We were sent Before Personal Finance: A Beginner’s Guide to the Future from Timberdoodle Co. for out honest review!
Financial literacy is a crucial life skill, and Before Personal Finance: A Beginner’s Guide to the Future is an excellent resource for homeschooling families looking to instill solid financial habits in their children early. Designed with younger students in mind, this curriculum offers an engaging, age-appropriate introduction to personal finance concepts while laying the groundwork for future financial understanding.

Who Would Benefit from This Curriculum?
Before Personal Finance is ideal for elementary-aged children, particularly those in 4th grade and up, looking to grasp the basics of money management. Homeschoolers using the Timberdoodle Co. 4th-grade curriculum kit will find this included resource a perfect fit for teaching early financial literacy. The program is approachable for young learners and gives them a head start in understanding how finances impact their future, making it a wonderful addition for families who prioritize practical life skills in their homeschool.

Why Financial Literacy is Important for Children to Learn at a Young Age
Teaching financial literacy early provides children with a framework to understand the value of money, budgeting, and saving. Starting young helps children develop responsible habits before they face real-world financial decisions, allowing them to practice good money management in a low-stakes environment.

By introducing basic concepts—like earning, spending, and saving—at an early age, children can grow up understanding the importance of financial planning. This knowledge helps foster confidence and security when they eventually have to manage their own money as adults. Moreover, kids who learn these skills early are more likely to avoid financial pitfalls later in life, such as debt accumulation or poor spending habits.
Benefits of Early Financial Knowledge
Early exposure to personal finance offers several long-term benefits, including:
- Responsibility: Children who understand money early are more likely to grasp the concept of earning and spending wisely.
- Planning and Goal Setting: Learning how to budget encourages young people to set goals and work towards them.
- Foundation for Future Learning: The basic financial skills they develop through Before Personal Finance prepare them for more complex topics, such as investing, debt management, and career planning later on.
- Empowerment: Financial literacy empowers children to make informed decisions about their financial futures, enabling them to avoid common mistakes.

Teacher Materials: Free and Accessible
One of the key advantages of this curriculum is that the teacher materials are free and easily accessible. Homeschooling parents can download these materials through a link provided in the student workbooks, making it convenient to access lesson plans, guides, and additional teaching aids. This thoughtful inclusion ensures that parents or teachers are equipped with the resources they need to guide their students through the material effectively.
For Older Students: Check Out Our Review of Beyond Personal Finance: Online Edition
For families with older students ready to tackle more advanced financial concepts, we recommend checking out our previous review of Beyond Personal Finance: Online Edition for Self-Paced Learning for Teens. This next-level curriculum is perfect for teens and covers complex topics like investing, credit, taxes, and career planning. The self-paced format makes it easy for teens to explore these subjects in-depth while learning at their own speed.
Before Personal Finance: A Beginner’s Guide to the Future is a valuable, beginner-friendly curriculum that serves as an essential building block for future financial learning. Its inclusion in Timberdoodle’s 4th-grade kit makes it accessible to homeschooling families who want to start teaching these critical life skills early. With free teacher resources and a thoughtful approach to educating young learners about money, this curriculum is an excellent way to set your child up for long-term financial success.
For families with teens, be sure to explore our review on the Beyond Personal Finance curriculum for the next step in financial education.











