Montessori Money Boxes

This is Benedykt looking at his money box, learning about the shape and size of each coin. 💰

At What Age is it Appropriate to Learn about Money?

It's probably normal to consider money as such a large and abstract topic, that you might want to avoid it altogether when it comes to your toddler. However, I find it helps to make sure they are aware that money exists from very early on. I've always been keen to teach my children from even when they are just a year old, that we need to pay for items in stores, as this helps them understand my explanation that we first have to pay for x before they get it, or before we leave the shop.

Actually, the interative experience at the cashier in any shop has always been a moment of enjoyment for my children. My boys are really outgoing so they love to talk to shop assistance, and they love handing over mummy's money in exchange for the item they want. I really like this little bit of practical life, and I've never felt the need to overcomplicate it by stopping to explain anything about money.

But during the year that Benedykt was 2, his awareness of money became more than simply an exchange in a shop. He started to notice when I talked about the value of items, and ultimately where money comes from. It sparked an idea for the design of our Montessori Money Boxes, and when I presented it to him, I was really pleased with his response.

Montessori Money Boxes

I designed the money box to help him lean about money in a number of ways.

✔️ Visually learning the differences between each coin and what their values are
✔️ Understanding the concept of using money to buy things
✔️ Learning about how and why we save money
✔️ Grasping the notion of charity, donating and giving to others.

The "piggy bank" we created gives a lot of discussion points and opens opportunities for additional activities. We have talked about how Benedykt loves to go to the counter in shops by himself to get himself treats occasionally, so the money he uses is what we “spend”. We keep money to “save” for things like big toys and days out, and we use the “donate” part to discuss how Benedykt likes to drop money into the collection buckets in stores or at church and we talk about what that means to the recipients.

Variations of the Benedykt and Sylvester Montessori Money Box

Our money boxes are available in a range of currencies and languages £€$. If you don’t see your language or currency available, please email us and we will make it especially for you.

The money box also comes in a choice of 2 different formats. We have a curved top traditional money box style, where the money is posted through one coin slot at the top, and then accessed once again from the underneath. Or we have a money box that is divided into 3 sections, taking on a slightly different practical style. The money is slotted into one of 3 coin slots along the top, which corresponds to the "spend", "save" or "donate" divided sections. The coins can be retrieved once again by opening the metal clasp on the front of the box and lifting the lid.