Children's books and activities
Money
Do you know any young entrepreneurs or history buffs who are curious about the history of our currency? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about financial literacy and money.
Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.
How to explore this theme:
- Read fiction and nonfiction books
- Try some hands-on activities
- Build writing skills with these fun ideas
- Dig deeper with kid-friendly websites
- Play and learn with mobile apps
More themed resources:
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Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Print List
Bunny Money
By: Rosemary Wells
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [7]
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
By: Simms Taback
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [8]
Lemonade in Winter
By: Emily Jenkins
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [9]
Money Madness
By: David Adler
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [10]
One Proud Penny
By: Randy Siegel
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The humble and sometimes abused copper penny tells its own story in this humorous combination of...
Purchase book [11]
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Print List
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
By: Judith Viorst
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [12]
Follow the Money!
By: Loreen Leedy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [13]
Lemonade for Sale
By: Stuart Murphy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [14]
Money Math: Addition and Subtraction
By: David A. Adler
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Cartoon versions of American presidents guide children through this lively introduction to...
Purchase book [15]
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
By: Kate Smith Milway
Age Level: 6-9 years old
This fictionalized story of Kojo, a boy from Ghana, who changes his world with a small loan and...
Purchase book [16]
Sam and the Lucky Money
By: Karen Chin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [17]
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Print List
Double Fudge
By: Judy Blume
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [18]
Lawn Boy
By: Gary Paulson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [19]
Mr. Chickee's Funny Money
By: Christopher Paul Curtis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [20]
Rare Beasts
By: Charles Ogden
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [21]
The History of Money: From Bartering to Banking
By: Martin Jenkins
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [22]
The Story of Money
By: Betsy Maestro
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [23]
Twenty-Two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank
By: Paula Yoo
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Purchase book [24]
Hands-on Activities
Build on what you're learning together through books with these family-friendly activities, experiments, and crafts.
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Budgeting: Being Thrifty Is So Nifty [25]
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Comic-Themed Wallet [26]
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Design Your Own Money [27]
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Econ Activities and Games [28]
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Farmers Market Math [29]
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Origami Money Box [30]
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State Quarter Geography [31]
Summer Writing
Give kids a chance to flex their writing muscles all summer long. Try one of these prompts, selected from our writing contest archives and other literacy organizations.
Great Websites for Kids
Dive deeper into topics of interest with these media-rich and interactive sites.
- American Currency Exhibit [33]
- Birth of a Coin [34]
- Brain Pop: Economics [35]
- Budget Hero [36]
- Change Maker [37]
- Design Your Own Money [38]
- Discover Historic U.S. Currency [39]
- Escape from Barter Islands [40]
- Explore Money from Around the World [41]
- Fifty Nifty Econ Cards [42]
- Get Real: Life and Economics [43]
- HIP Pocket Change: U.S. Mint for Kids [44]
- How Coins Are Minted [45]
- How Old Is Your Penny? [46]
- Ice Cream Truck [47]
- Kids and Money [48]
- Learning to Give: Spend, Save, Invest, or Donate [49]
- Making Change: Coin Design [50]
- Money as You Grow [51]
- Moneyville [52]
- Run Your Own Lemonade Stand [53]
- Saving and Spending [54]
- Savings Quest [55]
- Symbols on American Money [56]
- The Mint [57]
- TreasuryDirect Kids [58]
- Tykoon [59]
- U.S. Currency Education Program [60]
Mobile Apps
Educational apps recommended by Common Sense Media and other trusted reviewers.
- Bee Farming [61] $
- Boston Museum of Fine Arts Ancient Coins [62]
- Cash Cow [63] $
- Dinorama [64] $
- Freefall Money [65] $
- Jungle Coins [66] $
- Mathmateer [67] $
- Monopoly [68] $
- Motion Math: Cupcake! [69] $
- PiggyBot [70]
- Renegade Buggies [71] $
- Savings Spree [72] $
- Savings Spree [73] $
- Toca Store [74] $
More Themed Resources
Growing Readers Tip Sheets
Simple activities for parents and kids to do together to build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Read online or print the PDF.
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Creating Bar Charts [75]
Download PDF: English [76] | Spanish [77] -
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: Math and Literacy for Preschoolers [78]
Download PDF: English [79] | Spanish [80] -
Patterns and Categorizing [81]
Download PDF: English [82] | Spanish [83]
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