5 fairy tales that will help teach children the basics of financial literacy

To teach children how to handle money, plan expenses, and reject offers from scammers, you can use fairy tales. And also cartoons - the same magical stories, but told from the screen.

We have collected time-tested fairy tales that will be useful for children aged 4–9 years, that is, preschoolers and elementary school students.

1. The Golden Key, or The Adventures of Pinocchio

This story is told in the book of Alexei Tolstoy, as well as feature and animated films released in the USSR. Here's what we can learn from it about finances.

Main character, wooden boy Pinocchio, had to go to school. But instead, he sold the alphabet for four soldiers and bought a ticket to a puppet show. Then he received five gold pieces from Karabas-Barabas - a whole treasure. With one condition: give the money to Papa Carlo and tell him not to leave his closet under any circumstances.

But Pinocchio does everything wrong. He meets Alice the fox and Basilio the cat, who convince him that the money should be buried in the Field of Miracles. Then a whole money tree will grow, and you can collect a bunch of coins from it.

Scammers They leave the boy alone in the tavern, and he is forced to pay for their shared dinner, although he ate almost nothing. Minus one gold out of five. Then the fox and the cat insist that the boy bury the remaining four coins in the Field of Miracles. And in the end they pocket the money.

But Pinocchio and his friends cope with all ill-wishers. And they are rewarded with a puppet theater where they can perform wonderful performances.

What does a fairy tale teach?

Pinocchio knew nothing about financial literacy, so I made several mistakes at once. Here are the conclusions we can draw.

• Before paying, it is worth analyzing how adequate the price is. Papa Carlo sold his jacket to buy the alphabet for the boy. But he only charged four soldi for the book, because that’s what the theater ticket cost. Most likely, Pinocchio sold out. The jacket, and therefore the alphabet, could cost much more.
• If several people place an order, it is necessary to clarify that everyone pays their part. Pinocchio ordered himself three crusts of bread, and the cat and the fox ordered everything were able to eat. But the boy paid for everyone. To avoid such situations, you should always agree on payment in advance.
• You should be wary if someone promises quick and easy enrichment. One of the main tricks of scammers is to offer a quick way to get a ton of money with little to no effort. It couldn’t be simpler: if you buried one coin, in the morning collect 10 of the same coins from the branches of a brand new money tree. You should not trust such magical schemes - deception may be hidden behind the apparent ease.

2. golden antelope

Old Soviet cartoon based on Indian fairy tales Talks about money - but not only about it.

Raja, who wants nothing more than to be rich and powerful, hunts for a magical antelope. After all, sparks fly from under her hooves, which immediately turn into gold. A boy helps the antelope - he saves her from the Rajah's servants.

The little hero is forced to pay 10 gold coins - this is a punishment for an attack on a guard that he did not commit. He goes to the antelope for money. She gives the boy a pipe so that he can call her if he is in trouble. Raja takes the coins from the boy. And then he breaks the contract and does not let him go, but threatens to cut off his head. You can save yourself by telling us how to find an antelope.

Then the Raja takes the pipe and calls magical animal. The antelope turns everything it touches into gold. It would seem that the Raja should rejoice. But he literally drowns in streams of coins and is forced to stop the antelope. The gold turns into shards, and the Raja is left with nothing.

What does a fairy tale teach?

The story talks about the basics of financial and business ethics. You should not break the agreement - you can get a momentary gain, but lose in the long run. And vice versa: if you do what you promised, you can count on same attitude to yourself.

And you don’t need to measure everything with money - sometimes they can’t help. But everyone has access to valuable capital that you can’t lock in a chest or put in a bank account: empathy, compassion, the ability to make friends.

3. The Princess and the Frog

An interesting and beautiful cartoon filmed by the Disney studio based on the fairy tale of the same name by Elizabeth Baker. Money also plays an important role in this story.

Cheerful and energetic Tiana girls I have a dream - to open my own restaurant. She loves to cook and would like to create more than just a place where you can have a snack. She sees the restaurant as a place where people will come for joy and a great mood.

Tiana did not receive any capital. She works as a waitress and tries to save every bill and coin for her dream. Working almost seven days a week, Tiana finally saved up the required amount. All that remains is to finalize the deal, and the restaurant premises are her property.

But the heroine suddenly turns into frog, and the fulfillment of the dream is postponed. However, in the end, after many adventures, she still becomes the owner of her restaurant. And at the same time he finds love.

What does a fairy tale teach?

Tiana keeps repeating: everything will work out, but you have to work for it. Of course, sometimes you need a little luck to make your dreams come true. But the main thing is to continue moving towards the goal, even if it is difficult. Let the dream seem very far away. If you take a step towards it every day, you will definitely reach your goal.

This story clearly shows that even if you save just a little bit, you can eventually accumulate a large amount. In addition, the fairy tale teaches you to set financial priorities. Tiana could have spent some of the money on new clothes or entertainment, but she decided that she would not do this in order to quickly raise money for the restaurant.

4. How an old man sold a cow

Short cartoon, based on a poem by Sergei Mikhalkov. The seller brought an old cow to the market, from which you can no longer get milk. Nobody wanted to buy an animal that was weak and useless on the farm. Then a random passer-by decided to help the old man and arranged a real advertising campaign for the cow. He told everyone that a cow gives so much milk that you can’t milk it in a day. As a result, the old man himself believed in the advertising promises and refused to sell such a treasure.

What does a fairy tale teach?

You shouldn’t believe everyone who praises their product: they may be lying. Believing beautiful advertising, you can lose money and purchase a dubious product or service. Therefore, before you open your wallet or place an order, it is worth checking whether the seller’s words are true. For example, ask for a certificate for its products. Or read reviews from other customers.

5. Greedy rich man

Another short cartoon filmed according to the script by Sergei Mikhalkov. Created based on the Armenian fairy tale “Greedy Vartan”.

The merchant brings the master one sheep's skin and asks him to sew a hat from it. And then he asks: maybe there will be enough skin for not one, but two products? The master agrees. Then the merchant asks to sew not two, but three, or better yet, four, five... Finally he stops at seven hats. And he receives a ready-made order - seven tiny hats that will fit only the doll.

What does a fairy tale teach?

And again we are talking about the adequate cost of a product or service. And also about the need to always clarify the terms of a commercial transaction. It’s even better to conclude an agreement that will indicate the quantity of goods, their size, and other important details. And if someone offers an overly lucrative deal, you should be wary. Maybe you're just you will lose money, and the quality of the product will not be what you expected.

It is not necessary to tell children exactly these stories. You can take the plot you like as a basis, but come up with your own characters and move the action anywhere to make it more interesting for the child. You can also come up with short stories about money yourself. And with their help, tell children about bank cards and loans, about expenses and budget planning, about savings and investments.