How to Teach Kids About Money with Billy and Penny

By Hay House | Published: 2026-11-01

Category: How-to Guides

Use The Adventures of Billy and Penny as a read-aloud springboard for money lessons for children, with a simple step-by-step plan for talking about saving and value.

Quick answer

Read The Adventures of Billy and Penny aloud, then use its missing-money story to prompt one concrete saving or value conversation and a small follow-up activity. The book gives you the story; your questions and routines turn it into money lessons for children.

Why a story works better than a lecture

Children often tune out direct instruction about money, but they lean into characters. In The Adventures of Billy and Penny, a one-dollar bill named Billy and a penny named Penny feel overlooked and decide to make their presence count by going missing. That premise gives you a natural opening to ask what happened and why, without turning the conversation into a lecture.

The story also keeps the focus on worth rather than arithmetic. You can use it to talk about why small amounts still matter, how families notice or overlook money, and what it means to treat money with care.

What to do before and after reading

Before you read, decide on one money idea you want to reinforce that week, such as saving a small amount or checking what you already have. After reading, ask two or three open questions rather than quizzing your child. Keep the tone curious, not corrective.

If your child is very young, focus on the characters and the idea of being noticed. For older children, connect the story to a real jar, envelope, or savings goal they can see.

Step-by-step: turn the story into money lessons

Pick one money idea for the week: Choose a single concept, such as saving a little at a time or noticing what you already own, and keep the read-aloud focused on that idea. Common mistake: trying to cover earning, spending, and saving all at once, which dilutes the lesson. Write the one idea down so you can refer back to it after the story.
Read the book aloud without stopping to quiz: Read The Adventures of Billy and Penny straight through first so the story lands. Save your questions for after the last page. Common mistake: interrupting every page with a money question, which turns a story into a test.
Ask two open questions after the story: Try questions like 'Why did Billy and Penny feel overlooked?' and 'What would you have done if you were in that family?' Let your child answer first. Common checkpoint: if your child gives a one-word answer, offer your own answer to model the thinking.
Connect the story to one real object or routine: Show your child a real dollar bill and a penny, or point to a savings jar or envelope you already use. Explain in one sentence how your family handles that money. Common mistake: introducing a new system the same day instead of linking to something familiar. Choose one visible place where saved money will live this week.
Set a small, visible follow-up: Agree on one small action, such as putting a coin in the jar each evening or checking the jar together on Friday. Keep it small enough to repeat. Common checkpoint: if the action feels like a chore, shrink it until it is easy to keep.
Revisit the story when the routine slips: If the follow-up fades, reread a few pages of the billy and penny book and ask what the characters would notice about your family's money habits. Common mistake: treating a missed day as failure instead of a prompt to restart.

About the book

The Adventures of Billy and Penny: Written by Suze Orman, a #1 New York Times best-selling author and financial expert, in her children's book debut. The financial background behind the story can give you confidence when your child asks follow-up questions about saving and value.
The Adventures of Billy and Penny