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Original URL: http://life.familyeducation.com/reading/money-and-kids/36453.html
Fun Money: Learning Finance Through Stories
Brought to you in association with our partner Reading Is Fundamental®
Teaching your kids about money, work, and finances can be more exciting than you think! For starters, consider these book suggestions for children in grades 1-3, from our association partner Reading Is Fundamental. You'll find questions about the stories to further your child's thinking as well as activities for you to do together that will expand her financial know-how.
- Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chin
- A Day's Work by Eve Bunting
- If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz
- Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
- Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
- The Money Tree by Sarah Stewart
Sam is off to Chinatown to celebrate the New Year and spend his "Lucky Money." But everything he wants costs too much. The young boy's disappointment gives way to compassion when he encounters a street person in need of socks and shoes. Now Sam has a new perspective on what it means to be lucky.
Questions for before the story
This story lends itself to several different topics: Chinese New Year and other cultural celebrations, the value of money, and the act of giving to people in need. Staying with the focus of money, introduce the story by asking your child:
- Have you ever received a gift of money? What for?
- How did you feel when you received the money?
- What did you want to spend it on?
- Does $4.00 seem like a lot of money to you?
- What can you buy with $4.00?
Questions for after the story
- Sam was very angry when he realized that his $4.00 would not get him what he wanted. What made him change his mind about the money?
- Sam did not feel that his money was worth much, but to the old man, the money had a lot of value. Why?
- Why was Sam's money called "Lucky Money" at the beginning of the book? Did the meaning of "Lucky Money" change slightly by the end of the story? If so, how?
- Would you have done what Sam did with his money?
- How do people in your community help those who lose their jobs or their homes?
Activities to do together
- Turn a room into a store.
Set up stations around the room: post office, toy store, grocery store, ice cream store, book store, flower shop, etc. Put items with price tags on them at each station, give your child a sum of play money, paper and a pencil. Ask her to figure out what she can buy with her money, thinking up several different combinations of purchases. Try it yourself and then compare shopping lists when both of you are done. - Celebrate Chinese New Year!
Turn your home into a street in Chinatown. A local Chinese restaurant may be willing to donate pairs of wooden chopsticks for your Chinatown restaurant. Try to cook an authentic Chinese meal and use the chopsticks to eat it. Give your child play money as "Lucky Money" to redeem for paper fans or fortune cookies in one of the pretend shops. With a mask and a sheet, you and your child can become the festival lion, weaving through Chinatown.
- Many families experience hard times. Reading and talking about picture books like Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting, The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern, and Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan lets parents and children empathize with other families in difficult circumstances.
- A community calendar can alert you to ethnic festivals and events in your area. Families who live in or near cities can visit the local Chinatown during Chinese New Year and enjoy the street festivities. But even small communities may have a local Chinese restaurant that serves up a special menu for the New Year.
- Your kids may express concern for the old man in the story and others like him. Encourage them to help by filling donation bags with necessities such as soap, towels, toothbrushes, socks, books, etc. Note: If focusing on a shelter or crisis facility upsets a child who has recently spent time in one, choose a different community service, such as a food bank.
- If you live in a city with ethnic neighborhoods, take your family to Chinatown. Walk through the decorative gates; notice the signs written in Kanji; find new vegetables, seasonings, and foods in the markets; have lunch in a Chinese restaurant; or buy sweets in a Chinese bakery.
Books that deal with the topic of homelessness:
- Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting.
- The Lady in the Box by Ann McGovern.
- Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan.
- Happy New Year! Kung-Hsi Fa-Ts'Ai : Kung-His Fa-Ts'Ai by Demi (Illustrator).
- Lion Dancer : Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year by Kate Waters.
- The Dancing Dragon by Marcia K. Vaughan. 1996.
Questions for before the story
- How do people in our country get jobs? During the story, you may need to explain why Francisco and his grandfather are waiting in a parking lot with other men to find work.
- What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States?
- Does everybody in this country speak English? What other languages are spoken in this country? What do you do if you do not speak English?
- Have you ever been caught telling a lie? How did you feel?
Questions for after the story
- Why did Francisco think he was doing the right thing by lying to Ben?
- Why was his Abuelo so angry with him for lying?
- Why is Abuelo at a disadvantage in not being able to speak English?
- How could Francisco have convinced Ben to hire his Abuelo without lying?
- What important things does Abuelo already know?
Activities to do together
- Write a job resume. Many job listings ask for a resume, a page or two of information about a person's skills and past work experience. Resumes help an employer choose someone qualified for the job. With your child, write a resume for Abuelo. You might begin with JOB WANTED: A Day's Work. Then list the information under headings, such as Recent Experience, Other Skills (you could include "Spanish-speaker" which might be useful for certain jobs), Interests, Personal Qualities and References (don't forget to include Ben!) After Abuelo's resume is complete, help your child write her own. Suggest that she tailor her resume for household or classroom jobs, or "a day's work" around the neighborhood.
Family Involvement
- Take your child to work! When parents talk about their work and aspirations, children begin to think positively about their own performance in school and beyond. Children are naturally curious about what their parents do outside the home. If possible, bring your child to work one day to let him see exactly what it is you do, and to educate him about the workplace.
- Even young children enjoy the feeling of responsibility that comes from having a "real job." Children are often responsible for personal tasks, such as cleaning up their rooms, but a job that has value to others and earns a bit of money (for example, shoveling snow, raking leaves, or running an errand), can be more gratifying and helps build self-esteem.
Community Connection
- Read your local paper's classified advertisements for jobs. Point out that jobs are categorized alphabetically, and explain the kind of information that ads include, including the desired education and experience, and salary. Check out the Part - Time and Positions Wanted listings, where young people often find jobs.
- "It's never too early to start," is the advice older children may offer your kids about finding a job. Ask students and neighbors who do odd jobs or run their own small business to talk to your child about "job opportunities" for local kids.
Additional Resources:
- Going Home by Eve Bunting. The story of a migrant family from Mexico with beautiful illustrations by David Diaz.
- Amelia's Road by Linda Jacobs Altman. Amelia is tired of her family's lifestyle. Migrant workers must go where the work is, which means moving around a lot. Amelia longs for some sense of permanence, but must find it within herself.
- Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco. On Sundays, Miss Eula fries chicken for her grandsons and their friend. The children want to buy "gramma" the hat she admires in Mr. Kodinski's shop, but the old hat-maker thinks that they're the kids who've been throwing eggs at his door. It takes some beautifully decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs and a lot of "chutzpah" to earn his friendship and money for the hat.
- Music, Music For Everyone by Vera B. Williams. Rosa's grandma is sick, so the big chair in the living room is empty, and so is the family's money jar. Rosa, an accordion player, remembers hearing how her other grandma used to earn money as a girl by playing the accordion at parties. That gives Rosa an idea. Together with friends, she forms the Oak Street Band.
Questions for before the story
- What would you do if you made a million dollars?
- What do people need money for? How do we use it?
- What would we do without money?
- Why do people put money in the bank?
Questions for after the story
- What do banks do with your money?
- What is the difference between a bank and a piggy bank?
- How do checks work? Why are they helpful to use?
Activities to do together
- Measure Money. Does a million dollars really equal a stack of pennies 95 miles high, or a whale's weight in quarters? Read aloud the author's notes on the last page of the book. Suggest how to begin with smaller measures, then do the math to prove these facts are true.
- Think of some wild ways to make a million dollars. How do the young entrepreneurs in this book earn money? The illustrations show them feeding fish, peddling pebbles for a penny, dusting ducks, painting pots purple, and fixing fountains. Noticing a pattern here? They go on to mow meadows, transplant trees, hawk huggable hippos, and more... until they have made a million. Challenge your kids to come up with imaginative, tough jobs they'd enjoy. Have them write short job descriptions to display on the refrigerator.
- Set up an account. Set up a bank in the kitchen. Use play money to practice making change. Work as a pair, with your child as the teller and you as the customer. Cash in a "play" check. The teller must try to cash the customer's check using the least amount of bills and coins.
Family Involvement
- Roll em up! Children learn quickly how their change adds up when they put coins in the paper wrappers that banks provide for coin deposits. It's a good idea to have wrappers handy when it comes time to empty piggy banks or family money jar.
- Families order take-out food from time to time. Give children a dollar amount and a menu, then ask them to figure out how to order a meal for the family without going over budget.
Community Connection
- Go to a local bank to learn firsthand about what happens to the money that gets deposited. Back home, create a flow chart that shows where the money goes, from the cash deposit to the cashed check.
- Ask your local bank for penny wrappers. Ask your child to collect and wrap pennies in stacks of 50, measure the stacks, and make up her own Penny Problems. How many cents stack up to the ceiling? How big a stack will buy a school lunch?
Additional Resources:
- How Much Is A Million? By David M. Schwartz. "If a goldfish bowl were big enough for a million goldfish...it would be large enough to hold a whale." Mathematician David M. Schwartz and illustrator Steven Kellogg have joined forces to give kids a sense of how much a million might look like.
- The Go-Around Dollar by Barbara Johnston Adams. "Have dollar will travel" is the basis for this fictional story that includes factual information about the history of the dollar as well as how a single dollar changes hands.
- How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty by Nathan Zimelman. Will these kids get to see the Statue of Liberty or will they fall short by a few dollars? Read the funny tale of one class that tries many creative ways to raise enough money for a class trip.
- Arthur's Funny Money by Lillian Hoban. Good old, lovable Arthur and his little sister Violet are up to it again. Arthur learns a few lessons about owning a business when he tries to raise money to pay for the t-shirt and matching cap he wants to buy.
Questions for before the story
- Have you ever received money and tried really hard to save it?
- Why do you think it is hard to save money?
- What do you like to spend your money on?
- (Show the cover and read the title.) What do you already know from the cover and the title of the story?
- Before you begin reading, ask your child to figure out the amount of money in the numbers you read to them. For example, if Alexander had 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 17 pennies, how much money would he have altogether? This is great practice and will help your child get a better concept of money as she listens to Alexander's tale of money troubles.
Questions for after the story
- You could say that Alexander's money was "burning a hole in his pocket." What does this expression mean?
- What did Alexander spend his money on? Would you spend your money on the same things or would you choose something different?
- Why are his brothers able to save more money than Alexander?
Activities to do together
- Do the math! How much money did Alexander start out with? How much did he actually get to spend? How much money do Anthony and Nicholas still have? Work together to write word problems from the story, and do some money math to get the answers.
- Come up with some good money-making ideas. Alexander tries to sell the gum he has already chewed, pull out a tooth that's not loose, and return non-refundable bottles. Have your child make a list of some better ways to make money. Write her ideas on graph paper.
Family Involvement
- Kids learn the value of money when they have a chance to earn and spend it. Having an allowance or spending money has a practical benefit: it gives children experience doing money math. If your family doesn't want to hand out real currency, try making coupons that are redeemable for various treats, like ice cream for dessert, or home-baked cookies or activities such as an extra bedtime story or a visit to the zoo. You can hand out a certain number of coupons in a month and your child can learn to save that way as well.
- You can reinforce the value of saving by offering some sort of dividend to your child if she manages to keep her money in a piggy bank. For example, you might offer to match the amount your child is trying to save when the goal is met, or contribute a dime for every dollar your child manages to save - a pretty generous interest rate!
Community Connection
- Show your child how to set up a simple ledger page to keep track of a budget and expenses. Try out some of the tools of the trade, such as a computer spreadsheet program.
- Have your child research recycling guidelinesin your community. Survey local stores to see which ones sell bottles that may be returned for a small refund.
Additional Resources:
Questions for before the story
- Read the title. Ask your child why the story might be called Chicken Sunday. What does she think it means?
- How do you think the people on the cover might be related?
- Does your family do anything special on Saturday or Sunday, like enjoy a special meal?
Questions for after the story
- Have you ever been blamed for something that was not your fault or resulted from a misunderstanding?
- Why did the kids throw eggs at Mr. Kodinski's shop? What clues are there about Mr. Kodinski's past? (Your child may notice that he has a concentration camp number tattooed on his arm.)
- Do you think that his past experience as a prisoner in a concentration camp might make him more suspicious of people wanting to hurt him?
Activities to do together
- Create a picture collage of a family room. Read aloud the author's acknowledgement on the title page. Encourage your child to notice the colorful textiles throughout the book. Supply old magazines, scraps of printed fabric, scissors, glue, paints, and brushes. Let your child create her own family room scenes, complete with photographs of pretend family members.
- Advertise the Pysanky eggs. In the story, the narrator repeats some of the words the customers use to describe the eggs the children have decorated: "beautiful," "splendid," "intricate," and "glorious." Ask your child to list other synonyms for "beautiful," then use these descriptors to write an ad or make a sign advertising the eggs.
- Create a cookbook. Collect recipes of favorite or traditional Sunday family meals and ask your child decorate the cover.
Family Involvement
- Pysanky eggs appear in another book by Patricia Polacco, Uncle Vova's Tree. Families who celebrate Christmas will especially enjoy reading this story. Like the author's family, you may be inspired to hang decorated eggs on your tree.
- Egg decorating has become an Easter tradition for many American families. The local library is likely to have several arts-and-crafts books that show various methods of dyeing and decorating eggs.
Community Connection
- Invite a person who has lived in Russia or the Ukraine to show your child examples of traditionally crafted objects, such as nesting dolls and painted eggs.
Additional Resources:
- Uncle Vova's Tree by Patricia Polacco. Another warm story that offers us a look at an old Russian tradition.
- Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco. Like Chicken Sunday, this story also involves beautifully hand-painted eggs, the traditions of the Ukraine, and a nice old woman.
Questions for before the story
- If you had a tree in your backyard and it could grow anything, what would you want it to grow? What kinds of problems might your tree create?
- Imagine you found treasure or won the lottery. How would your life change?
- (Show the title page illustrations and ask) What winter chore is keeping Miss McGillicuddy busy?
Questions for after the story
- What does Miss McGillicuddy mean when she says that the tree is a gift from the birds?
- What is a Maypole?
- Why doesn't Miss McGillicuddy seem interested in the money? What is important to her?
- Why are others so interested in the tree?
- How do the people find out about it?
- Why does Miss McGillicuddy cut the tree down?
Activities to do together
- Draw the life cycle of the money tree. Ask your child to draw the money tree as it changes over the course of the story, from an oddly shaped sapling; to an ornamental tree, lush with greenery; to a leafless, lifeless pile of firewood. Look at the title page illustrations again and ask how this story has come full circle, like the seasons?
- Make a chart of seasonal chores. In many parts of the country, the seasons bring about changes and new chores. Imagine you lived on Miss McGillicuddy's farm. Make a chart of chores and activities for winter, spring, summer, and fall. Use the illustrations to help remember what needs to be done; collecting kindling and firewood, planting peas, gathering roses, carving pumpkins, etc.
Family Involvement
- Miss McGillicuddy is generous with her neighbors. You can make sure your children grow up knowing how to be good neighbors by encouraging them to welcome a new neighbor with home-baked cookies, bring flowers or dinner to an ill neighbor, or help a neighbor who needs an extra hand.
- Many a family has fantasized about what they would do if they inherited great wealth, or won a fortune in the lottery or the sweepstakes. In addition to wishing aloud about the material rewards, talking about what kinds of activities or treats everyone treasures that cost no money at all can reaffirm your familiy's values.
- Your family may enjoy reading Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney and watching how one woman enjoys the seasons with each passing year.
Community Connection
- Check with the local chamber of commerce or consult the telephone directory to find a nearby farm where your child can pick his own seasonal fruits and vegetables. You may also find a working farm that allows children to help with the chores.
- Check a community calendar for events celebrating Arbor Day (late April). Include your child in local activities, or help her plan her own celebration. Reading aloud The Money Tree and other tree fables, such as The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to give younger children a meaningful way to observe this spring holiday.
Additional Resources:
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. The whimsical Dr. Seuss takes on a more serious tone in this 1971 book about saving trees to protect our environment.
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Like the money tree, Shel Silverstein's tree gives unselfishly of itself even after it is cut down.
- The Story of Money by Betsy Maestro. In a simple and straightforward manner, this book tells the story of money, how people obtained things they needed before there was any currency, and how the concept of bartering and trading currency developed.
- Round and Round the Money Goes: What Money Is and How We Use It by Melvin Berger. Similar to The Story of Money, this book explains the origin of money from the old days of bartering to the use of checks and credit cards today.
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