Financial Fun with a Purpose: Teaching Kids About Money, Investing, and Helping Others
- Nicholas Jenkins
- Jan 22
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 22
Teaching kids about money isn’t just about helping them understand savings or investing; it’s about laying a foundation for responsible stewardship, generosity, and gratitude. As a Christian parent, it’s important to consider how we can guide the next generation in managing finances in a way that honors God and prepares them for a life of wisdom and purpose.
In this post, we’ll explore fun and interactive ways to teach kids about money, including engaging tools for family investing competitions, real-life money management practices, and activities that build a heart for giving back. We’ll also dive into the biblical principle of tithing and how we can introduce it in a way that encourages children to see money as a tool for both responsibility and generosity. And most importantly, we’ll remind them that their true worth isn’t tied to their wealth but to their identity in Christ.
Whether you’re looking for financial games, tithing tips, or ways to inspire generosity, this guide is here to help start meaningful conversations and equip families with tools for financial stewardship.
Fun Ways to Teach Kids About Money and Financial Stewardship
As we look for creative ways to teach kids about managing money, it’s important to make the process enjoyable and engaging. These tools and games will allow families to bond over lessons in finance while making learning an interactive experience.
MarketWatch Games: Simulating the Stock Market
One of the most exciting ways to teach kids about investing is through simulation. The MarketWatch Virtual Stock Exchange game is a fantastic resource for this. Families can create accounts, start with virtual money, and simulate buying and selling stocks in real-time. This game allows kids to understand the dynamics of the stock market without the risk, and it's a great way to introduce them to investing concepts such as risk, reward, and diversification. Parents can make it even more fun by creating friendly competitions to see who can grow their portfolio the most over a set time period.
Why It’s Great for Kids:
It teaches how the stock market works in an interactive, low-risk environment.
It encourages strategic thinking and decision-making.
It’s a great way to bond as a family while learning.
Crypto Parrot: Introducing Kids to Cryptocurrency
For families interested in introducing kids to the world of cryptocurrency, Crypto Parrot is an excellent choice. Crypto Parrot allows users to simulate cryptocurrency trading with virtual funds, which can be an exciting and educational way for older kids and teens to understand the basics of blockchain, digital assets, and the volatility of the crypto market.
And who knows, it might even teach the parents a thing or two, considering how tricky cryptocurrency can be to grasp for older generations!
Why It’s Great for Kids:
It opens the door to discussions about newer financial technologies like blockchain and crypto.
Kids can learn about digital currencies in a safe, risk-free environment.
It encourages curiosity and understanding of emerging financial trends.
Greenlight: Real-World Money Management
While simulators are fun, there’s no substitute for real-world experience. Greenlight is a financial platform that allows parents to give kids a real debit card while maintaining control over spending, savings, and giving. Greenlight is a great tool for teaching kids how to manage money in the real world by tracking allowances, setting up savings goals, and even learning the value of tithing and charitable giving.
Why It’s Great for Kids:
Kids get hands-on experience with managing money.
Parents can set specific parameters for savings and spending.
It fosters financial responsibility and encourages giving back to others.
Dollar Street: Understanding Global Disparities
Dollar Street is a powerful tool that helps children understand the financial realities of people around the world. By showing how families live on different income levels, Dollar Street provides a visual way to grasp the disparities in wealth and living conditions globally. It’s an eye-opening resource for teaching kids about the importance of gratitude and generosity. It also emphasizes that while money is important, the love of Christ and helping others in need should be the foundation of our financial decisions.
Why It’s Great for Kids:
It raises awareness about global poverty and the power of financial resources to make a difference.
It teaches empathy and the importance of helping those in need.
It ties financial education to biblical values like generosity and stewardship.
For older kids or teens interested in a more advanced approach to financial education, GLO-BUS, an online business strategy simulation, offers an interactive way to learn about running a business and managing resources. In this simulation, participants are tasked with running a company, making decisions about product pricing, marketing, production, and financial management. As they work through the simulation, they see how their choices impact their company's performance in a competitive market environment.
Why It’s Great for Kids:
It provides an in-depth understanding of how businesses operate, including the financial aspects.
It promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.
It reinforces concepts like budgeting, strategic planning, and understanding profit margins.
It teaches the importance of both competition and collaboration in a business environment.
It helps link business decisions to larger economic and ethical considerations, allowing families to discuss the stewardship of resources in light of biblical principles.
Pricing and Availability: GLO-BUS pricing varies depending on the number of participants and the duration of access. It's typically used in classroom settings, but families can also purchase access. Check out their website for more details. Keep in mind, this is a more advanced simulation and would likely be best suited for teens who are ready to dive deeper into business strategy. It’s almost like you’re teaching your kids how to be the CEO of their own company—strategic thinking and financial savvy at its finest!
Teaching Kids About Tithing and Generosity
One of the most impactful financial lessons we can teach our children is the importance of generosity and giving. The Bible is clear about the principle of tithing—giving a portion of our income back to God to honor Him and support His work. This can be a challenging topic for some families, especially when kids start asking tough questions about money. But teaching children about tithing doesn’t have to be difficult, and it’s a wonderful way to foster a heart for generosity.
Practical Ways to Teach Tithing
Here are a few practical ways parents can introduce tithing to their kids:
Use Allowance or Chores Money: If your child receives an allowance or money for doing chores, encourage them to set aside a portion to give back to the church or a charity. For younger children, you could provide three jars labeled “Spending,” “Saving,” and “Giving,” and have them place a portion of their earnings in the “Giving” jar each time.
Offer Opportunities to Give Back: Teaching kids about tithing doesn’t always have to be about money. It’s also about giving of time and talent. Encourage your kids to volunteer for service projects or help a neighbor in need as a way of giving back to God’s kingdom.
Create a Giving Tradition: If your family regularly donates to church or charity, involve your children in the process. Let them physically put the offering in the collection basket or fill out a donation check. This hands-on involvement helps them understand that generosity is part of their faith journey.
Navigating the Teen Years and Tough Questions
As kids grow older, especially in their teen years, they may start to ask more critical questions about money and tithing. They might question why we give, how much we should give, or whether the money is being used appropriately. It’s common for teens to start seeing headlines about churches or organizations misusing funds, and this can create confusion and even resistance within Christian communities.
When these questions arise, it’s important to approach them with honesty and openness. First, affirm that questioning the legitimacy of where the money goes is a sign of their growing maturity and discernment. Teach them that, while it’s true that some organizations may misuse funds, it’s still important to give with a spirit of generosity, as we are called to do in Scripture (2 Corinthians 9:7). Encourage them to research and ensure that their contributions are supporting causes and organizations they trust and believe in.
You can also explain that God calls us to give in faith, and while we can’t always control how others use the money, we are responsible for the act of giving itself. The important thing is that we give with a cheerful heart and out of love for God and His work.
A practical way to address these concerns is by being transparent as a family about the places where you give. Help your teen understand the purpose behind the tithes and donations, and involve them in the decision-making process if possible. Whether it’s supporting a missionary, contributing to a local outreach program, or helping a charity in need, knowing where the money goes can alleviate doubts and foster a stronger sense of connection to the act of giving.
Explaining the Impact of Giving
Kids, especially older ones, may not always fully understand the significance of tithing. Take the time to explain how their giving helps support the church, missionaries, and ministries like K-Love Radio and the Tim Tebow Foundation. For example, as a family, you might donate to K-Love because you enjoy the uplifting music and positive messages it offers. Your kids hear it on the way to school, during trips, or while running errands, and you can often see them singing along and engaging with the songs. They may not realize it, but their contributions are helping to bring that same encouragement and hope to others.
Similarly, donations to the Tim Tebow Foundation bring hope and support to children with special needs around the world, and knowing that their giving helps bring this life-changing support can make a huge difference. By explaining that their giving helps organizations like K-Love and the Tim Tebow Foundation reach and impact people’s lives, it shows them how their generosity is part of something bigger. It’s not just about giving money—it’s about making a real difference, whether through a song that brightens someone's day or providing hope to children in need.
When kids understand that their contributions are helping create positive, noticeable changes in the world, it helps them feel a deeper connection to their faith. They’ll begin to see that their giving is not just about abstract concepts, but about real, tangible change in the world around them.
Closing Thoughts: A Legacy of Stewardship
Teaching kids about money is more than just a lesson in finances—it’s an opportunity to shape their hearts and minds toward responsible stewardship, generosity, and a life aligned with God’s purpose. As Christian parents, we have the unique privilege of guiding our children not just in managing money, but in understanding the deeper spiritual principles behind it.
It’s important to remember that our true worth isn’t defined by how much money we have, but by how we use the resources God has given us. Money is a tool, not a measure of our value. When God blesses us with financial abundance, it’s not just for our benefit—it’s for us to be a blessing to others. Our children should understand that when they give, whether through tithing, charitable acts, or helping others, they are part of something bigger than themselves. They are using their blessings to make a real, tangible difference in the world and to further God's kingdom.
By engaging in financial education through interactive tools, games, and real-world experiences, we can help our children develop lifelong habits that honor God and serve others. Introducing the biblical principle of tithing and generosity will help them see money not as an end, but as a means to bless others and spread hope and love.
We have the opportunity to create a legacy of generosity, responsibility, and faithfulness in our children. Let’s be intentional in guiding them with love, wisdom, and a heart for service, knowing that as we invest in their financial education, we are also investing in their spiritual growth. Through this, we can help them see that true success and wealth are measured not by accumulation, but by how much they give and how they use their resources to bring glory to God and bless others.
*A Personal Note*
While I’m not a parent yet, I hope to be one someday. I just wanted to share some of the ideas and approaches I’ve come across that I think would be meaningful for teaching kids about financial stewardship and generosity. My goal is not to judge or tell parents what they should do, but to offer thoughtful, fun, and faith-centered ideas that I’d love to implement with my own children someday.
Every family is different, and each journey is unique. My hope is that these suggestions might inspire new ways of thinking about how we can guide the next generation toward a life of wisdom, generosity, and purpose. Ultimately, the most important thing is to teach our kids to honor God with whatever resources He provides and to be a blessing to those around them.
