ON THE MONEY TRAIL is a project for children, teachers, parents and for all that hold an interest in financial education. The project's main goal is to create an interactive learning eBook for the financial education of pre-school children (3 to 6 years old) - ON THE MONEY TRAIL eBook - that will be made freely available Europe wide. ON THE MONEY TRAIL is a project promoted by 5 organisations belonging to 4 different European countries and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme.

The most common definition of financial literacy is the ability to make appropriate decisions in managing personal finances. It refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances. Financial literacy provides greater control of one’s financial future, more effective use of financial products and services, and reduced vulnerability to overzealous retailers or fraudulent schemes (OECD, 2009).

The constant evolution in the financial, economic, demographic and policy landscape, as well as gradual risk transfers to individuals, has turned financial literacy into a key life skill in today’s societies (OECD, 2016). As such, financial education should start as early as possible (ideally in kindergarten and primary schools) and last at least until the end of the formal curriculum and, to the extent possible, the end of high school. (OECD, 2012)

In the EU, financial education has become an increasingly important topic, especially since the 2008 financial crisis. As a result, in recent years, many Member States adopted national strategies for financial education. However, despite the OECD recommendation to start financial education ideally in kindergarten and primary schools, few are the European examples of structured approaches to the financial education of younger children.

The OnTheMoneyTrail project expects to close this gap and contribute to the early start of financial education in school and at home, by providing an easy learning approach accessible to teachers, parents and other educators. This innovative approach relies on an interactive learning eBook designed for use in formal, non-formal and informal learning contexts and that will be initially available in 5 different languages – English, Croatian, Italian, Polish and Portuguese.

The eBook will be complemented by a Facilitator’s Guide that can help educators maximising the learning opportunity provided by the interactive learning eBook.