The Power of Play: How Kids Learn Best About Money
- Tyler Lavoie
- Nov 3
- 3 min read
Kids don’t learn money from lectures.
They learn it with their hands, eyes, and hearts through play.
Play isn’t a “break” from learning. It’s how young brains wire up decision-making, self-control, and cause and effect. These are the same skills money habits rely on.
Harvard’s education researchers put it simply:
playful experiences that are joyful, meaningful, actively engaging, iterative, and social lead to deeper learning.
What the newest research says
Play grows the brain.
Harvard highlights that brain-building happens through playful interaction. Kids strengthen attention, memory, and self-regulation while they play. These are the same muscles kids use to pause, choose, and follow through with money.
Games move the needle on money skills.
A 2024–2025 set of studies with early-primary students tested game-based money activities and found measurable gains in saving and spending understanding and basic financial behaviors when lessons were delivered as play.
Doing beats telling.
Policy reviews on youth financial education keep landing on the same point: start early and make it participatory. Kids need to do money, not just hear about it.
Pretend play teaches real choices.
Even simple “play shop” setups help children practice prices, change, budgeting, and needs versus wants in a safe, hands-on way.
Early, quality experiences matter.
Global early-learning reports stress that rich, developmentally appropriate experiences in the early years build the foundation for later skills, including the self-regulation and planning money requires.
How to turn play into money learning (without turning play into a lecture)
1. Make it tangible.
Let kids move coins, tokens, or paper “money.” Movement encodes meaning. Ask, “Where will this go and why?” Then let them try it.
2. Make it real-world.
Set up a 10-minute “store” with price tags. Give a tiny budget. Practice trade-offs and change. Keep it light and let them lead the decisions.
3. Make it repeatable.
Short, repeatable games beat one big lesson. A weekly “shop,” a daily coin sort, or a standing “save versus spend” choice builds automatic habits over time.
4. Add a 60-second reflection.
After play, ask one question: “What did you notice about your choice?” Connecting feelings to outcomes is where confidence grows.
Quick activities you can start this week
Snack Shop: Put price stickers on snacks. Hand over five “coins.” Let your child budget and check out. Swap roles so they practice being the cashier.
Goal Boards: Print a picture of a small goal. Each coin moved to “save” colors one square toward the picture. Visible progress equals stronger follow-through.
Need/Want Sort: Lay out household items or photos. Kids sort into “need” or “want,” then explain one choice. Keep it playful; there’s no perfect answer.
Avoid these common pitfalls
Quiz mode.
If play turns into right-or-wrong drilling, engagement drops and learning fades. Keep it curious and collaborative.
One and done.
A single “money day” won’t stick. Short, joyful reps build real habits.
No debrief.
A minute of “what did we learn?” locks in the lesson.
Bottom line
Kids learn best when learning feels like play. The science backs it. The results show it. If you want money lessons to stick, make them hands-on, meaningful, and repeatable, and talk about what they felt and chose.
Want simple, done-for-you play ideas you can start this week? Check out our starter packs to turn everyday moments into money confidence, one small game at a time.
And remember,
