6 Money Conversations Every Parent Should Have With Their Kids
Sep 18, 2026
Over the last several weeks, this blog has covered everything from how much pocket money to give, to how to answer “why can’t we afford that?”, to how to teach investing to a five-year-old. Pull it all together and it comes down to six conversations every parent should be having.
Here they are, in the order they naturally show up in family life.
Conversation 1: Where money comes from
The foundation. “When Mum works, she gets money for the work she does.” “Money doesn’t just appear. Someone earned it.”
Start age: 3. Never stops.
Conversation 2: What money does
Money is a swap. A tool. It has a purpose. “We’re swapping this $5 for these apples.” “Every dollar has a job.”
Start age: 3 or 4. Reinforce constantly.
Conversation 3: Choosing (spending vs saving)
The everyday practice conversation. “You’ve got $5. Do you want to get that today, or save your $5 for something bigger. Which one?”
Start age: 4 or 5, once they’ve got their own money. Never stops.
Conversation 4: Why we can and can’t buy things
The "ambushed at the checkout" question. “That’s not something we’ve planned for today.” “Would you spend your own money on it?”
Start age: 5 or 6. Never stops.
Conversation 5: Money can grow
The one most parents skip until it’s too late. “Money is like a seed. If you plant it and don’t dig it up, it grows.” “You know that company you love? People can buy small pieces of it.”
Start age: 6 or 7, when they can grasp cause and effect.
Conversation 6: How money makes us feel
The one nobody has with kids, which is exactly why so many adults have complicated relationships with money. “How did it feel when you spent it all?” “How does it feel when your jar is getting full?” “Do you ever worry about money?”
Start age: 7 or 8. The most powerful long-term.
Why these six, in this order
The conversations run from concrete to abstract. Physical first, emotional last. That’s how kids learn best.
They also line up exactly with the six modules of Money Wise Kids: The Parent’s Playbook. Not an accident. The Playbook was built from years of having these exact conversations with my own two girls.
What to do this week
Pick one. Just one. Have it once with your kid this week, in whatever small form fits your family. Don’t plan a lecture. Just look for the moment and say the line.
That’s the whole method. Small money moments build lifelong habits.
The bigger frame
The Playbook is where you turn the reading into doing. Six modules covering foundations, saving, spending, budgeting, investing and money mindset. For parents of kids aged 3 to 10.
