Money Sense for Kids Book Review

Money Sense for Kids by Hollis Page Harman is an excellent resource to teach children who are eight years old and older the keys to finances they need to know for a successful life. The book contains easy to read and understand information that ranges from saving money to starting out in investing. The format and style makes the book interesting to children who might not yet feel comfortable with reading while the details outlined in the book provide useful information children can use throughout life.

Money Sense for Kids is written as a letter to children in easy to understand words that shows the author’s thoughtfulness while penning the facts of money for all ages. The author spent time working out a method of explaining otherwise complicated ideas into bite sized, easy to follow key points that children as young as eight will understand and enjoy.

The Money Sense for Kids book is full of information about money that parents can make use of while teaching their children. It starts with the most basic keys to money and continues into topics like banking, saving and investing.

The beginning of the book discusses the keys to currency to provide children with a foundation in money to base further information on. It details everything from the history of currency to the symbols found on different bills and coins. The meanings are detailed so that children are ready to understand why new currency improves on previous designs. Parents can use this topic to give lessons about math as it relates to money and the details of history in the United States that might relate to changes in currency designs.

The Money Sense for Kids book also discusses banking and details everything from opening a savings account to using the ATM card that comes with the account. This provides an excellent opening for parents to discuss saving, responsible handling of money and appropriate spending with children. Having the foundation in how to use the bank account from the book and the details about responsibility after opening the account gives children a strong base to build future savings upon, even after they start working.

The information about investing is also a key point in the book and gives children details into the definition of different investment options, how the investments can make money and the potential risks involved with the process. The book puts a heavy emphasis on saving money and making an investment portfolio diverse to minimize the risks associated with the investments while explaining complex ideas in simple to understand wording that helps children understand the concepts at a basic level. Parents can make use of this topic to discuss appropriate investing strategies that only use extra money and never uses money needed for expenses.

The lessons within the book are well-written to simplify the complex details of currency, banking, saving and investing. Parents can build on the information provided within the book.

Pros: The advantages the Money Sense for Kids book has over other financial books for children is the simple to understand language and the details provided in the book.

Cons: The main con is that it discusses complicated subjects that is best suited to older children, so many parents will need to consider other books or teaching methods until children are old enough to understand the basic concepts.