money growth side of the chart, take advantage of your child's peaked excitement over how their money has grown by having them gather up all their loose change and dollars to physically go the bank with you and make a deposit.

Display their Money Growth Chart in a prominent location, where they can see both their own growth progress as well as that of their savings account.

Who knows? This one step might be just the thing that turns your child into a savings growth monster!

Worried you’re not teaching your kid enough practical money skills and money skills for kids? These money challenges for kids will help them pick the skills up naturally.

There’s almost no better learning than naturally discovering the lessons by yourself (certainly helps when building confidence in your child).

And with a little prep work, we parents can help make this happen for our kid(dos) by presenting challenges for kids!

I’ve included 11 kid money challenge ideas for children below that will naturally help them learn practical money skills.

Don't forget, have some fun with this! Here's your Money Challenges for Kids list.

Money Challenge #1: Play One Round of Monopoly…with a Financial Hardship

Everyone knows the game Monopoly, right (or at least has heard of it)?

I challenge your kid to play a round of Monopoly (one of the kid game challenges), but a bit differently this time: with one of the 6 financial hardships detailed below.

The fact is, many people have financial hardships in life – either as a default, or just periodically throughout their lives. And since we’re at the stage in your child’s life where hardships can actually be prevented, I think it’s a great exercise to make them feel a bit of how they would feel if they were actually stuck in these money situations.

Prevention is worth it, my friends.

So here you go:

1. Low Credit Score
2. Pile of Student Loans
3. Starting Up a Business
4. Being in Debt to Someone You Know
5. Getting Laid Off
6. Past Creditors Hunting You Down

How do you add these hardships into your game play? Check out my post for directions on adding in some money life skills for kids to your Monopoly play.

Money Challenge #2: Hot Beverage Competition – Profit-Making Challenge

This is a different take on the lemonade stand — with a focus on teaching your child how to make a profit, something that's important whether or not they want to employ themselves one day — and gives families a reason to spend a little time together both indoors and outdoors during the winter. One of the fun challenges to do when bored!

Challenge kids to turn into a biz consultant for a day when they try to fulfill a need from the local Yeti Ski Lift. Jack, the owner, needs to create a new drink for a promo he’s doing. It’s gotta be a hot beverage. So, your kids are in competition to create the best-tasting drink that also makes at least a 60% profit.

Once the drinks are created, you all have a bonfire outside (heck, you can even light up the grill) and adults judge the various drinks to choose the winners.

Hint: this kid food challenge has winners in more than one category See the free printable!

Money Challenge #3: The Great Penny Challenge

Stuck at Home Mom’s came up with a savings challenge any change-loving kid can appreciate.

On Day 1, you put a penny in the jar. On Day #2, you put two pennies in the jar. On Day #365, you put 365 pennies in the jar.

At the end of the year, increasing by a penny a day will yield your child $667 (plus an appreciation for how even little bits of money can really add up).

Money Challenge #4: 52-Week Savings Challenges for Kids/Teens

Mom Dot offers the 52-week savings challenge for both kids + teens:

• Kids Savings Challenge: Start putting $0.25 each week into savings, and raise that amount by $0.25/week. By the end of the year, you kid will have a nice $344.50 set aside.
• Teens Savings Challenge: Start by putting $1.00 each week into savings, and raise that amount by $1.00/week. By the end of the year, your teen will have $1,378 set aside!

Money Challenge #5: Charity Contribution Challenge

Have your kiddo go through the process of finding a charitable cause they’re passionate about, and then setting aside money to donate to.

Your kid can follow these steps:

• Make a list of a handful of causes that you’re interested in, or passionate about. It could be a specific animal – whales, lions, penguins – or a cause, such as rainforest, feeding kids, helping the homeless, etc.
• Go to CharityNavigator.org, and search for charities that deal with these causes.
• Choose a charity, based on their score/mission on Charity Navigator.
• Start to set aside 10% of allowance money/earnings to donate to this charity. If this is too open-ended, then decide on a set amount of time that you'll set aside 10% of your money to donate such as for two months, one month, six months, or a year.
• Actually make the contributions!

Hint: Your child doesn't have a lot of money to donate right now. But one day they will! So show them that their little bit of money can go a long way by choosing from a list of charities where less than $12 goes a really long way. 

Money Challenge #6: Join a Stock Market Game

There are multiple LIVE stock market games online that your kiddo can join to dip their feet into investment waters.

Choose one to dive right in:

• The Stock Market Game
• Market Watch’s Virtual Stock Exchange
• How the Market Works

Money Challenge #7: Zero-Cost Entertainment Night Challenge

Each of your kid(dos) takes a turn of planning a family fun night. Choose the night of the week, and let them know any rules you have to begin with.

Now here’s the catch: they need to plan a night of fun that costs NOTHING (by “nothing”, I mean that you can set the rules, such as gas to get to somewhere like a park is okay, but no purchases made from a store).

Help them to think outside of the DVR-box (though those can be nice as well!).

Like…

• Walmart Bingo
• Pudding Pictionary
• Indoor Family Camping
• After-Dark Scavenger Hunt

Money Challenge #8: Become the Family Gas Finder

Your child can make a meaningful contribution to the household – something kiddos love – by being in charge of researching which gas station has the cheapest price.

Help them sign onto GasBuddy.com and look the costs up. Let them do this once a week or once a month to see how gas prices have changed, and if another station is cheaper.

Bonus: Talk to them about how many miles away the gas station is, and if it’s acceptable to travel there for the amount you’ll be saving.

Money Challenge #9: Dinner Budget Challenge

Let your kid(dos) take over the kitchen for the night. Give them a budget to work with, and help them to choose a meal to make based on that budget. Drive them to the store, and supervise as they pick out the ingredients (they might want to bring a calculator and add up the expenses as they go).

Then, help them as they prepare and serve the whole family the meal.

Here’s a link to 30 recipes that kids can cook to get you started.

Money Challenge #10: Find and Apply to One Scholarship

This could be for college, for a summer camp, for a program they really want to be part of; for anything, really. The point is to get kids invested in their future selves + help walk them through the process of finding and then applying for scholarship/grant money that is out there for the taking.

I’ve written an article about Linsey Knerl’s own son did this, winning $1,000 to put into his 529 college savings plan. Other contests they’ve entered so far have been coloring contests, essays, or simply a reading program goal reward with prizes varying between $25 and $20,000.

3 Places to Start their Money Search:

• Petersons
• Cappex
• Unigo

Money Challenge #11: The BIG KAHUNA Savings Challenge

Your kids probably want to do something “outrageous.”And by outrageous, I mean or out-of-budget for your family. Maybe you feel a little guilty for saying no; maybe you have absolutely no intention of ever giving in on this.

Whatever that big thing is…offer this to your kid: If you can save half of the cost to do it/buy it, then I’ll kick in the other half and we’ll actually do it.

Seriously.

Maybe it’s:

• Buying a day pass to a theme park.
• Spending the night at the beach an hour from your home instead of doing a day trip.
• Buying a (used) car when they’re 16.
• Getting a dog.
• Going to see Taylor Swift in concert.

Not only will this thing not cost you as much, but you’ll have cemented some “cool parent” points in your child's memory. Not bad.

And when they lose determination because they don’t believe they’ll ever reach their savings goal? Then use it as a teachable money moment with these 3 goal-saving steps.

Well, that's it. Which money challenge are you most excited to introduce to your child? 

A toy cash register is awesome for your child to play with. But don't you want to set up a bit more intentional money play from time-to-time? Let me show you how.

Got a shiny new toy cash register for your child and, while they think it’s cool, there’s no real direction from you on what to do with it?

Perhaps it’s not-so-new, but you’d like to introduce more intentional money toy cash register play for your child.

I’ve got steps below to show you how to start with some intentional money play with your kid’s toy cash register.

Money Activity Needs + Prep Work

• Gather these Items: Sale Circular for your nearby grocery store, Money Play Starter Kit free printable (see below), Toy cash register (I used the Play & Learn Cash Register by The Learning Journey while writing this article).

• Players: 2+ (one Shop Clerk and at least one Customer)
• Suggested Reading: I’ve written a post on 9 books to read your child before their first store transaction. These could help in prep for this game.

Step #1: Choose Who Plays Shop Clerk and Who Plays Customer

You’ll need at least two players for this toy cash register activity (pssst: Yes, Mama Bear, you can be one of them!). Decide who is going to play Shop Clerk, and who is going to play Customer, then cut out their badges, fill in their names, and put them on.

Step #2: Help Your (Shop Clerk) Child Price their Inventory

This particular Play & Learn Cash Register by The Learning Journey that I used when writing this article comes with 12 different food options and 12 different price options. You can mix and match between the two.

To create an intentional money play activity for your child, ask them to come up with a list of what they want to charge for each food item as prep for the actual play (you can use Page 2 of the Money Play Starter Kit free printable).

• 12 Food items: whole chicken, 6 eggs, 3 carrots, 1 steak, 1 hot dog, 1 box of cereal, grapes, cheese, cookie, 1 box of rice, 1 apple, 1 carton of milk
• 12 Prices: $2.25, $3.15, $0.65, $1.85, $4.05, $3.75, $2.40, $1.00, $0.90, $2.60, $3.00, $1.50

You can base this off of a coupon circular you found from your local grocery store, a trip to your actual grocery store to get a range of what these particular items cost, or just allowing them to make a guess and go with it.

Tip: Is your child very particular about cash register prices lining up with the circulars? They can just use the food selector wheel on the left-side (images of the food items) of the Play & Learn Cash Register by The Learning Journey, and then make up their own prices based off of the circulars. Write down the prices they choose on their list, and go off of that.

Step #3: Help Your (Customer) Child Make a Shopping List

Now it’s your Customer’s turn to make a list for their store play! Use Page 3 of the Money Play Starter Kit free printable.

Here’s some ideas for how to get them to decide on what they want:

• Write down each of the 12 items that are available, and let your child circle which ones they’d like to buy.
• Help them search for a recipe they could make with some of the 12 items offered to them. Could be some fun imagination play. Could be a search on Supercook.com where you enter whatever ingredients you have on hand they give you recipes that match.
• Whatever their heart desires.

Step #4: Divvy up the Cash

Your toy cash register comes with pretend money, and you’ll need to divvy this up between both the Shop Clerk – to make change – and the Customer – to make purchases.

Hint: You’ll want to give more of the big bills to the Customer than to the Shop Clerk, and you’ll probably want to give more change and smaller bills to the Shop Clerk than to the Customer to make the process of giving change simpler. You can also supplement with your own jar of change!

Step #5: Introduce a “Restock” Day

Want to take your child’s play up a level? Introduce a Restock Day after a certain amount of time has passed, like 30 minutes, or 5 Customer transactions. Use Page 4 of the Money Play Starter Kit to set up the rules ahead of time, including the wholesale cost of restocking the store.

This means two different things to the two different roles being played:

• Shop Clerk: On Restock Day, they need to repurchase the items available in their store (the images on the cash register scroll). And if they don’t have enough money to? Then have them choose what they can afford to restock, while putting an “X” on a list to tell the Customer what is not available.
• Customer: On Restock Day, these guys get a paycheck. Decide ahead of time what an appropriate amount would be to give to them based on their age and the context of this game.

Remember, the whole idea is to start getting your child to think about the world in terms of money. The activities and steps above will help them to do that through the food they eat, and store transactions that they have probably watched you go through over the years.

So, which step are you most interested in implementing? Any other ideas you came up with after reading through these? I’d love to hear about them below.

Trade in those cash register games for kids for these books. Use the Mama talking points to prep your child for their first store transaction.

Moving from cash register games for kids to that very first store transaction. You know, where your kid actually hands over money (perhaps their own, perhaps yours) to buy their very first item.

It’s exciting! It’s nerve-wracking!

And it’s also a key milestone in your child’s money development.

Because one day, Mama Bear, they’ll be making ALL the transactions in their life by themselves. And you want them to be prepared for that, right?

I’ve curated 9 money books to read your child in prep for their first store transaction. Also included are a few talking points for you to help associate what they’re reading with what they’re going to do eventually themselves.

Money Book #1: Sheep in a Shop, Nancy Shaw

Age Range: 2-3 years old

This is the perfect book to show your very young kiddo what the purpose of a store is for: to go with money with something specific in mind that you want to buy.

A group of sheep are on the mission to purchase a birthday gift. Unfortunately, they don’t have enough in their piggy bank for what they want to buy. So, they learn to barter for it!

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: The real money lesson here is that things in stores are not free. You can also discuss that saving up to buy something is best…or else you might have to barter something like your own fur! In other words, stores do not operate under a barter system anymore, and money is the means to pay for something.

Store Money Activity: For the next birthday-buying occasion in your household, walk your child through the process of buying a gift for someone either with their own money (if you’ve figured out an allowance for kids, or if they’ve figured out how to make money for a kids). Talk about how much money to spend for the gift (in relation to how much they have), then brainstorm several ideas with them before heading to the store. Once you get to the store, walk them through the process. Let them choose from the shelf something close to one of the brainstormed ideas, as well as price compare if there are similar items. Ask them if the item is under the agreed-upon budget. If not, look around for another item. Have them put the item up on the counter at the cashier, and if you’re ready for it, have them hand over the money. Walk them through accepting the change, getting a receipt, and picking up the bag.

Money Book #2: Bunny Money, Rosemary Wells

Age Range: 3-5 years

Bunnies Ruby and Max want to buy the perfect birthday gift for their grandmother: a beautiful music box with skating ballerinas. They’ve saved up their own money to do so, and head to the store for this one purpose. However, things start happening, and temptations arise that cost them some of their money. Also, they didn’t research the cost of what they wanted ahead of time, so they didn’t have enough money to buy it to begin with.

They end up making a pretty bad spending decision − purchasing glow-in-the-dark vampire fangs that cost them their bus ride fare home. In the end, they spend their last $0.25 calling their grandmother to come and pick them up.

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: Talk about why researching what you want to buy before you head to the store is a good idea (so that you can make sure you have enough money would be the most immediate one, as well as finding alternatives that are less expensive for when you can’t find what you had originally wanted). Another great lesson is to prioritize your spending for needs first (a bus ride for home), then wants. Otherwise you might get stuck somewhere!

Store Money Activity: Have your child go through each item the bunnies spent their money on, and tell you whether it was a want or a need. Let them defend their answers before telling them your answer.

Money Book #3: Paddy’s Payday, Alexandra Day

Age Range: 3-8 years

Wondering how to teach kids about spending money? A great introduction to the most common way for money to get into a person’s hands is a good place to start. Paddy is an Irish Terrier who performs for a living. It’s his payday, and he’s got a long list of ways to spend his money.

The message that I don’t like in this book is to spend, spend, spend on your payday.

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: With payday money, you need to spend money on both needs and wants. To truly get this lesson, you’d have to add that in, though, because Paddy seems to spend, spend, spend (without any remark on how he’s spending his paycheck away!). You could turn this around by opening a discussion about which of the things Paddy spends on that are needs versus wants. Think: Boston Cream donuts, haircut, movie ticket, dinner at a restaurant, a bouquet of flowers (Paddy’s on track to be poor before his next payday!).

Store Money Activity: Take a few minutes to discuss with your little one where you and/or your spouse work. Discuss some of the ways you use the money you get on payday to keep the household going, and which stores you make purchases from for needs for the household.

Money Book #4: Apple Farmer Annie, Monica Wellington

Age Range: 3-7 years

What I like about this book is that your child will start to get an idea of the process involved in the other side of a store: the supplier. This is through the farming process (psst: I get exhausted just thinking back to my cow-milking, hay-making, silo-filling days on the dairy farm where I grew up).

Annie, an orchard farmer, takes your child through (though in a really cursory way) how a product gets to market. From picking the apples, sorting them, producing sweet apple cider, applesauce, various baked goods, to actually selling the most beautiful of all of them at the farmer’s market.

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: When you grow your own food, you can keep some for yourself to munch on (or bake really yummy things with), and then you can sell the excess and make some money. This is also a great opener for discussing with your child your own job and how it enables you to earn money. Which you then spend on needs + wants for the household.

Store Money Activity: There are Annie’s recipes in the back. So, you could extend the study by picking your own apples (or making that the first store transaction for your child), sorting them, then making a recipe together with your child.

Money Book #5: Pigs Will Be Pigs, Amy Axelrod

Age Range: 5-8 years

The Pigs will be Pigs series, including this book, has been designed around the National Council of teachers of Mathematics’ Thirteen Standards.

But that’s not the fun part about this book (nor did that sound fun, right?).

This pig family has eaten through all their groceries from the morning (yes, pigs will be pigs!), and they’re hungry for a snack. The problem? There’s only a dollar between the lot of them. So, they go about hunting for money in all kinds of peculiar places around their home.

Then, they’re presented with a menu with prices, and so your child gets a chance at the end to figure out what else they could have bought from that menu.

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: Have your child add up their own pot of money (if they’ve got one) and see what they could afford on the menu, as if they were actually going to buy it.

Store Money Activity: At your family’s next restaurant visit, have your child choose something based on price. Give them a budget to work with, then ask them how many different combinations they can come up with from the menu and still stay under that budget.

Money Book #6: Follow the Money, Loreen Leedy

Age Range: 4-8 years

This book will give your child a great overview of money circulation + different ways that money can be used (like in a vending machine or as a donation).

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: There are a few calculations your kiddo is asked to make, such as how much change a customer should receive. Make sure they understand the concept of change after they do these calculations.

Store Money Activity: You can practice change-making with your child by setting up different-costing transactions, having them pay for these pretend transactions, then seeing if they change you gave them is correct. A change jar is really helpful for this exercise!

Money Book #7: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, Judith Viorst

Age Range: 4-8 years

In this book your child will see that Alexander used to be rich (and by rich, he means he used to have $1 his grandparents gave him) until he spent his money a bit foolishly. Honestly, what barely-out-of-a-car-seat-kid wouldn’t?

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: There are always “opportunities” to buy things with your money. But sometimes, they’re not opportunities at all. Like a one-eyed teddy bear.

Store Money Activity:  Have your child identify what they think are “wants” that Alexander spent his money on. Now, add up how much each of these wants cost Alexander. How much money would he still have if he had not spent on all his wants? What else could he have done with that money? Your child can go through an exercise of identifying 5 of their own wants, then pricing them out to see how much it would cost them at a store.

Money Book #8: Jenny Found a Penny, Trudy Harris

Age Range: 5+ years

Jenny has her eyes set on purchasing something special (though you don’t find out what it is until the end). She needs a whole dollar, so she sets out to find all the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters she can. She also earns a dime from sweeping her grandfather’s porch and sidewalk − this is one determined gal! Unfortunately, she’s thrown for a loop at the cash register when she learns that not only does she have to save up for what she wants to buy, but also for the sales tax that is assessed on it.

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: Something you could talk about from this book is an alternative way to get that plastic piggy bank without her having to spend all her savings on it (such as making one from a two-liter soda bottle, or from a mason jar. Just look on Pinterest for ideas). Also, your child will be introduced to sales tax in this book, something that may well have confused them before (especially if they’ve paid attention to the price tag on an item + how it is always more at the register).

Store Money Activity: Discuss sales tax with your child, and the idea that it’s different in different states and areas. Look up the sales tax in your own area for reference. Are there any items that are not assessed a sales tax?

Money Book #9: Those Shoes, Maribeth Boelts

Age Range: 5-8 years

Whether we like to remember this happened to us as tweens/teens or not, there is a lot of peer pressure when it comes to having “cool” clothes. And often the “cool” clothes cost more than parents’ paychecks can support.

That’s why I like this book. A boy gets transfixed by the newest trend of shoes at his school. His jealousy is palpable. Unfortunately, his grandmother can only afford to get him shoes that he needs − winter boots.

Even worse, his own “everyday” shoes fall apart at school. A helpful guidance counselor gives him a pair to have, but they’re what’s considered “baby” shoes and he gets embarrassed.

What happens? He finds that the one boy who didn’t laugh at his “baby” shoes actually was worse off than him. When he actually finds the shoes of his dreams − albeit one size too small − from a thrift store, he ends up gifting them to this other boy.

Mama Talking Points to Extend the Money Lesson: Definitely discuss buying used versus buying new with your child. Also, point out how strong the grandmother was in unabashedly told him what they could and could not afford instead of racking up a charge she didn’t need on her credit card to satisfy a current trend.

Store Money Activity: Have your child talk to you about something that they want that they cannot currently afford. Then ask them to think about ways they could get what they wanted for less money so that they could afford it sooner. Give them some hints to help this exercise along, especially if they’re not used to finding discounts for items.

Cash register games for kids can only take your kid(dos) so far. From sales taxes, to getting change, and everything in between (like buying used), these books will prep your child for their first store transaction.