小兔子学赚钱，存钱，花钱，捐钱 - 财商启蒙 Moneybunny Series - Teaching Kids About Money (Set of 4)

Over the past few months, my older boys aged 6 and 8 have repeatedly requested this book at readaloud time! 

This is a series of 4 books to help little ones manage their money. Illustrations are really adorable and simple money concepts are presented in a narrative that little ones can understand, and then apply in their lives.

This is especially important as my eldest is in primary school, has his pocket money and is learning to do simple budgeting! It's also great to discuss these issues during Chinese New Year season as well, 

Set includes

• 小兔子学赚钱 “赚钱要靠自己的努力！“ Earn It!
  Bun wants to be RICH and FAMOUS! Will that happen overnight? No! Does she have to ... earn it? Yes! It's never too early to teach your little bunny some simple facts about money! Bun loves to sing– and knows she's going to be a star. When her mom reminds her that most good things, like the garden they are growing, take time and work, Bun is at first disappointed. But as she does the math and daydreams about her future singing career, Bun starts to like the idea of earning her way to stardom– a path that comes with its own satisfaction.
  
  
• 小兔子学存钱 ”养成存钱的好习惯！“ Save It!
  Honey’s five little siblings are bouncy and LOUD - and sometimes all she wants is some peace and quiet.  She dreams about getting a place of her own, but she earns only two carrots a week from babysitting.  So what’s a bunny to do? Get creative and figure out a savings plan! Even if it means forgoing a treat or two, saving her carrots  is worth it - because with a little patience, Honey can make her dream come true!
  
  
• 小兔子学花钱 “为什么我不能全部都买？” Spend It!
  Sonny wants to buy EVERYTHING! Can he afford to? No! Will he have to make choices? Yes! It's never too early to teach your little bunny some simple facts about money! Sonny just got his allowance - and now he wants to buy EVERTHING! But three carrots won’t go that far, so his mom says he needs to make a choice Having to choose doesn’t sound like fun, but after a little thinking and a little math, Sonny is excited to choose what’s really worth his carrots. And being smart about his spending turns out to be a great feeling!
  
  
• 小兔子学捐钱 Give It!
  
  

Sharing some conversation starters / Things we have talked about over the years:

• Contentment and gratitude 心存感恩
• What money is, and what money can do 钱是什么，可以用钱做什么
• ATM does not magically produce money / Paying by tapping - Money is hard-earned! 提款机出来的钱、刷卡买的东西，都是用自己辛苦赚来的钱
• Concept of work and salary, going into banks, and retrieved when needed 做工，工资，去银行，需要的时候提出来
• Family budgeting - paying bills, maintenance fees, insurance etc 
• Investing, bank interest 投资，银行利息
• Loans for car, house, studies 贷款
• Difference between needs and wants 需要 / 想要
  - Asking "Do we need this?" "Would this have good mileage?" "Have I already busted my budget?" "Is this a wise way to spend my money?"
• Finding alternatives for purchases 
  - "Can I borrow it?" "Is there a discount store with a better price?" "Do we already have something similar?"
• Opportunity cost - If we spend money or something, we won't have money to spend on something else
• Real VS counterfeit money, how to differentiate 分辨真钞假钞
• We may have to wait for something we want - Avoiding impulse buys 好的东西是值得等待的
• Internet banking, cryptocurrency
• Magic of compound interest
• Debit VS credit cards 

Extension activities:

• Coin crayon rubbings
• Trip to the bank
• Play pretend scenarios using real money, to practise counting and giving change
• Use mental arithmetic to calculate total bill of a few items while buying things
• Give child a budget of eg $2 for a snack, or $10 to get a family member a birthday present - then talk through the decision-making process. Pros and cons of buying something, put thought into what the person may like, and to fit the budget
• Go grocery shopping at off-peak periods, and discuss how to compare prices of items, when do we choose by price, when do we prioritise quality
• Go grocery shopping with a list of things to buy, to practise self-discipline and budgeting
• Check out currencies of different countries, find similarities and differences

Other resources

• Getting your kids started on money management by Singapore government on https://www.moneysense.gov.sg/ for more actionable tips
• How to Teach Pre-Schoolers and Kindergartners About Money from daveramsey.com
• Teaching kids about money by Australian government on moneysmart.gov.au