It’s never too early to teach your kids about money and money books for kids are a great way for them to learn at their own pace. But with so many choices, it can be tricky to work out which are the best ones for the job.
To help you narrow it down, here are our top picks. Whether through exciting adventures, entertaining stories, or ‘how-to guides’, all these money-related books teach your kids financial literacy in fun and engaging ways. You’ll also find something suitable for any age group, from pre-school through to secondary school.
Benefits of reading children’s books about money
Books are windows to new worlds. For young children, the world of finance may be new, while for older kids, it may be something they find hard to grasp. Plus, as financial literacy is still not on all school curriculums, teaching kids about money with books will help improve your child’s financial education.
Best money books for kids: our picks
With a study from the Money Advice Service and Cambridge university showing by the age of seven, most children have grasped how to recognise the value of money and to count it out, here are our picks for the best money books for kids from pre-school through to secondary school.
3-7-year-olds
The Great Pet Sale by Mike Inkpen
Everything in the pet shop must go, even the rat with half his whiskers missing! 'I'm only 1p. Choose me, ' he calls. But first, a small boy must look through all the other animal bargains. The Great Pet Sale is great for teaching about money as well as getting children to think about different ways to create a pound (e.g. 50p+50p = 20p+20p+50p+10p).
Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about Money by Lara Bryan
Part of the very successful lift-the-flap series that kids love, Questions and Answers about Money looks at more than cash. Asking and answering questions like, Where does money come from? Why do I have to save? What happens if I click BUY NOW? Kids can find answers to important money questions, and some silly ones too, in this friendly and useful book that can still be used as they move into junior school.
What is Money? By Katie Noodle Juice
Money makes the world go around.... but where does our money come from? Is money good? What are taxes? What is the future of money? These are all questions answered by What is Money? A book that explains big ideas to little people using simple language and great illustrations. A must to get your kids started on financial education.
Spend It! (A Moneybunny tale) by Cinders McLeod
A lovely introduction to simple money concepts in which a bunny learns he can't buy everything he wants with his pocket money! Sonny gets three whole carrots a week and wants to buy everything! But he quickly discovers his money won't go that far, and he has to make some choices. Spend It is one of the four books in the internationally acclaimed Moneybunny Books series, including Earn It!, Give It!, and Save It!
Junior’s Adventures Collection: Teaching kids how to win with money! By Dave Ramsey
Money guru Dave Ramsey believes it’s never too early to teach kids about money. In these six, fun, brightly-illustrated stories aimed at 3-10-year-olds, Junior learns to handle money – sometimes the hard way. Through Junior’s adventures, children learn the value of hard work, giving, saving, and avoiding debt. Dave Ramsey is a personal finance expert and the host of The Ramsey Show, which 23 million listeners tune in to every week for live financial advice.
Related: GoHenry money guide: financial education for 5-7-year-olds.
7-11 year-olds
Our analysis with CBI Economics shows that prioritising financial education will add an extra £6.98 billion to the UK economy each year. This is why GoHenry is calling for the Government to collaborate with industry and other private sector partners to introduce compulsory financial literacy and management education from primary school age. Until then, here are the best books about money for primary school kids.
Why Money Matters by Deborah Meaden and Hao Hao
Why Money Matters demystifies money with easily-digestible information on everything from the history of money and how to make it grow, to how banks and card payments work. It’s peppered with fascinating financial nuggets. Did you know, for example, that if all the credit cards in the world were laid end to end, they would go around the world three and a half times? Author Deborah Meaden is a successful entrepreneur and an investor on the BBC series Dragons’ Den. She also hosts BBC Radio 5 Live’s The Big Green Money.
Grandpa's Fortune Fables: Stories to teach kids about money by Will Rainey
Looking for an easy-to-read book for 7 to 13-year-olds that will teach your children about money management, investing and starting a business? Presenting ''Grandpa's Fortune Fables - Fun Stories To Teach Kids About Money'' by Will Rainey, author, financial blogger and podcaster who believes teaching your children about money from an early age is one of the most important things to do. A great book to read and discuss with kids.
The Lemonade War, Jacqueline Davies
For ages 7-10, The Lemonade War blends humour, maths wizardry and business know-how. With only five days of their summer holidays left, siblings Evan and Jessie launch a war to see who can sell the most lemonade before school starts.
The first in a series of six books, The Lemonade War defines economic concepts and provides marketing advice, tips on how to run your own lemonade business, charts, diagrams, maths problems and more.
Managing Your Money by Jane Bingham and Holly Bathie
Managing Your Money provides a clear, concise introduction to all things financial. The opening chapter invites the reader to complete a quiz to help them understand their own approach to money. The book then explores a vast range of topics, including setting a budget, buying a mobile phone and opening a bank account. Later chapters explore more advanced areas, such as borrowing money, managing debt, gambling and where to go for financial help.
Related: GoHenry money guide: financial education for 7-11 year olds.
11-14 year-olds
Research from our Youth Economy Report shows that Generation Z has become Generation Aspiration and is ready to rip up the rule book when they enter the adult world of work. Their entrepreneurial attitude means that 26% plan to be their own boss in the future – and one in five (21%) say that this is a priority for their future career. With that in mind, here are the money books that work for teens.
Think Like a Boss: 47 Money Making Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs by Jemma Roedel
Think Like a Boss has 47+ ways to get started with making some extra cash at a very young age and understand more about money management so that they’re ready for future success! This is a great book for this age group, including would-be entrepreneurs looking for ways to earn more and learn about money.
Personal Finance Made Easy for Young Adults: Discover How to Pay Off Debt Faster, Raise Your Credit Score, by Dakota McQueen
Personal Finance Made Easy is a comprehensive guide to handling money and achieving financial freedom for young adults. The author covers various topics, including budgeting, credit scores, and creating multiple income streams. It’s an easy-to-understand guide and provides practical tips and tricks for readers to apply to their financial situation. It’s also one for the inspiring entrepreneur talking about how you can create multiple income streams as well as budgeting.
Investing for Kids: How to Save, Invest and Grow Money by Dylin Redling
Investing for Kids can help make you money savvy, showing you how to earn it, how to start a savings plan, and the best ways to invest and create a future with money in the bank. An engaging guide to investing for kids ages 8 to 12 covers essential information about stocks and bonds, how to invest in them, and how they can help you build wealth. Learn about the concepts of "risk" and "reward", as well as learn how to make your money grow.
Rich Dad Poor Dad for teens: The secrets about money that you don’t learn in school, Robert T Kiyosaki
Rich Dad Poor Dad for teens shares Robert Kiyosaki’s inspiring personal story and at the same time teaches teens how to make smart money choices. Straight-talking and packed with sidebars and quizzes, your teen will learn how to make money work for them. Along the way, they’ll pick up Kiyosaki’s tips for financial success and pick up tips for success—“Work to learn, not to earn”, for example. And why games can help them understand investing.
Related: GoHenry money guide: financial education for 11-14 year olds.
14-16 year-olds
Our research with CBI Economics shows that financial literacy raises early-career earnings prospects by up to 28%. If all adults received financial education at school, an additional 76,400 businesses could be created each year, resulting in an annual increase of 123,000 direct jobs. As older teens start to make choices about their future, here are the money books that will help,
Money: A User’s Guide by Laura Whateley
Money: A User’s Guide is a fantastic must-read for this age group. Author Laura Whateley is the consumer champion at The Times, and she calmly presents the money facts around debt, student loans, trying to eventually get on the property ladder and the truth about investing. A great all-rounder on the money front.
Cash by Rashmi Sirdeshpande
Become a money expert with Cash. Whether you want to become an entrepreneur, a savvy shopper, save all your pennies or splurge on something you want, having some dosh in your pocket can be exciting. This is crucial financial literacy for kids teaching money basics and the pitfalls to be aware of, such as how advertisers make you think something is a better deal than it really is and how to decide if you REALLY want/need to buy something.
The Economic Book: Big ideas simply explained by Niall Kishtainy
For teens eager to take a deeper dive into financial literacy and the world of money, this is an excellent book that explores and explains big questions and issues that affect us all. The Economics Book demystifies and untangles those bigger financial issues every teen should know about, from taxation to recession to the housing market and more.
Show me the money, Big questions about finance, Alvin Hall
If you’re looking for a jargon-busting book that teaches your teens about economics, this is the one. It tackles a notoriously dry subject and manages to make it interesting and relevant to today’s young people.
There are sections on economics, business, personal finance and the history of trade. But the text is broken up with diagrams, Lego-like illustrations and colourful cartoons to make it engaging. It also addresses topics such as ethics, free trade, fair trade, debt in the developing world and sustainable business practices. Alvin Hall is a financial educator, broadcaster and author with a knack for translating complex financial topics into simpler, easily grasped concepts.
Related: GoHenry money guide: financial education for 14-16-year-olds
Teach your kids about money with GoHenry
Books are great for explaining how money works, but kids also learn best by doing. So show them how to manage money for themselves with a GoHenry prepaid kids debit card?
Available for kids aged 6-18, GoHenry is a safe way for kids to practice their financial literacy skills. The app comes with a companion app for parents which allows you to pay in their pocket money, monitor their spending, top up when necessary and set up saving pots.
Money Missions, is our in-app financial education tool, allowing your kids can explore a range of financial topics from budgeting to saving, investing and more.
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