A first coin’s little journey

Bunny has a coin: buy a sweet now, or keep it for a storybook?

Bunny puts it in a box to think.

Ask your child what they would choose, then draw a wish for now and one for later.

Supervise coins and small parts and keep them away from children who may put them in their mouth.

Reading the story together

This short story is written for children aged about 3 to 5. Read it slowly and pause after the first line. Let your child guess what Bunny will do before you read on. There is no wrong answer: a sweet now is a real pleasure, and a storybook later is a different kind of pleasure. The point of the story is that Bunny stops to think before deciding.

When Bunny puts the coin in a box “to think”, point out that keeping money safe gives you time. Nothing is lost by waiting a little; the choice is still there tomorrow.

Questions to ask

• What would you buy with Bunny’s coin?
• How would Bunny feel after eating the sweet? After reading the storybook?
• Is there something you would like to save for?
• Where could Bunny keep the coin so it does not get lost?

Draw a wish for now and a wish for later

Give your child a sheet of paper folded in half. On one side, they draw something they would like now. On the other side, they draw something worth waiting for. Talk about both drawings with the same interest. Young children learn more from feeling that both wishes are allowed than from being told which one is “right”.

You can stick the “later” drawing near the place where your child keeps coins, so they see the goal each time they add one.

Make it real

If your child receives a coin, let them hold it and decide where it goes. A clear piggy bank helps at this age because children can see the coin is still there after it goes in. If you use one, an adult should handle opening it.

Keep the activity short. Two or three minutes of talk is plenty for a preschooler, and you can return to the story another day.

For more ideas, read the other stories in Kids & money stories, or see our wooden piggy banks for kids.