I
items into a treehouse, among
other things, while teaching
them about earning, saving,
and budgeting money.
f you want your kids
to learn about the val-
ue of money in a way
that’s both educational and fun,
then encourage them to down-
load an app – or three. Below
are 10 of the most popular and
kid-friendly money manage-
ment apps available, and the
best part is that they are all
free. Have your kids try differ-
ent ones until they find the one
they like the most.
PiggyBot
(Apple Appstore;
Age range: 5-8)
This app functions like a
virtual piggybank where kids
save for a special purchase.
They can post pictures of it and
keep track of how close they
are to making that purchase.
They open virtual accounts,
with unique PIN numbers, to
give them a sense of respon-
sibility for and ownership of
their money. As kids get closer
to their goal, parents can con-
tribute virtual money to help
them achieve that goal.
$
AdVenture
Capitalist
(Apple Appstore, Google Play;
Age range: 5-12)
This app lets kids experi-
ence what it’s like to be a virtu-
al investor. They start off with
a single lemonade stand and
depending on how successful
they are at managing this busi-
ness they can acquire more
complex companies, including
banks and oil companies. They
also learn important manage-
ment lessons by having to hire
managers and employees for
their various companies.
Bankaroo
(Amazon Apps. Apple Appstore,
Google Play; Age range: 9-12)
10 Great Money
Management Apps
For Kids
Created by 11-year-old Dani Gafni
and her father, Etay, for their own fam-
ily’s needs, this app teaches kids how to
save and budget their allowances and
other sources of income. Kids open up
virtual bank accounts where they set
specific savings goals and then track
their ability to reach those goals. It sim-
ulates real bank accounts by registering
allowances as recurring payments and
encouraging kids to balance their ac-
counts.
FamZoo
Family Finance
(Apple Appstore; Age range: 5-18)
This app functions as a virtual bank.
Parents are the “bankers” and the kids
are the “customers.” The whole family
is connected, so it’s easy to move money
18 WNY Family September 2018
Renegade
Buggies
— by Tanni Haas
around. Aside from teaching kids how
to save money and track their spending
over time, parents can transfer real mon-
ey to them with prepaid and reloadable
debit cards. Other useful features in-
clude the ability to give your kids loans,
and then teaching them how to pay back
those loans in installments.
Green$treets
Unleash the Loot!
(Apple Appstore; Age range: 5-8)
Created by Neale Godfrey, the
best-selling author of several books on
money management, this colorful app
teaches kids about the value of money
through fun game play. Set in the imagi-
nary town of “Green$treets,” kids select
an endangered animal to rescue. They
earn and save money to take care of it by
planting a beautiful garden and tossing
(Apple Appstore, Goggle Play;
Age range: 13-18)
In this app, developed by
the National Center for Fami-
lies Learning, kids maneuver
a buggy down a street while
picking up items from a shop-
ping list. At the end of the
street is a General Store where they try
to get the best deals, by comparing unit
sizes, buying in bulk, and using coupons
and promotional offers. The goal is to
save as much money as possible. If they
make any wrong choices, a pop-up mes-
sage steers them in the right direction.
RoosterMoney
(Amazon Apps, Apple Appstore,
Google Play; Age range: 5-12)
This app teaches kids to keep track
of how much money they have earned
from their parents and how much money
is still owed to them. Kids set savings
goals and then see, through easy-to-use
charts, how close they are to reach-
ing those goals. The app includes a so-
called “safe” option where kids can send
money to a virtual safe, thereby teaching
them to distinguish between short-term
and long-term savings goals.