Reading sets kids up for a lifetime of learning and imaginative fun, but books can cost quite a bit if you buy them all from retail shops. Luckily for parents on a budget, there are tons of ways to find cheap or free books for kids.

Whether you decide to borrow or buy, you can keep your children’s home library stocked with classics, learning tools, and the latest story titles.

Never Underestimate the Local Public Library

A library card is a must-have tool for parents. Even in the least funded communities, you can find books to borrow there. Let your children explore the shelves, get help from the librarians, and visit every week for new options. You can also take out movies, games, and other learning materials at many locations.

Libraries also have book sales semi-regularly throughout the year, at least at the largest branches. All the books will be used and have stickers related to circulation, but are still in good enough shape to enjoy at home with your kids. If you wait for the last days of the sale, you may even have ‘Buck a Bag’ pricing, although other shoppers will pick over the selection before you.

Free Children’s Books Around Town

Check your neighborhood for Little Free Libraries, too. These are set up by home or business owners as places where folks can trade out books of any kind. Remember if you take one, you should leave one behind so someone else can enjoy it.

As great as free libraries are, kids thrive when they own their own books and can read and look at them repeatedly. It’s also important to encourage your kids to read in the age of social media and growing technologies. The following list covers the best places to buy children’s books new and used. Never shy away from pre-loved books in good condition.

Freecycle, Buy Nothing Groups, and More

If you’re looking specifically for free children’s books and are ready to drive across town to pick them up, you cannot go wrong with these localized platforms set up online. They all work basically the same way. You browse offers from other people in your area or create a ‘looking for’ or ‘wanted’ post describing your interests. Then, if anyone has it, you contact them directly and set up a time and place for pickup.

Be as descriptive as possible when making your post without making a specific shopping list. While you can ask for particular titles, it might seem more like you expect gifts that way. Try something like: Wanted: children’s picture books in good, readable condition for a boy who loves cars and animals.

If you’re fine with ebooks for your kids, check out Project Gutenberg, the International Children’s Digital Library, and Open Library websites. These offer classics and other favorites that are 100% free and often out of copyright due to their age.

Cheap Kids Books at Real World Retail Book Stores

These often represent the first choice that comes to mind when you think about buying children’s books. It’s great to have brand new volumes of the latest stories. However, their discount or sale racks may offer only a few titles that your kids may not want. You will have to battle their urge to go for the full-price racks and ask for things you can’t quite afford.

Always remember that new is not necessarily better when it comes to books. As long as everything is intact, clean, and free of writing or scribbles, your child can enjoy the story just like someone else who loved the book before them.

The Best Places to Buy Used Children’s Books

Book Price Comparison

Price comparison websites are a great starting point when you’re hunting for affordable kids’ books. They gather offers from multiple sellers, allowing you to quickly see who has the best deal without checking each site individually. A book price comparison platform like BookScouter or DirectTextbook lets you search by title, author, or ISBN number and often organizes results by price. It’s one of the fastest ways to find cheap new and used books online. The only drawback is that, while these sites are very convenient, they can’t quite replicate the fun of in-person browsing and discovery.

eBay, Mercari, and More

Turn to the standard online local shopping and delivery sites to find decent-quality used children’s books—and even parenting books. Unless you’re interested in collectibles or rare books, you are more likely to find lots of similar genres or even series. Sellers offer bulk sets because listing and shipping them out is much easier. This is a great way to get something your kid will love. Plus, when you buy used children’s books this way, they can also experience the fun of unpacking the box when it arrives.

Marketplace and Other Social Sites

Local social media pages like Facebook Marketplace work a lot like the freebie groups mentioned above, except you have to pay for the items you find there. You can still post ‘wanted’ or ‘looking to buy’ messages on some. Setting up an alert for children’s books or scanning the platforms frequently to find what you want might make more sense. In the end, you probably can’t rely on sales sites like this to stock your entire home library. You might get lucky occasionally with an exciting new package to surprise your little ones.

Local Used Book Stores

Some towns and cities have used book stores that you can visit in person. Add back in the excitement of browsing shelves and experiencing the thrill of picking a new favorite book out and bringing it home. This can help your sons and daughters grow a love of books and reading because the process becomes more exciting. You can find some very inexpensive options at these shops, and some may even offer bulk discounts.

Reading is a fundamental skill that all children must develop, and it helps with tons of things beyond simple understanding of the written world. When you find the best places to buy cheap kids’ books or seek out free ones online or off, you share your own love of reading with the next generation.

The internet can enrich a child’s life in so many wonderful ways. It’s a tool that helps them stay connected with loved ones or expand their social circle. It can teach skills or life lessons and set a child almost anywhere in the world on a life path thought unimaginable a mere generation ago.

For all its benefits, the internet is also full of risks. Innocent and eager to expand their horizons, children are the easiest to take advantage of and obtain sensitive data from. In this guide, we cover how to approach online sharing and prepare your kids to be responsible, safe netizens.

What should you encourage them to share?

Merely enforcing cautious behavior and scaring kids with the consequences isn’t helpful and can potentially cause older ones to grow rebellious. Instead, adopt a measured approach that steers them to use the internet responsibly.

For example, you can encourage little ones to talk with vetted friends they know in real life or discuss their interests and opinions in kid-appropriate spaces. Let creative kids share their drawings, photos, etc. with others, provided these don’t expose anyone’s identity or specific information about the child, like the school they attend.

What should not be shared?

Make your children aware that sharing some information is harmful and can have long-lasting consequences. These conversations can be awkward if forced, so try to weave bits of advice in every so often during more casual talks.

Emphasize that no one except people you both know and trust has any business knowing any identifiable information about them. That includes:

• Their real name and address
• The school they go to
• Any information related to savings or joint checking accounts, if they’re older
• Online account information & passwords
• Whereabouts & travel plans

There are limits even when communicating with trusted individuals. Even if you delete something later, copies, screenshots, or cached versions might still exist somewhere. Basically, the internet doesn’t easily forget — and your kids should know that.

Helping Them Navigate the Internet

Younger kids who are dipping their toes into the digital space are the easiest to direct. You can put together a list of age-appropriate websites that will provide lots of fun and activities while helping them grasp the basics of navigation and device use.

But as kids grow, so does their curiosity and individuality. They might start seeing guardrails as obstacles, while your well-intentioned monitoring methods might be seen as an invasion of privacy. Of course, you shouldn’t give parental control up completely. Still, you will want to start equipping your child with the wisdom and tools to stay safe.

Telling good websites apart from harmful ones

Sooner or later, kids realize there’s more to the internet than Roblox and social media. The good news is that you have a major say in what websites and how they should pursue next. Teaching them what to look for and what to avoid will inform their lifelong behavior and corresponding risk.

So, how do you check if a website is safe? While it doesn’t strictly need to be age-appropriate, a website should be suited to a general audience. You can consult the top ten lists and read user reviews to narrow the search down.

Visit prospective websites together with your kids and point out any red flags you encounter. These include annoying and sketchy pop-ups, sign-up forms that ask for details other than a username and password, and unrealistic or misleading claims.

Ingraining positive security habits

Limiting data exposure might be essential, but it’s just one out of several positive habits kids should be building.

For example, as they get older, children will start creating personal accounts for various websites and games. Finding the best password manager available and teaching them how to use it from the start will eliminate all the potential trouble weak or reused passwords can cause later.

Teach them to always look for a lock next to a website’s address since that means it encrypts user data and makes interactions much more secure. If your child uses social media, go over the privacy settings together and make sure only people they’re friends with can view their profile.

Teach them not to engage with unsolicited messages or click on suspicious links. Make them aware of various types of online scams, especially those targeting minors.

Lastly, encourage tech savviness by helping kids lock their devices down. Have them set up biometrics on phones and passwords for their laptop or PC. Show them how to enable automatic updates and scan for viruses to keep their devices and data safe.

Conclusion

Current parents have grown up during a time when distinctions between one’s physical and digital life were clear. The line between the two is much blurrier for kids today, making timely and appropriate guidance all the more impactful.

Teaching children and teens about money management from an early age is necessary for developing their financial responsibility and literacy. A youth savings account is the ideal tool for this education, allowing young people to learn the value of saving and the reward of seeing your balance increase with interest.

It’s essential to explore the best savings accounts for teens and children, highlighting the key aspects parents should consider. Knowing about interest rates and fees, while identifying and using related educational features, can all encourage your child’s financial journey.

Methodology for Selecting the Best Savings Accounts for Kids and Teens

Choosing the best savings accounts for your kids and teens involves considering several key factors to ensure an informed decision. To start, evaluate each type of account based on factors such as its Annual Percentage Yield (APY), monthly maintenance fees and minimum balance requirements. Then look at age accessibility, parental controls and any unique educational tools or features that will enrich your child’s financial literacy.

Consider a diverse mix of accounts — national banks, credit unions and fintech solutions can all provide savings facilities that could meet your family’s needs. After considering these factors, you’ll feel more comfortable selecting an account to help your child save and teach them beneficial money management skills.

The Best Savings Accounts to Suit Your Youngsters’ Specific Needs

Whether your priority is financially educating your children and teenagers, showing them the immediate benefits of saving, or making their journey into savings as hassle-free and convenient as possible, savings accounts that cater to your needs exist. The accounts listed below provide noteworthy starting points for your youngsters.

1. Members 1st Federal Credit Union — Best for a Lifelong Financial Savings Journey

Members 1st Federal Credit Union stands out as the best choice for fostering a lifelong financial journey for kids, thanks to its innovatively tiered Youth Club savings structure. Designed for various age groups, these tiers — the Kids 1st Club (ages 0-12) and iMember Club (ages 13-19) — evolve as your child grows, affording them age-appropriate financial education and engagement opportunities. The Kids 1st Club allows branch and digital banking options, with a complimentary piggy bank for your child upon opening an account with a $5 minimum deposit.

Your child gets to choose a toy from the treasure chest every time they deposit $5 or more. Teens opening an iMember Club account also only need a $5 deposit, which can qualify them for a checking account and a Visa debit card. The Members 1st Federal Credit Union Youth Club program emphasizes financial education through your local branch or MyConcierge™ services, ensuring young members develop essential money management skills.

With its tiered approach, 1st Federal encourages first-time savers to learn and grow under its expert financial guidance, advancing through the tiers as they mature. Upon reaching adulthood, they can utilize Members 1st’s familiar expertise and services throughout the following years.

Key Youth Savings Features:

• Parental-monitored, tiered Youth Club savings
• Low minimum deposits
• MyConcierge™ and branch financial education

2. Capital One — Best for High-Yield Interest with No Fees

Capital One has a Kids Savings Account that is an outstanding option if you’re looking for a straightforward, high-return savings solution for your children or teens. With a competitive 2.50% APY, this account allows your young savers to maximize their incomes without the burden of monthly fees or minimum balance requirements to maintain their savings account status. For these reasons, this savings account is an accessible choice for parents aiming to plant good saving seeds in their kids early on.

In addition to its attractive interest rate, the Capital One Kids Savings Account has parental controls and digital tools that make monitoring your child’s savings activity easy. These helpful tools enable you to discuss financial priorities with your children at the source, allowing you to address saving and budgeting with them while directly referencing their accounts. While your teenagers currently have no access to an ATM card through their savings account, opening a MONEY Teen Checking account provides this option, helping them manage their money independently.

The Capital One Kids Savings Account remains a popular choice for families seeking a high-yield savings account for kids, without the added hassle of monthly fees.

Key Youth Savings Features

• High APY
• No Fees or minimum balances
• Parental controls and digital tools

3. Alliant Credit Union — Best for Preteen High-Yield Savings

The Alliant Credit Union Kids Savings Account is an exceptional choice for your younger children as they learn to save and build their balances. It offers a high APY of 3.10% on balances over $100. This competitive rate allows your kids to watch their money grow after they reach the minimum amount and earn 15 times the bank industry average in interest. If you want to encourage your children to save money, the Alliant Kids Savings Account provides additional motivation for developing good financial habits early on.

Alliant even covers the initial $5 deposit needed to open the account, removing any financial barrier for families embarking on their child’s savings journey. As long as your child is 12 and under, you can ensure they can benefit from high-yield savings during their formative years.

However, once your kids become teenagers, they must transition to an Alliant Teen Checking Account, which also offers a savings option. In the meantime, the Alliant Credit Union Kids Savings Account is a proactive and effective way to encourage financial literacy and responsible saving among your growing preteens.

Key Youth Savings Features

• High APY on amounts over $100
• Initial deposit covered
• 12-year-old age limit targeting preteens

4. Fidelity — Best for Teenagers Ready to Invest

Fidelity stands out as an effective alternative for teens aged 13-17 who are ready to advance their financial education further. The Fidelity Youth® brokerage account facilitates saving, spending and investing in stocks and funds for your adolescent, providing an all-around platform for young investors. With Fidelity, teens can learn about the stock market and hone their investment skills under their parents’ guidance, making it an excellent educational tool.

The Fidelity Youth account highlights parental supervision, so you can monitor your teen’s investment activities while urging responsible decision-making. You require no minimum balances and there are no account or subscription fees. This brokerage account allows your teen to invest as little as $1. However, it’s important to note that the Youth account is not a traditional savings account — it involves risk due to fluctuations in investment values.

The account allows your growing teenager to learn and understand the dynamics of investing, preparing them for a financially savvy future. Overall, the Fidelity Youth account is an advanced option for teens keen to explore the investment world and gain valuable financial knowledge under their parents’ guidance.

Key Youth Savings Features

• Investment options
• Parental oversight
• Educational value in investing

5. Current — Best for Mobile Banking

Current is an ideal choice for your teen if they’re looking for a contemporary, app-based solution to learn how to budget and spend responsibly. Although not specifically designed for young savers, this innovative platform empowers teenagers to manage their finances effectively through a user-friendly mobile app that provides real-time insights into their spending habits.

Instant payment notifications keep your adolescent informed about their transactions, and parental controls allow you to set spending limits and monitor your child’s spending. Additionally, Current offers automated allowance payments, which simplify managing your teen’s finances.

However, the basic savings feature earns no interest, and the service operates as a subscription-based model.

Despite this, Current still provides a valuable educational experience for teens, helping them develop introductory financial skills in a digital age. With Saving Pods offering a 4% annual bonus for reaching annual goals, Current carries an incentive to save. Overall, the fintech company is an excellent savings choice if you want to equip your teenager with the online tools they need to navigate their modern financial future with confidence.

Key Youth Savings Features

• Modern app-based mobile banking
• Instant notifications
• Parental controls for spending limits and automated allowances

Youth Savings Account Comparative Table

The following comparative table can provide you with the direct comparisons you need to make informed choices about your kids and teens’ savings platforms. Please note the following:

• APY: The APY varies by account type and balance.

• Fees and subscriptions: Most featured savings accounts have no monthly payments, but some may require an initial deposit or be subscription-based.

• Debit Cards and online banking: All accounts offer online banking, but debit card availability varies. Although Fidelity’s account is primarily for investing, it also provides savings options.

Educate Your Kids and Teens With the Top Youth Savings Accounts

Selecting one of the top youth savings accounts is a step toward encouraging financial literacy and responsible money management in your children and teens. With options ranging from high-yield savings accounts to investment platforms, you can find the perfect fit for your child’s specific savings needs and goals to empower their secure financial future.

Students at Brooklyn Friends School experience education through classroom arrangements that deliberately reject traditional hierarchies. Many learning spaces feature circular seating patterns that transform how children interact with both curriculum content and each other, reflecting the institution’s commitment to honoring each child’s contributions.

“Many of the classrooms at Brooklyn Friends School are circular or are like amoebas in their design of the classroom, in the physical design of the classroom,” explains Head of School Crissy Cáceres. “You might have to look around to find the teacher. Where? They’re not at the front of the room, where are they? They might be on the floor. They might be in the hallway connecting with the teacher about something while the children are collaborating on something.”

Physical arrangements reflect deeper pedagogical beliefs about how children learn most effectively. Brooklyn Friends School, founded in 1867 and serving students from age two through 12th grade, builds its educational approach on the Quaker principle that divine light exists within every person.

Children as Primary Teachers

Cáceres credits students as her most important educators throughout nearly three decades in education. Her perspective challenges conventional adult-centered approaches to curriculum development and classroom management.

“Children are unfiltered in the most beautiful of ways. They are able to sense energy and body language uniquely so,” Cáceres observes. “80% of what we say, we say with our body language, and a child knows if you are there in support of them, they know if you believe in them, they know if you’re taking them seriously.”

Understanding shapes how Brooklyn Friends School develops student voice. Research indicates that students who believe they have voice in school demonstrate seven times greater academic motivation than those who feel unheard, according to studies from the Quaglia Institute for School Voice and Aspirations that inform the school’s practices.

Children’s capacity for recognizing authentic adult engagement creates accountability for educators. “Children have taught me that their voices should never ever be less than those of the adults,” Cáceres states. Classroom practices at Brooklyn Friends School reflect this principle, with teachers actively soliciting student perspectives and modifying instruction based on children’s responses and needs.

Responsive Pedagogy in Practice

Brooklyn Friends School implements what Cáceres describes as “malleably responsive” teaching that prioritizes human connection over rigid curriculum adherence. Teachers receive training and support to adjust lessons based on students’ emotional and academic needs on any given day.

“There could be a math lesson that’s happening and the next day there might be a test. But if a child comes in really despondent and in need of attention, the teacher will absolutely pause, prioritize that, perhaps call the student aside and have a conversation,” Cáceres explains. Faculty members learn to balance academic objectives with students’ social-emotional wellbeing.

Evaluation systems, which Cáceres describes as “beautiful and tender,” reflect this human-centered focus. Faculty members receive three classroom observations before April, followed by reflection conversations and collaborative journaling exercises. Growth and development take precedence over judgment or compliance in these processes.

Professional development at Brooklyn Friends School extends beyond teaching faculty to include all staff members. “Everybody gets exposed to the professional development at BFS because everybody is in service to the needs of children,” Cáceres notes. Comprehensive programming ensures consistency in how adults interact with students throughout their school experience.

Student Agency and Dream Partnership

Cáceres views children as “dream partners” whose aspirations and concerns provide direction for institutional priorities. Brooklyn Friends School transforms how it responds to student requests and advocacy efforts based on this perspective.

“Children might do that in the context of learning about it. And when I first got here, people talked to me about that as a warning, ‘Crissy, the kids might come and ask you for protests, the three-year-olds, the five-year-olds, the 12-year-olds, the 18-year-olds,'” Cáceres recalls. “And I said, ‘That’s amazing.’ They’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘That’s my favorite.'”

Student activism at Brooklyn Friends School reflects the institution’s commitment to social justice education. Rather than discouraging political engagement, the school provides structures for students to research issues, develop proposals, and advocate for change within both school and broader community contexts.

Children’s advocacy efforts typically focus on improvement rather than destruction. “Children always have a need because they think it will make something better,” Cáceres observes. “They never come and say, ‘Do this because it’s going to be hurtful, do this because it’s going to exclude.’ Children always have a need because they think it will make something better.”

Student engagement patterns inform how Brooklyn Friends School develops curriculum and policy decisions. Student input influences everything from dining options to academic programming, creating authentic opportunities for civic participation within the school community.

Collaborative Learning Environments

Circular classroom models at Brooklyn Friends School create conditions where students learn from each other as much as from adult instructors. Peer-to-peer learning reflects Quaker beliefs about the capacity of each person to contribute meaningful insights.

Faculty methods support this collaborative environment. “They are always more curious than certain, and so they don’t bring forth demands. What they bring forth are wishes and hopes and dreams in the context of what they believe is going to be for the betterment of something,” Cáceres explains about student contributions to classroom discussions.

Teachers receive preparation to facilitate rather than dominate these collaborative learning experiences. Faculty members develop comfort with uncertainty and student-directed inquiry rather than relying on predetermined lesson outcomes.

Brooklyn Friends School’s commitment to student voice extends to conflict resolution processes. When behavioral issues arise, students participate in restorative conversations where they identify their actions, consider impacts on others, and develop plans for different choices in similar future situations.

Measuring Success Through Student Development

Brooklyn Friends School evaluates its educational effectiveness through long-term outcomes rather than standardized test scores or college admissions statistics. Cáceres defines success by examining graduates’ life choices and community contributions as adults.

“The success is what are the ingredients within their life’s walk, it is what would they define as core and important,” Cáceres explains. “The measure of our success is who they are as 30, 40, 50, 60-year-olds in the world, it’s who they are and continue to be in relation to the privileges that they hold.”

Character development and social responsibility take precedence over traditional academic metrics in this perspective on educational outcomes. Brooklyn Friends School seeks to graduate students who utilize their advantages for positive social impact and consider how their decisions affect others’ lived experiences.

Student voice development prepares children for lifelong civic engagement. Through classroom participation, advocacy projects, and conflict resolution experiences, students practice skills necessary for democratic participation and community leadership beyond their school years.

Category: Education