A link sent to me by Joanne Meier, Sound It Out blogger, reminded me that all too often we take for granted that kids know how to handle money. The article suggested that books can help adults teach children how.
Rosemary Wells’ Bunny Money (Viking) introduces the notion of money management while entertaining readers young and old. It’s a funny and totally on-target look at how Max and Ruby, young bunny children, figure out how they can get a birthday gift for their grandmother.
It allows young children to see that money can only go so far, and because of clever reproducible end pages, teachers and families can have their own bunny money as a hands-on, safe, and amusing way to handle money.
Money can be a tough topic to introduce to children — I know kids who think that money spits out from an ATM machine, never quite realizing that in order to come out of that automatic teller it has to go in first. It’s important to help them figure out how to allocate sometimes limited financial resources and to make good choices.
Sometimes money choices can start with the choice of a good book. Let me know what books you like to introduce money and related issues to young children.