Did you know that on June 29, 2024, California became the 26th state to require a personal finance class for all high school students? Half of our states now require personal finance to be taught in public schools. There are advocacy groups working on the other 26 states. Now as a child I remember my father teaching me about things like checking accounts, credit cards, and investments. Courses really were not offered in schools. In my first teaching job back in the 1990s I did however teach a consumer math class. I was teaching a vocational school and both consumer math and business math were offered. It taught things like banking, taking out loans, purchasing a car, taxes, etc. I remember one of the math teachers giving spelling tests for writing out checks. She made sure the kids knew how to spell the numbers out when they wrote them on checks. I didn't think much about consumer math after I left that school in 1997 until last year. My current job has me teaching consumer math again. I was given an old book back from the late 90's or early 2000's. The numbers are so outdated and really the content is rather boring. I got to come up with my own curriculum or find it. This summer I am taking several of Next Gen Personal Finance's (NGPF) teacher certification courses to help me get better at it. I have used their free curriculum for about a year and a half so far. Next year I plan to mix it in with other curriculum I have found and/or written. Today however I get to share a new book with you for younger kids, though I will be adding it to my classroom library, about financial terms. It is Financial Fun from A-Z by Brooke Lapides. It is recommended for baby through 9 but I see it as a great reference book for older students as well.
From the Publisher:
Introduce your little ones to the exciting world of finance with 'Financial Fun from A-Z'! This delightful children's book takes young readers on an engaging alphabet adventure, teaching them important money and financial concepts from A to Z. From Assets to Banking to Credit Scores and beyond, each page is filled with colorful illustrations and simple explanations that make learning about money fun and easy. Spark curiosity and lay the foundation for a lifetime of financial wisdom with this charming book. Perfect for children ages 0 to 9!About the Author:
From Me:
This book is 26 pages with a financial term for each letter. It is a diverse book with the children in it of different races, religions, and abilities. It is a great introduction book to personal finance terms. Brooke does a wonderful job of defining the terms in a way that young children will understand. It includes terms like asset, expense, down payment but also terms like W-2 and 401K. Each term is an opening with young children to discuss personal finance and teach them a bit about it. I would love to see every parent picking up a copy and sharing it with their kids. It will begin the discussions about personal finance and parents can share their own experiences with banks, taxes, investments and more.
I am going to add this book to my high school classroom library. I feel it is a book where kids can look up some of the terms and find an easy-to-understand definition which for some will be better than the ones they get from the high school curriculum. I hope you will check out this book! If you are teaching a personal finance class, I highly recommend checking out NGPF and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Both sites offer free curriculum and resources for the classroom. Another great book for younger kids (5-18) is The Golden Quest. I have also shared some other resources over the years for parents and teachers to teach about money, savings and more!
