22 Oct 5 fun ways to teach kids about money before high school
From pretend shops to saving for something special, Gemma Beames shares five simple ways to help primary school children learn about money – without lectures, spreadsheets or expensive apps.
Most of us learnt about money with notes and coins. We watched the change come back. Our kids mostly tap a card or a phone. The payment works, but the money never quite appears.
That is not a failure of parenting. It is how shopping works now.
Noticing what things cost, and what choosing one thing means for another, can still be practised at the kitchen table.
You do not need a lecture or a spreadsheet. These five ideas use ordinary moments. Keep them short. Stop while it is still fun.
1. Set up a pretend shop
Price a few household things with sticky notes: an apple at $1.20, a muesli bar at $2.50, a pencil at 80 cents.
Give your child a pretend $10 note and let them ‘buy’ two or three items. Add the prices out loud and work out the change.
A younger child can match the coins. An older one can check that $1.20 plus $2.50 plus 80 cents leaves $5.50, and whether swapping the bar for a banana at $1 leaves more.
Money leaves, something stays, and the numbers have to agree.
2. Play ‘needs, wants or wait’
Pick a familiar moment. ‘We are out of milk’ is a need for most families. ‘A new footy magazine’ might be a want. ‘Those sneakers that are almost the same as the ones at home’ might be a wait.
Ask your child where they would put each one, and accept that their list will not match yours.
You are not judging the family’s real spending. You are practising the habit of sorting: some things come first, some can wait, and choosing one often means not choosing another.
3. Give your child a small budget
Set a small amount for something real and low-stakes – say $12 for picnic snacks.
Look at two or three options together. Strawberries might be $4.50, apples $3 and biscuits $2.80. Let your child choose a mix that stays within the budget, then notice what is left.
Younger kids can pick from two choices. Older kids can compare prices and explain why one plan feels better.
A wrong guess costs cents, not a lesson in shame.
4. Make saving a visual goal
Name one thing that is not urgent: a paperback around $15, a trip to the local pool at $6.50, or a small gift near $20.
Write the amount at the top of a page. Draw a jar or a bar, and colour a bit each time money is set aside.
A younger child will enjoy seeing the picture fill up. An older one can compare two plans: $2 a week reaches $16 in eight weeks; $4 a week gets there sooner but leaves less for other treats.
If the goal changes, that is allowed.
5. Pause during a story
When a character spends, saves, shares or fixes a problem, stop for a moment.
‘She used her last coins on the bus. What might she do about lunch?’
Invite more than one answer. With older kids, add a rough number: if the bus is $2.40 and she has $3, what is left?
Then turn the page.
Stories already contain choices. You are simply helping your child notice them.
Money lessons are everywhere
None of this asks you to open the family accounts. Comparing two loaves of bread, planning dinner from what is already in the fridge, or saying ‘not this week’ are quiet ways of modelling money decisions.
Use made-up prices if you would rather not talk about real ones.
A few playful minutes, repeated regularly, can give children a valuable head start.
About the author and Peblet World
Gemma Beames is the Australian developer of Peblet World, a free storybook-style money game for children in Years 2–6. The game introduces earning, spending and saving through everyday decisions.
According to Gemma, the game has been pilot tested at a Queensland primary school with students in Years 2–6. She reports that children particularly enjoyed saving up to buy pets, customising their virtual homes and Peblets, and playing the mini games, which they found easy to understand.
Peblet World is available on the Apple App Store and, according to the developer, has no advertising or in-app purchases. Find out more at pebletworld.com.
