Teaching Children about Money: A Christian Parent’s Guide
June 30, 2025
When it comes to teaching your kids about money, there’s much at stake. If you don’t teach them, it isn’t that they won’t learn. They will learn, but our consumer culture will be there teacher. There are also many opportunities here. If your kids grow up learning a biblical approach to money, it’ll greatly benefit their relationship with Jesus, greatly benefit their future marriage, and free them to make the difference God intends for them to make.
Teaching moments abound
You probably don’t need one more item for your to-do list. Fortunately, a lot of money lessons can be taught within the rhythms of daily life. Here are some practical ways you can teach your kids about three important aspects of wise, God-honoring money management.
Generosity
John D. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived, once said, “I never could have tithed on my first million dollars if I hadn’t tithed on my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.” His point is well taken. The earlier your kids get in the habit of giving, the better.
Be sure to teach them why. In part, living generously is simply about following biblical teaching. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (NKJV). “Firstfruits” means the first part. “Increase” means we are to give back to the Lord the first portion of all that He entrusts to us.
Importantly, generosity is also an integral part of our design. We were made in God’s image, and God is endlessly generous. That explains why even secular research finds that living generously leads to greater life satisfaction. Let your kids see your joy in giving, in being part of all that God is doing in the world. Let them see and experience that giving isn’t about checking a box or paying a bill. It’s about joining God in His life-changing, eternity-shaping work.
Saving
At first glance, building savings may seem so practical, so worldly. And yet, it, too, is biblical. Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets” (TLB).
You may have heard of the “10-10-80” framework. The idea is to give 10% of income, save 10%, and then spend the rest. That’s okay for adults, but for kids, teach them something more like “10-50-40,” where they are encouraged to give at least 10% of all that they receive to the Lord’s work, save 50%, and then spend 40%.
There are so many expenses that kids don’t have. They aren’t responsible for the mortgage or rent, insurance, groceries, or many other items. This is the time of life to maximize savings.
Encourage them to set savings goals. Maybe they’d like a skateboard or a bike. By cultivating within them the discipline to save over time, they will be building the invaluable character trait of delayed gratification. When they are finally able to afford to buy what they’ve been saving for, that will be a very satisfying accomplishment. And they will have established an essential habit of wise money management.
Spending
For most people, this is the most frequent financial activity, so it provides many opportunities to teach your kids how to make wise spending decisions. When you’re at the grocery store, show your child how you compare prices, using the shelf tags to compare the cost per ounce or cost per count of different brands and package sizes.
When buying clothing, teach them that sometimes the least expensive option isn’t the best choice, that it can be wise to pay a little more for quality. Foster the habit of making tradeoffs by setting limits that require them to choose—one pair of designer jeans, for example, or two pair of not-so-designer jeans?
Perhaps most importantly, bring Scripture into your financial lessons. Encourage your kids to memorize certain verses, which will have the effect of writing God’s Word on their heart.
For generosity, teach them Jesus’ words: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40). When your kids give in a way that benefits those in need, this verse is telling them that it’s as if they gave directly to Jesus.
For saving, teach them Proverbs 21:20, which was mentioned earlier. Every time they choose to put money into savings, this verse is telling them that they are being wise stewards of the money God entrusted to them.
For spending, teach them Luke 16:10: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” This verse is telling them that every financial decision is a spiritual decision because it all belongs to God.
The more you bring your kids into your financial decisions, and the more you tie those decisions to Scripture, the more they will develop the habits of using money in effective, God-glorifying ways. Click here to learn more about our Harvest Savings for Kids.
Matt Bell is the author of Trusted: Preparing Your Kids for a Lifetime of God-Honoring Money Management. He speaks at churches and conferences throughout the country and writes the MattAboutMoney blog.
This article should not be considered legal, tax, or financial advice. You may wish to consult a tax or financial advisor about your individual financial situation.
