If you’re like most people this close to Christmas, you’re going to be busy running around getting all those last-minute gifts that either slipped your mind, or you’re still wondering what to get. But do your kids appear anywhere on that list? Do you still need to buy one something to even it out? Or do you just need to get a couple more things to fill out that space under the tree? If so, educational toys are great, and what better education to give them (especially at Christmas) than a gift that will teach them the value of a dollar! Here are a few we selected, but once you start brainstorming you’ll come up with a slew of your own, too.
Board games
There are tons of board games that can teach your kids about money – Life and Monopoly being just two that come to the top of our minds. Of course, you’ll have to make sure it’s age-appropriate, but there are so many out there, you’re bound to find at least one!
Cash registers
Toy cash registers are a dime a dozen at places like Walmart, but make sure you choose one that will actually teach your child about money (rather than one where they only open it, close it, and throw the money around – not really learning.) They come in many different styles and some even have up to 10 games that can be played. All of them will in some way, teach your child about money.
Piggy Banks
What better, or more simple, gift than to give your child a piggy bank? You can get the traditional kind where you just drop the money in, or you can get the electronic kind that will count your money for you (good for very young kids that can’t count cash yet.) You can even find piggy banks that will sort your money out for you into categories such as “Savings,” “Donating” and “Spending.” This can be a great way to not only teach your child the value of money, but also the responsible things to do with it once they have it.
Books
Books are great because they’re educational in two ways – they help your child to learn how to read, and they teach them about money. The Story of Money, Arthur’s Funny Money, and Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s Money Smart Kids are just a few that we know of.
Have you already purchased all of your kids’ Christmas presents? Did you get them anything educational or, more specifically, anything that teaches them about money? Let us know in the comment section below!
