Talk to any educator and they are likely to agree the “summer slide” is real. Often, the first two weeks (or more) of school are spent “reteaching” the concepts taught the previous year. So how can you help prevent this from happening to your kids? Try reading. Taking time to read to or with our kids is a great way to help prevent that learning loss. And reading as a family is one of the best ways to spend quality time together and to strike up some meaningful conversations – especially during the summer.
To help you get started, I’ve assembled a recommended reading list of great money books for preschool to adult.
You can expand on this by asking your children’s librarian to direct you to any new books that have come out about money. This way, you always have something relevant on hand when the provocative topic of money comes up.
Here are a few of my favorite books on money for younger children.
Pre-School to Early Elementary Books
Start with my favorite family, the Berenstain Bears by Jan and Stan Berenstain.
The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money (Random House 1983) – Brother and Sister Bear spend all their money as soon as they get it. So Mama and Papa Bear help the cubs understand there’s more to do with money than just spending it.
The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies (Random House, 1988) – Mama and Papa help the cubs and themselves when they come up with a creative way to stop all of the begging Brother and Sister do each time they go to the store.
The Berenstain Bears’ Dollars and Sense (Random House, 2001) – Mama Bear makes the abstract concept of allowance concrete by making the cubs use a checkbook to keep track of the allowance money they receive and how they spend that money each week. Some reviewers are uncomfortable with the suggestion that kids use “checks” to learn. I, however, like it because Mama Bear makes the cubs stop, think, choose and reflect about their money decisions.
The Penny Pot by Stuart J. Murphy (HarperTrophy, 1998) – A girl named Jessie realizes too late that the ice cream cone she just bought means she won’t have enough money to get her face painted at the school fair. The face painter offers a creative solution: She suggests Jessie ask people to donate extra pennies to her penny pot. Readers learn about the value of coins as Jessie gets closer to her goal of collecting 50 cents to get her face painted to look like a cat.
Books for Elementary Ages
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst (Atheneum, 1978) – A great story to teach children about the many choices they have for the money they receive. Readers feel Alexander’s pain when his money begins to slip away.
How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty, by Nathan Zimelman (Albert Whitman & Co., 1992), helps children to understand the work involved in earning money.
To help your child think about others when setting goals, one of my very favorite books is A Chair for My Mother, by Vera B. Williams (HarperCollins, 1982). After a fire destroys everything they have, a mother, daughter and grandmother save coins in a jar to buy the family a much-needed easy chair.
And be sure to read that wonderfully enduring classic, The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein (HarperCollins, 1964). This timeless story is a portrayal of giving and taking until it seems that there is no more to give. A necessary life lesson for both adults and children alike.
Money Books for All Ages
Even as children get older, a good story or a good picture book will still capture their attention and imagination. It’s a great indirect way to communicate money lessons and values to your children without sounding preachy.
Click here for the full list of books for ages 3 to adult: Money Savvy Recommended Reading List
Have a book about money you’d recommend? Please share in the comments!
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