5 Creative Money Activities For Little Kids

It’s 2023 and money still does not grow on trees. So, it’s really important that we teach our children early about the importance of money and how it all works. I have five creative money activities for little kids that they will enjoy. With these activities, your kids will get to imagine, create and practice!

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1. Play grocery store

Playing grocery store is one of our favorite things and it’s pretty easy to do when you have a built in grocery store right in your basement. But it doesn’t have to be anything grand. Grab a few old cereal boxes. Save an empty apple juice container. Grab a few plastic bags, and some play money. And before you know it, your kid is the cashier and you are the customer. It provides endless entertainment and a lot of laughs seeing their personalities come through. It’s an easy way to learn more about money and get their creative juices flowing.

2. Career day

We enjoying letting our kids play dress up and be whoever they want for that day. My daughter loves pretending to be a hair stylist. We bought her a hair stylist outfit complete with a brush, comb, and toy hair dryer. She uses these and pretends to give us hair cuts and charge us money. We have started giving her coins so she can count them and pretend that she owns her own business. Our kids also love to pretend that they work in a bakery and we give them money to pay for their muffins and donuts that they make. It’s a great way to use their imagination and learn more about money.

3. Create a fun piggy bank

When I accumulate loose change through different cash transactions throughout the week, I give the loose change to my kids. They get so excited to sit and count it out. As they started to gather more change, I realized that we need somewhere to store it. We bought a ceramic piggy bank that looks like a cupcake. They painted it and now they put the loose change in there and when it fills up, we deposit it into their accounts at the bank. You can find some pretty neat ceramic piggy banks on Amazon that may work well for your kids!

4. Open a small savings account at your local bank

One of the best things you can do for your children is to open a savings account for them when they’re born! Now, when they are handed a few dollars for their birthday or Christmas, we can put that money right into their savings account and watch it grow. I also like to match whatever they receive for their birthdays and Christmas. Check with your local bank. Some banks may offer special promotions or gifts when you open an account for your child.

5. Have your kid handle a real life cash transaction

Once you have an account open, you can take your children to your local bank and have them practice making a deposit. It’s never too early to learn where your money goes and how it works. I also enjoy having my kids count out the cash when we go shopping or visit the local ice cream shop. When we go to yard sales and purchase an item, I like to have my kids count out the dollars and have them hand it over to make the sale. They have to wait for the change and then count out the change. It’s great practice for them and they enjoy holding daddy’s money.