Take it From the Top: How to Teach Children to Count Money

If you teach financial literacy or want to become a financial educator, you might start out by teaching young children about money. When kids are small, they may not understand complex money concepts like cost comparison or how to strike a good deal. But they can learn the basics, which will give them a head start toward developing good money habits in adulthood. The National Financial Educators Council (NFEC) offers lots of resources to help you learn how to teach children to count money.

To start, according to the NFEC, it’s a good idea to teach kids how to skip-count. Since U.S. currency is based on 10, kids will benefit from learning how to count by 5s and 10s. Once children can skip-count to 100 by 5s and 10s, they’ll be able to grasp monetary values more easily. The next step toward teaching children financial responsibility is to introduce them to each of the coins and bills they’re likely to run across in the real world.

Show kids the coins one at a time, so they learn how each one looks and feels, and have them practice how to count with each coin. The NFEC recommends this approach to teaching children about money because it avoids confusion, and the hands-on practice is fun and entertaining for kids.

In partnership with top financial professionals and educators, the NFEC has developed a Financial Capability Curriculum for teaching preschool through second-grade children. This curriculum is just one piece of the NFEC’s programs, which include a Certified Financial Educator Instructor training that leads to certification as a leading financial literacy educator and membership in the Personal Finance Speakers Association. All those interested in teaching money management to children or adults will benefit greatly from contacting the NFEC about its available opportunities and resources.