We posted recently about the importance of teaching children about money by handing them physical cash rather than transferring it in the virtual world. And one of the best ways to encourage saving is to be able to see your savings mounting up in a trusty piggy bank. But the traditional piggy bank has been joined by hundreds of new incarnations, all promising different ways of making saving fun and educational. To save you searching through hundreds of web pages, we’ve brought together five of the best ones for you – so you can save your time as well as your money!
The cute one
The best way to encourage saving is to make it fun, which is exactly what this delightful money box does. Place a coin on Crafty Cat’s dinner plate and watch as he pops up and takes your money. Kids and adults alike will love this adorable moneybox.
Peers Hardy Crafty Cat Bank: £11.99, amazon.co.uk
The arty one
Here at The Financial Fairy Tales we love teaching financial responsibility through creativity. Which is why we love this paint-it-yourself piggy bank. Complete with paints and brush, your kids will love coming up with their own designs, encouraging them to take pride in their savings.
The Dream World Piggy Bank: £6.99, smythstoys.com
The practical one
What better way to foster a savings habit than to watch your money adding up as you go along. This coin counting jar automatically registers the value of each coin added and tots up the total on its digital display. This clever contraption helps coin recognition and also encourages regular saving as children can see how close they’re getting to their savings target.
Peers Hardy Coin Jar: £14.95, amazon.co.uk
The ‘secure’ one
The perfect choice for the high-tech child or those with a mind for safety, those clever people at the Science Museum have come up with this touch screen safe. Accessed with a 4 digit pin number, this is a great way to teach lessons about security, and an easy way to introduce the safe use of pin numbers.
Science Museum Touch Screen Safe: £35, sciencemuseumshop.co.uk
The magic one
Encourage your kids to save whilst sparking their curiosity with this clever optical illusion. Coins dropped through the slot in the top appear to magically disappear. Sure to be popular with all budding magicians, your child will enjoy figuring out the secret behind the box (spoiler: it’s all to do with mirrors). Whilst the mechanism for the optical illusion means there is a rather limited space for coins, this is still a fun way to spark a discussion about saving habits.
Magic Money Bank: £4.99, amazon.co.uk
