Chapter 1: Mindset First – What Is Money?
📌 LESSON GOAL:
By the end of this lesson,
you’ll understand what money is, how it came to be, and why it plays a big part in your everyday life. You’ll also begin thinking about your own money habits and what you want money to help you do.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
Imagine you’re back in the olden days. No cash, no credit cards, no Venmo. If you wanted eggs, but all you had was bread, you’d have to find someone who needed bread and had eggs to trade.
That’s called bartering — trading stuff for stuff.
But what if the egg person didn’t want bread?
😬 Uh oh.
That’s why people created money — something everyone agreed had value. Now, instead of trading eggs for bread, you could trade money for eggs, and the egg person could use that money to get whatever they want.
Today, money comes in many forms:
💵 Paper bills
🪙 Coins
💳 Debit cards or credit cards
📱 Even apps on your phone!
But all of it works the same way: It’s something you give to get something else.
🧠 Money is like a movie ticket
Think of money like a movie ticket. The ticket doesn’t DO anything by itself, but it gets you IN to something cool — like a movie, a snack, or a comfy seat. 🛋️
Same with money. It opens doors and gives you access to things. But it’s not the main event — what you DO with it is what matters.
🤔CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
Why do you think people decided to create money instead of always trading?
If money disappeared tomorrow, how would we get the things we need?
Is money always made of paper or coins? Can you think of other ways people “pay” for things today?
What would you do if you had no money but needed something important?
✍️ journal entry: “a world without money”
Imagine you woke up and money didn’t exist anymore. How would your family get food? How would people pay for school or clothes? What would YOU trade if you had to barter?
Write a story or draw a picture of what your day would look like in a world without money.
💵 REAL-LIFE PRACTICE: “TRACK YOUR TRADES"
This week, anytime you “spend” money (real or pretend), write it down in a notebook or a printable tracker.
What did you buy or trade?
What did it cost?
Was it worth it?
Parents can help by showing receipts or talking about family purchases.
🌟 Bonus: Ask a parent to show you a grocery receipt. See how much regular things like milk or fruit cost. Talk about how money is used every day.
💡 MINI RECAP
💡 MINI RECAP
Money is...
A tool we use to trade.
Easier than bartering.
Something we use EVERY day — even when we don’t realize it!
👀 SNEAK PEEK OF NEXT LESSON:
Now that you know what money is, next we’ll explore how you get it — and the cool difference between earning it and creating it yourself (yes, like a boss 💼💡).
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