Maya Hartwell Parent-Tested ✓

Former math teacher · Mom of two · Founder, WealthSprout

Most kids learn about money by accident — a coin here, a birthday gift there. These seven printable money lessons give you a structured, low-pressure way to change that, one kitchen-table session at a time.

Free for your family 🌱

Download the free WealthSprout Money Kit — 12 pages, instant delivery, and your child will have their first savings system set up this weekend.

Get the Free Kit →

Why Printable Money Lessons Work for Young Kids

Kids ages 6–10 are concrete thinkers. They learn by touching, sorting, drawing, and deciding — not by listening to explanations. A printable money lesson gives them something to hold, fill in, and take ownership of.

Research from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shows that financial habits begin forming as early as age 7. That's not a reason to panic — it's a reason to start simple, right now.

Printable activities also remove the pressure from you as a parent. You don't need to be a financial expert. You need a worksheet, a pencil, and ten minutes. The activity does the teaching.

What to Actually Teach at Ages 6–10

Before you print anything, it helps to know what concepts actually matter at this age. There are four pillars — and everything else builds on them.

1. What money is and where it comes from. Kids often think money comes from ATMs or phones. They need to understand that money is earned through work — and that adults trade time and skill for it.

2. Earning vs. receiving. Birthday money and allowance feel different from money earned by doing a job. That distinction matters more than most parents realize.

3. Saving with a goal. Saving "because you should" doesn't motivate kids. Saving for a specific toy, game, or experience does. Goal-based saving is the gateway habit.

4. Giving as a choice. Generosity isn't just a virtue — it's a money skill. Kids who practice giving early develop a healthier relationship with money overall.

Every activity below targets at least one of these four pillars. You don't need to do them all at once — one per week is plenty.

Activity 1: The Coin Sort & Count

Best for: Ages 6–7 · Time: 10 minutes

Dump a jar of mixed coins on the table. Give your child a simple printable grid with columns for pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. Their job: sort, count, and write the total for each column.

This isn't just math practice. It builds the physical familiarity with money that makes every future lesson easier. Kids who can't identify coins confidently struggle with every money concept that follows.

Add a bonus column: "Total in my jar." Let them keep the coins if they count correctly. Instant motivation.

Activity 2: The Earn-It Chart

Best for: Ages 6–9 · Time: 15 minutes to set up, ongoing

This printable is a simple two-column chart: "Job" and "Pay." You and your child fill it in together — listing three to five tasks they can do around the house and what each one earns.

The key rule: these are jobs, not chores. Chores are what everyone does as part of the family. Jobs are extra — and they pay. That distinction teaches the link between effort and income.

Post the chart somewhere visible. Let your child check off completed jobs and track their earnings. The physical act of checking a box and watching a number grow is surprisingly powerful at this age.

Activity 3: The Three-Jar Tracker

Best for: Ages 6–10 · Time: 10 minutes per week

The three-jar system — Spend, Save, Give — is one of the most effective money frameworks ever created for young kids. A printable tracker makes it visual and habit-forming.

Each time your child earns or receives money, they fill in the tracker: how much went into each jar, and what the running total is. Over time, they can see their Save jar growing toward a goal.

This is the foundation of our My First Money Kit — a free 28-page guide that includes a full three-jar tracker, savings goal sheet, and parent guide. It's the most downloaded resource we've ever made.

Activity 4: The Grocery Store Budget Game

Best for: Ages 7–10 · Time: 20 minutes

Before your next grocery run, print a simple budget sheet with three columns: "Item," "Estimated Cost," and "Actual Cost." Give your child a pretend budget of $10 and a short list of items to find.

Their job: estimate the cost of each item before you reach the shelf, then check the real price. At the end, add up the totals. Did they stay under budget?

This activity teaches estimation, comparison, and the concept of a budget — all in a real-world setting. It also makes grocery shopping significantly more interesting for everyone involved.

Activity 5: The Savings Goal Ladder

Best for: Ages 7–10 · Time: 10 minutes to set up, ongoing

A savings goal ladder is a printable thermometer or ladder graphic that your child colors in as their savings grow. At the top: their goal (a toy, a game, a special outing). At the bottom: zero.

The visual progress is the whole point. Kids at this age are motivated by seeing movement — not by abstract numbers. Coloring in one more rung on the ladder after a week of saving is a genuine dopamine hit.

Set the goal together. Make it achievable in 4–8 weeks. Celebrate when they reach it — and immediately ask: "What's your next goal?"

Activity 6: The Giving Circle

Best for: Ages 6–10 · Time: 15 minutes

This printable shows a simple circle divided into sections — people, animals, places, and causes. Your child's job: fill in one thing they care about in each section, then choose one to give to this month.

The giving doesn't have to be money. It can be time, a toy they no longer use, or a handmade card. The lesson is that giving is a decision — and decisions about giving are money decisions.

According to Next Gen Personal Finance, kids who practice giving early are significantly more likely to be charitable adults. The habit starts here.

Activity 7: The "What Would You Do?" Decision Map

Best for: Ages 8–10 · Time: 15 minutes

This is the most powerful activity on the list — and the simplest to run. Print a page with a scenario at the top and three boxes below: "Spend it," "Save it," "Give it."

Read the scenario aloud: "You find $5 on the sidewalk. What do you do?" Your child writes or draws their answer in each box — not just what they'd choose, but what would happen if they chose each option.

Then talk about it. There's no wrong answer. The goal is to make the decision-making process visible and discussable. Kids who practice making money decisions in low-stakes scenarios make better decisions in high-stakes ones.

You can find more structured versions of this activity in our Money Seeds workbook — 40 pages of age-appropriate money activities for kids ages 5–8.

How to Use These Lessons Without Feeling Like a Teacher

You don't need a lesson plan. You don't need to be a financial expert. You need a consistent, low-pressure routine — and the willingness to let your child make small mistakes with small amounts of money.

Here's a simple framework that works for most families:

Pick one activity per week. Don't try to do all seven in a month. One focused session beats seven rushed ones. Rotate through the activities over two months, then repeat the ones your child responded to most.

Do it at the same time each week. Saturday morning. Sunday after dinner. Whenever works. Consistency builds the habit — for you and for your child.

Let them lead when possible. Ask questions instead of giving answers. "What do you think this costs?" is more powerful than telling them. Curiosity is the engine of financial learning.

Connect it to real life. The best money lessons happen at the store, at the bank, or when a bill arrives. Use the printables to prepare for those moments — not to replace them.

For a deeper dive into age-by-age money conversations, Investopedia's guide to teaching kids about money is one of the most thorough resources available.

And if you want a complete, structured system — not just individual activities — our 3-jar system guide walks you through the full framework that ties all of these lessons together.

Frequently Asked Questions

This article may contain affiliate links. WealthSprout earns a small commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we believe in. Nothing in this article constitutes financial advice — see our Financial Disclaimer.