Recently, I was asked if I could recommend some gifts that would be helpful teaching children about money and investing.

I thought about it and I have created a list below.

 5.) Wall Street Journal Subscription - The Wall Street Journal is the most popular financial news publication in the world. If you were to read the articles with regular frequency and discuss them with your children, you will kill two birds with one stone. You will educate yourself and your child about the world of finance.

 4.) Monopoly - Monopoly is one of my all time favorite board games. It is great entertainment and education all at the same time. I think they call that edutainment these days. There are new versions of Monopoly,  but I still prefer the original. However, they don’t have Monopoly money anymore, instead they have debit cards and an electronic bankers.

 3.) Cash Flow 101 - Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the legendary book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, made a great educational tool when he developed the Cash Flow 101 game. It is very much like real life. Student loans, car payments, salary, dividend payments,  big screen TVs and college payments are all a part of the game. Just like real life.

2.) Practice Account – Practicing trading stocks, bonds, and  other popular investments is a great way to further a child’s financial education.  There are several services where you can open a practice account. Learning about the ebbs and flows of the markets and seeing them first hand, could have a life changing effect on a young child’s mind.

1.) Stock Certificates – Personal interest is one of the best ways to initiate education. If you buy a child a share of McDonald’s stocks and begin to have discussions with them about how McDonald’s makes money, it will be a lot more interesting then just talking about fries. 

If you purchase any five of these or all five you will be well on your way to teaching children about money and investing.