Counting coins, comparing prices, and running a first stand.
Ages 6–7
The one idea
You can add money up, and you can compare two prices before you choose.
Six and seven year olds can count mixed coins to a dollar and can hold a two-to-four week goal. This is the right year for their first real stand.
One per pillar. Each has what to teach, a ten-minute thing to do, and the exact words you can say — so you can start right now without preparing anything.
Nobody pays you just because you're nice. They pay you because you fixed something that was annoying them. Thirsty on a hot day is a problem. Cold lemonade solves it. That's a business.
Do this
Walk around the house and find three annoying things. For each, say what someone could do to fix it.
Say this
"What's the problem you're solving? If there isn't one, nobody buys it — no matter how much work you did."
Now that you can count, your goal is a number, not a picture. Write the price at the top. Write what you've got at the bottom. The gap between them is how much further you have to go.
Do this
Draw a thermometer with the goal price at the top. Colour it in each week as the total climbs.
Say this
"You've got $4 and it costs $10. How much more do you need? Right — six more."
Almost everything you want to buy sits next to something similar with a different price. Look at both. Sometimes the cheaper one is exactly as good, and the money you don't spend stays yours.
Do this
In one shop aisle, find two versions of the same thing. Compare the prices and pick — then say why out loud.
Say this
"These two do the same job. One's $3 and one's $5. What are we getting for the extra $2?"
Giving isn't only money. Time counts. Help counts. A child with no money at all can still be generous, and people remember the help more than the cash.
Do this
Pick one way to give this week that costs nothing — helping a neighbour, tidying for someone, making something.
Say this
"You don't need money to be generous. What could you give that isn't money?"
When you sell something, some money comes in. But some money went out first, to buy what you needed. What's left over is called profit — and profit is the only number that really matters.
Do this
Pretend to sell 10 cups of lemonade at 50 cents. That's $5 in. The lemons and cups cost $2. How much is really yours?
Say this
"You made $5. But you spent $2 to make it. So did you really make $5?"
The scariest part of selling anything is opening your mouth. Most people never ask, so most people never get a yes. Asking is a skill, and it gets easier fast.
Do this
Practise the exact sentence they'll say to a customer. Say it five times until it stops feeling strange.
Say this
"Say it to me first. Now say it louder. Now say it like you already know they'll say yes."
8 questions. You get the reasoning either way — being wrong is where the learning is.
Why does anyone buy anything?
You have $4 and want something that costs $10. What's the gap?
Two identical water bottles, $3 and $5. What should you check?
Can you be generous with no money at all?
You sell $6 of lemonade. Lemons and cups cost $2. What's your profit?
A customer pays $1 for a 75-cent cup. What do you hand back?
You're too shy to ask someone to buy. What's true?
Nobody bought anything on your first day. What now?
Move the sliders and watch what each jar becomes. Only the Grow jar is invested, so only Grow compounds — that is the whole reason the numbers separate.
$42 a year → $416 after 10 years
$42 a year → $416 after 10 years
$10 a year → $104 after 10 years
$10 a year → $154 after 10 years
You put in
$1,040
You end up with
$1,090
Grew on its own
+$50
That extra $50 is money nobody worked for. It came from the Grow jar earning 7% a year on a balance that keeps getting bigger.
For parents: Around $2 a week. This is the first year a 'grow' jar makes sense — it becomes the float that funds their stand instead of you funding it.
The 7% is a rough long-run stock market average used for illustration. Real returns vary, some years are negative, and nothing here is investment advice.
Defined the way a 1st grade child would explain them — not the way a bank would.
This week's mission
They learn that the same thing costs different amounts in different places — the first real insight into value.
"Cold drink, one dollar, right here where you're already walking."
What it costs to start
$4–6 for lemons, sugar, and cups
What to charge
$1 a cup. Round numbers mean no change to count and no maths mistakes under pressure.
The business lesson underneath
Location beats effort. The same stand in a busier spot earns several times more for identical work.
The money lessons only stick if these are running underneath them.
Every transaction is free arithmetic practice with real stakes. Hand the cashier's change to them and let them check it.
Practise the exact words before the first customer arrives. Confidence at this age is almost entirely rehearsal, not personality.
A bad day at the stand is the cheapest business lesson they will ever get. Debrief it: what would you change next time?
Tick these off through the year. If one is still open in June, that's the lesson to go back to.
Everything on this page is free and always will be. If you want structured worksheets to go alongside it, the 1st Grade packs cover the whole year across maths, reading and writing, and study skills.
You can add money up, and you can compare two prices before you choose. Concretely: counts mixed coins up to $1 accurately; works out the gap between what they have and what something costs; compares two prices and gives a reason for their choice. The six lessons on this page cover each of those, and the money check tells you which ones have landed.
Around $2 a week is a reasonable starting point at ages 6–7. Around $2 a week. This is the first year a 'grow' jar makes sense — it becomes the float that funds their stand instead of you funding it. The calculator on this page lets you try different amounts and splits.
The Lemonade Stand, done properly: "Cold drink, one dollar, right here where you're already walking." Startup cost is $4–6 for lemons, sugar, and cups. Location beats effort. The same stand in a busier spot earns several times more for identical work.
Yes — all 6 lessons, the 8-question check, the vocabulary, the mission, the starter business, the allowance calculator, and the milestones are free with no signup. The 1st Grade printable packs in the shop are optional.
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