How to teach kids to be smart shoppers

Children become shoppers the first time they spend their own money. The habit worth building early is a small one, stopping to think before buying, and the lessons below start there.

What the Batch unit “Smart Consumer” covers

Be a smart shopper — get the most for your money. It is unit 8 of the Money Basics track and has 5 lessons and 52 cards:

1. What's a Smart Shopper?
2. Compare Before You Buy
3. Don't Get Tricked
4. Is It Worth It?
5. Boss Level: Review

What the first lesson says

This is the actual text from lesson 1, “What's a Smart Shopper?”, word for word:

You buy a toy with your own money. Guess what? That makes YOU a consumer — someone who buys things.

Some shoppers grab the first thing they see. A SMART shopper stops and thinks first.

A question from that lesson to try together

Try it at home

Next time your child wants something in a shop, look at two similar options together and ask which one is the better choice for them, and why.

Play the lesson

Open Batch in the browser, choose Money Basics, and start with Unit 1, Inflation, lesson “Prices Change Over Time”. Units unlock in order, so Unit 8, “Smart Consumer”, opens once the units before it are finished. Whether an account is needed is answered in the FAQ.

Printables for the fridge

Two free PDFs for the Money Basics track. The checklist lists the lessons from 6 of the track's 11 units.

• What we learned (PDF)
• Fridge checklist (PDF)

More guides: all Batch guides.