Barefoot Kids is the latest and greatest book in the Barefoot Investor series from Scott Pape. It provides a “Head start” for Aussie kids in life and money management. In 6 steps and 45 inspiring stories, we learn strategies to build confidence, start a business, and manage money. This Epic Adventure is EPIC and potentially life-changing for many. Let’s take a look at Mr. Pape’s latest.
Here is a quick overview, feel free to jump ahead.
Scott Pape is the Barefoot Investor and he has been teaching Australians about money for years. He has worked hard to educate everyday people on how to be smarter with their money. His simple steps like “detonate your debt”, and setting up buckets to manage money works. And they have helped millions of Australians in the process.
It makes sense that Pape would write a Barefoot Kids book. The OG Barefoot Investor book was designed for adults who had no idea about money (like myself). And for people that were having serious financial problems (me again). The Barefoot Investor has been life-changing for so many people.
Barefoot Kids – The Verdict
Barefoot Kids is an amazing book that is a fun guide for children to learn about money, saving and investing. It’s written in the barefoot style, loaded with great illustrations on every page. And it has the occasional fart joke. What more do you need from a kid’s finance book?
Barefoot Kids provides a “Headstart” in life for kids who read it and follow the steps. It’s a must-have for all kids.
Why Barefoot Kids is a Fantastic Book
Barefoot Kids is a money adventure for kids. It is designed like a fun activity book loaded with pictures, information and lessons. Stickers are included to reward children as they progress. It is jam-packed with funny Barefoot anecdotes, jokes and inspirational stories. It comes in the classic Aussie, Barefoot style and is a fun read.
The book has a lot of ideas and examples of kids across a wide range of ages. They are all starting businesses, saving money and investing. These kids are amazing. And these money stories are empowering for any young reader to learn new things and take action. Pape is very encouraging, and he reminds the reader, “You are doing better than most adults”. And he is 100% correct.
Let’s take a look at a few big takeaways.
Barefoot Kids – Three Key Takeaways
- Old Fashioned Values are still Valuable
- “Old Fashioned” Values like Hard Work, the Value of a dollar and being kind to others are still valuable and important for children to learn.
- Learn Money Skills as a Kid for a “Head Start” in Life
- Money skills learned early, such as starting a business, and saving and investing money will help children gain confidence and they will get a “Head Start” in life.
- Kids Barefoot Buckets are Building Blocks for a Financial Education
- The Barefoot Investor buckets can be learned by children of any age and are the perfect way for kids to start their financial education.
Barefoot Kids Summary
The Book is a lot of fun and outlining some dot-points doesn’t do the book any justice. This is a must-read for any kids who are interested in money or parents who want their children to learn about money. Get a “Headstart” in life by reading this book.
1. Successful People are Hard Workers
Barefoot Kids starts from the very beginning. With a timeless lesson, “Money comes from working”. And those willing to work with a great attitude and put in the time will make money. And if you want “cool stuff”, you need to work.
This is a fantastic life lesson for any kid. If working feels like a punishment, empowering children to want to work is important. Hard work will get you everywhere in life. And Pape builds the perfect foundation for positive attitudes to earn money in the first two chapters.
And when the hard work pays off, it’s time to celebrate. It’s Pay Day, and this is where we introduce the famous Barefoot Buckets (for kids). The Splurge, Save, and Give buckets are back. Pape encourages the kids to Save money, but also Splurge a little, and have some fun. But also, give money to make people smile. And don’t forget that Grow bucket, which is covered later in the book when Pape explains compound interest.
Pape also warns the kids of how most grown-ups manage their money. Their buckets have a hole in them and money drips out until nothing is left. Unfortunately, this is how most grown-ups manage their money. And this is why they never have money.
This is where Pape encourages the reader, “This won’t happen to you (Barefoot kids), because of the handy Barefoot Guide”. And the kids reading the book “are smarter than that”. This is such a great lesson. And children learning how to manage their money better than most adults so early in life is amazing.
2. Build Confidence and Succeed with “S.E.A.”
Barefoot Kids is all about money management but it is also about building skills for life. This includes building confidence in our kids. And the confidence to speak up and have conversations with anyone as this is an important skill. Early on, Pape introduces a fantastic method for kids to improve their confidence.
SEA: Stands for Smile, Eye Contact and Ask Questions. This is the ultimate confidence builder for kids. This strategy is encouraged throughout the book to progress through the Barefoot Kids steps. This strategy will help any kids so they “don’t have to die of embarrassment when speaking to someone you don’t know.” It’s a great shortcut to “just remember SEA”.
And that confidence will come in handy for the next step…
3. Become a Barefoot Boss – Kid Entrepreneur
Confident kids can do anything. And that includes being a “Barefoot Boss.”
This section of the book is exciting (for kids). It encourages kids to start a business. And the book has various examples of kids of all ages, making money with their own businesses. From online stores to dog walking, the stories are inspiring. Every example details how much money the kid made and how easy or difficult the business was to set up. So then your kids can use that example as a template to start their own business.
Pape is also very encouraging for kids who may be scared or unsure about starting a business. And the main benefit isn’t about making money, but to “learn loads of stuff”. By using the SEA strategy and a “Six P Plan” to plan out a business idea found within the book. With these skills anything is possible. And the best part is, these skills will set up any kid for future employment.
As Pape points out, most businesses like Mcdonald’s will hire nervous 14-year-olds with no experience, skill, or confidence. Pape says it best, that any kid that follows the Barefoot Kids steps and starts a business will succeed in any job because…
“You’re brave. You are organized. You’re confident and you know how to talk to people. You are the boss of your OWN BUSINESS.”
Most adults probably remember being nervous and having no skills starting their first casual job. Now imagine starting a job as a teenager after completing the Barefoot Kids steps. Full of confidence and experience. It’s unbelievable and that idea alone is why this book is MUST READ for all kids.
4. Learn the Value of Money and Get a Bargain
Why pay top dollar for anything? When you can buy most things “dirt cheap”?
A valuable lesson for Barefoot Kids brings back the old-fashioned idea that “Good as new is better than new”. Kids don’t need to pay top dollar for toys or bikes. Buying used items is cheaper and you get more value for your money. Because…
“We’ve all been brainwashed to think expensive = better”.
The book has a “Top 5 Tips to be an Online Shopping Superstar”. And Pape points out that garage sales and op shops are great places to buy some seriously good stuff, super cheap. There are various examples of kids buying bikes and a Nintendo Switch at bargain prices.
Placing value between hours worked, money made and money spent is important. And that attitude to find something cheaper, to get a bargain and shop around is a skill that will serve any child well in the future. And when they roll into a store and see something at full price, they won’t just buy it. The Barefoot kids will know they can get it cheaper, they will tell the store “They’re dreamin’.” And then get it cheaper elsewhere.
5. Learn to Be a Generous and Kind Person
Making and saving money, Investing and bargain hunting are all great. But then Pape brings it all home with the secret to happiness. It’s not all the money we make and save, it’s about making people smile and making a difference.
Teaching our children to be good human beings, and to think of other people less fortunate is fantastic. And the ultimate lesson, “The stuff you buy doesn’t make you happy. Helping People makes you happy”. And that GIVE bucket is super important and even as a kid, earning a little bit of money, it is still possible to give a little something and feel amazing. So why not create that generous spirit in children? And build behavior in our children to be generous and give to others less fortunate. That is the gift that keeps on giving.
The Barefoot Kids Pre-Order came with an exclusive Beyond Barefoot 10 Year Anniversary PDF. Read the Beyond Barefoot Review which was a fantastic PDF.
Final Thoughts
The Barefoot Kids book is a fantastic entry point for any children to learn about money. It is fun to read, and inspiring and it plants the seed for hardworking, smart, money-savvy kids. Scott Pape has written the perfect book to make sure your kids get a financial education, a hard work ethic, and the smarts to succeed in life.
In years to come, children won’t say they were “dollarmite” kids. They will say they were “Barefoot Kids” and they didn’t repeat the money mistakes of their dumb parents. They learned all about hard work, entrepreneurship, saving, investing, and being kind.
Barefoot Kids is the ultimate Headstart in life for Aussie Kids.
