Reading Month + Money Habit$ (Treasury Tips for Parents/Educators)
Governor Whitmer proclaimed March is Reading Month in Michigan. Throughout the month of March, people of all ages are encouraged to promote the importance of reading and parents are asked to explore the fun of reading with their children.
It’s a good time to read and discuss books on a topic that is often overlooked in children’s literature: money. Specifically, understanding, earning, investing and managing money! Seems like a lot for a Kindergartner? It all starts with picture books.
Stories help young children develop a basic awareness of the value of saving money, of working toward a goal, and the power of charitable giving.
Financial ‘how-to’ books for older children and young adults support entrepreneurial initiatives and offer guidance on building wealth through saving and investment.
“Without a working knowledge of money, it is extraordinarily difficult to do well in life. Money is central to transacting life, day-in and day-out. Where we live, what we eat, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, health care, education, child-rearing, gift giving, vacations, entertainment, heat, air-conditioning, insurance — you name it, money is involved.” — Financial educator Sam X Renick, for Forbes Advisor.
Money is part of everyday life and financial empowerment begins with parents and educators talking about the magic that responsible money management can create. It can begin as simply as a story time in a parent’s lap or a book discussion in a busy classroom. We can read to help Michigan’s children succeed!
Book Suggestions
READ-TO-ME BOOKS
- A Chair for My Mother: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner
- The Berenstain Bears’ Dollars and Sense (plus Berenstain Bears Parent Reading Guide by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
- Bunny Money (Max and Ruby)
- The Four Money Bears
UPPER ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL BOOKS
- Amelia Bedelia Means Business
- How to Turn $100 Into $1,000,000: Earn Save Invest
- Investing for Kids: How to Save, Invest and Grow Money
HIGH SCHOOL (and beyond) BOOKS
