5 Children's Books To Teach Kids About Money

It’s always a good idea to start planning early when it comes to teaching kids about money. With these books, you can gift a child with reading enjoyment, and they'll learn about money and being financially responsible at the same time.

"Lemonade in Winter" by Emily Jenkins and G. Brian Karas

Ages: 2-7

This book focuses on two siblings who decide to open a lemonade stand in the winter. The book features a catchy refrain about lemonade while telling a story about how sometimes great ideas don’t turn out as you hope. This book teaches the very basics of entrepreneurship and a small amount of basic math.

"Bunny Money" by Rosemary Wells

Ages: 3-7 

Max and Ruby are two bunny siblings. Ruby has saved $100 to buy her grandmother a birthday present, but a number of unexpected events occur which causes some of the money to disappear. They start to worry if they will have enough money to buy their grandmother a gift. This is a great book to teach children basic money math, such as addition and subtraction, as well as the idea of a budget and how you need to be prepared with an emergency fund.

"Joseph Had a Little Overcoat" by Simms Taback

Ages: 3-8  

This story is about a frugal man who has a nice overcoat, but he wears it a lot and it begins to wear out. Eventually, he reuses the material to make a jacket, then a vest, then various other things until it becomes a cloth button. It won a Caldecott Medal for the beautiful drawings that show how the material from Joseph’s overcoat is reused to make other things. Pick up this book to teach your children how to be frugal and how to reuse certain items of value.

"Annie’s Adventures" by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Ages: 6-12 

This book is the first part in a series called “The Sisters 8” about orphaned octuplet girls whose parents disappear. In this book, Annie ends up having to figure out their parents’ financial situation, including how to write checks, interpret bills, and eventually pay for all of it. Reading this book, children will learn beyond the basics of earning money and paying bills, and learn about the use of checks. There are also elements of entrepreneurship, frugality, and money management decisions. 

"The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Ages: 8-12  

This is the first in a series about two siblings who open up competing lemonade stands. The siblings use their skills and a few ideas about entrepreneurship to drive their “lemonade war.” It teaches the basics of entrepreneurship, planning, and money management.

Gifting children a book that they will not only enjoy, but which also teaches a lesson, is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. When starting to teach children about money, books are a great place to start. Of course, Escient Financial is here to help your entire family, including your children, set off in the right direction with money and personal finances. Feel free to...