5 essential money lessons your kids (actually) want to learn in 2026

Forget budgeting and interest rates for the moment - this is what kids actually want to know.

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As parents, there are certain money lessons we feel we should teach our children, but for Gen A in 2026, here are the money lessons that they actually want to learn. Hold tight, we’re going to cover everything from gaming currencies to investing, with a little help from GoHenry.

Lesson 1: Invisible transactions

For kids today, cash is a rarity. They see their parents pay with a tap of a phone or the click of a button. Even their own dealings with money are digital, so it’s hard for them to see it as real money leaving a real pot.

How, then, can you make the digital tangible? Here are a couple of ideas:

Learn the“Money basics”

Get them to complete the Level 1 “Money basics” in their GoHenry smart money app. This covers ways to pay today, using a bank account and how cards work.

Easily trackspending

Set them up with instant notifications for when they use their GoHenry card. This will help them visualise how much money they have spent and how much they have left on their card.

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Give your child the head start you wish you’d had, with their own smart money app and card. Get 2 months free plus £20 pocket money with code AFFFDR220.

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Lesson 2: The power of the side hustle

While the Saturday paper round is unlikely to be your kid’s first job these days, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other opportunities for them to earn. In fact, more and more children are discovering the art of the side hustle. Whether it’s selling digital art, slime or clothes on Vinted, kids want to know what they can do to create wealth.

You can start them off earning from home, as well as teach them other ways to earn money now – and in the future.

Boost allowanceby doing chores

The Tasks feature of the GoHenry smart money app lets you set chores around the house. Once completed, they can get a boost to their weekly allowance!

Learn how to bean entrepreneur!

The Jobs & earning level in the Learn area of the app covers different jobs and pay. It also looks ahead to when they’ll have to pay tax and what it means to be an entrepreneur.

Girl with GoHenry card

Lesson 3: The anti-scam shield

Unfortunately, financial fraud is a common crime in the UK, and kids can be a target. Gaming scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and it can be easy to fall for “free Robux” or Fortnite skin swapping.

While gaming currency is digital, it can result in a real financial loss if your child is scammed. If you have an eager gamer on your hands, here are some tips on how to give them the “armour” they need to protect their digital loot.

Talk throughonline safety

Sit down and talk through the latest scams around such as V-Buck Generators or “Security Alert” spam emails. Explain how they should check with you before clicking on anything or sharing their login information.

Protect yourfinancial identity

If you have the GoHenry Plus plan, direct your child to the Level 2 and 3 “Money safety” lessons. These cover how to keep your information safe, how to spot a money-making scam and what identity theft is.

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Give your child the head start you wish you’d had, with their own smart money app and card. Get 2 months free plus £20 pocket money with code AFFFDR220.

Get started

Lesson 4: The “magic” of compounding

Gen A has its eyes on building wealth. While savings are a good start, the key to reaching the end goal is understanding the “magic” of compounding. Not just savings interest, but compound investment as well. This is the time to teach your children that what may seem like a boring savings habit can turn into future wealth.

Calculateinterest earnings

Start with making sure your child is earning interest. There are 2 ways to do this with GoHenry: you can either set up parent-paid interest, or if you have the Plus plan, your child can earn 3.20% AER on their savings. When the interest is paid, show your child how their savings balance changes. At the end of the year, try to sit down and show in the app how much interest they’ve managed over 12 months.

Discover thestock market!

Some adults struggle to explain investing and the stock market, but GoHenry’s Money Missions give a nice intro to investing and expand this out in Level 2 and Level 3 lessons. All of these are available on the Plus plan.

Girl with GoHenry card

Lesson 5: The 24-hour rule

Delayed gratification and “saving for later” is the ultimate power move when it comes to teaching your children how to spend. Adverts, trends and social media can pile on the pressure to buy the “must-have skincare” or a new “rare Roblox skin”, so it’s important to learn the difference between wants and needs.

Avoidimpulse buys

Teach your child the “24-hour rule” where you wait for a day after you’ve spotted something you like before purchasing it. This will help them to break the cycle of impulse buys.

Learn thevalue of money

Go further and direct them to Level 2 “Spending wisely”, which delves into value for money and resisting temptation.

The main lesson: You don’t need to be an expert, just a guide

You don’t need to be a financial expert to talk to your kids about money. There may be areas that you feel confident teaching, but there will also be some topics that you can explore together. The main thing is to make sure you keep talking and learning about money together.

Want to supercharge their learning? GoHenry’s YouTube channel now features 80 bite-sized Money Mission videos that make financial education fun and accessible for kids.

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GoHenry: where kids go to learn money

Kids learn to earn, save, spend and invest with pocket money, custom savings goals, gifted money from family and friends, gamified lessons and more. Give your child the head start you wish you’d had, with their own smart money app and card. Get 2 months free plus £20 pocket money with code AFFFDR220.

Join today!

*T&Cs apply. GoHenry Interest Savings is provided by Bondsmith Savings Ltd, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. The GoHenry card is issued by IDT Financial Services Limited, a principal member of VISA Europe.

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Editor

Kate Steere is an editor and money expert at Finder, specialising in banking, savings and fintech. She has previously written for The Motley Fool UK and Fitch Solutions, where she covered a wide range of personal finance topics and kept a close eye on market trends. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts in Modern History from the University of East Anglia. When not working, she can usually be found curled up with a good book or heading out for a run. See full bio

Kate's expertise
Kate has written 157 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Banking
  • Savings
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  • Credit
  • Payments

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