Help Children Build Money Skills With These Free Tools

Your library can start a Money as You Grow book club to introduce children to important money concepts through books. (By the way, Money Smart Week is April 21-28, 2018, and April is National Financial Literacy Month!)

Here are free tools from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to get started:

  • A list of 16 books for children ages 4 to 10, including two in Spanish
  • Quick Parent Guides for each book, containing reading tips along with questions and activities for children
  • Implementation Guide for libraries and community organizations, with Ice breakers for book club meetings, and suggestions for bringing together parents as a group to reinforce the money lessons and share ideas

The Parent Guides and Implementation Guides can be ordered free of charge from the Government Printing Office’s secure ordering site.

Ready to start a book club at your library? Just follow these steps:

  1. Download the Program Facilitator's Implementation Guide
  2. Make a display of books that are on the Money as You Grow reading list.
  3. Order free copies of the Money as You Grow Parent Guides (please allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery)
  4. Schedule your first book club!
  5. Send your feedback to FinancialEducation@cfpb.gov

You can order free printed copies of the discussion guides in bulk at from the Government Printing Office’s secure ordering site.

Here's a list of the book titles, for which CFPB offers a free downloadable discussion guide for each:

Title Ages Key concepts
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday 4 and up Prioritizing, saving
A Bargain for Frances 6 and up Setting goals, staying true to yourself
The Berenstain Bears & Mama’s New Job 4 and up Setting goals, staying true to yourself
The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble with Money 4 and up Making decisions, spending
A Chair for My Mother 6 and up Setting goals, earning
Count on Pablo 5 to 7 Solving problems, earning
Curious George Saves His Pennies 4 to 7 Making decisions, sharing and borrowing
Just Shopping with Mom 4 and up Prioritizing, spending
Lemonade in Winter 3 to 7 Solving problems, spending
My Rows and Piles of Coins 4 to 7 Setting goals, saving
Ox-Cart Man 4 and up Earning, setting goals
The Purse 4 and up Solving problems, setting goals
The Rag Coat 6 to 9 Solving problems, sharing and borrowing
Sheep in a Shop 4 and up Making decisions, solving problems
Those Shoes 5 to 8 Prioritizing, sharing and borrowing
Tia Isa Wants a Car 4 to 8 Solving problems, saving

Sources:
Money as You Grow book club (CFPB)
Money as You Grow Book Club: How to Help Families Build Their Children’s Money Skills (WebJunction)
Money Smart Week, a national initiative between the ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank

Image credit: Money as You Grow poster free download from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)