Money Basics

🐨 Ages 5 to 7 – Money Explorers

Let’s Start with the Basics!

At this age, it’s all about discovering what money is and how it’s used every day.

Key Concepts:

• What is money?

Money helps us buy things we need and want, like toys, food, or clothes.

• Why do we use it?

It’s easier than trading stuff! Imagine swapping your lunch for someone’s shoes — tricky, right?

• From shells to coins:

A quick look at how people used to trade (like bartering fruit or seashells) before money was invented.

• Spot the coins and notes:

Learn about Australian currency and play fun matching games.

• Banks are like piggy banks:

They help keep our money safe and let us save up for something special.

👉 Fun activity: Draw your own money and decide what it can buy!

🦘 Ages 8 to 12 – Smart Spenders

Dig a Bit Deeper into Dollars and Cents

Now it's time to get a better idea of how money works in the real world — and how it changes over time.

Key Concepts:

• What is money and what gives it value?

It’s not just shiny coins or colourful notes — money is something people agree has value.

• From Barter to Bitcoin:

Learn about how people swapped goods in the past and how digital money is changing the future.

• How banks work:

Banks keep our money safe and let us save or borrow money for big things.

• What is inflation?

Prices can go up over time. That’s why a $2 ice cream today might cost $3 in a few years.

• Money around the world:

Every country has different money. In Japan, it's yen. In the UK, it’s pounds. In Australia, we use dollars!

👉 Mini challenge: Compare Aussie coins to money from another country.

What’s the same?

What’s different?

🦉 Ages 13 to 17 – Future Investors

Time to Build Financial Confidence

Get ready to explore how money connects to the bigger picture — from economics to global currencies and digital banking.

Key Concepts:

• What is money, really?

It’s a trusted system backed by governments, used to trade goods, services, and time.

• The evolution of money:

Track the journey from bartering and gold coins to credit cards and cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

• How do banks really work?

Learn about interest, savings accounts, and how loans work. Banks don’t just store your money — they use it!

• Inflation made simple:

Why prices rise and how it affects what your money can buy. Understand terms like "cost of living" and "purchasing power."

• Global currencies and exchange rates:

Why $1 in Australia isn’t the same as $1 in the US — and how travel, trade, and tech make money global.

👉 Think it through: What would happen if everyone stopped using cash and only used digital money?