Tiny CEO
A first adventure with money,
shared with someone who loves you.
This little book belongs to
A maker, a saver, a giver.
The more you understand money,
the more you get to choose
your own adventures.
Three short adventures, to read together. Take your time. One adventure is enough for one day.
Meet your three friends
The planner
Curious, kind, and quietly brave.
The trying-it-out kid
Warm and brave enough to get it not-quite-right.
The keeper of stories
A grandmother who remembers the small, important things.
Mila opens. Luna leads. Finn tries things out.
You. You are the one who chooses what to do next.
Three short kitchen-table moments. No test, no homework, no wrong answer. Your warmth is the active ingredient.
A moment for the grown-up
What did you grow up believing about money?
I grew up believing money was…
Whatever you write, your child is learning from it, too.
Hello, my dear. Come and sit by me.
I want to tell you something I have never told anyone before.
Sit close. Let your child set the pace. There is no rush.
When I was a little girl, about your size, I made something with my own hands.
I gave it to our neighbour. And do you know what she did? She gave me something back. Something small and round and shiny.
If you want, tell your child about the first time you made something. It does not have to be perfect. The point is the moment.
Wait, so the neighbour gave you money? Just for the small thing you made?
Where does money come from, Mila? Does it just appear?
Ask your child: where do you think money comes from? Listen to whatever they say.
Oh! I wonder… does money come out of the machine in the wall? I see my mum and dad get it out of there. Is that where it comes from?
Hmm. The machine gives money. But where did the money in the machine come from?
Oh! … I do not know.
If your child has wondered the same thing as Finn, this is the page where they get to feel "I am not the only one." Do not point it out. Just let them notice.
Money does not just appear, my dear.
Money comes when one person makes something, or does something, that another person is happy to pay for.
I made my small thing. The neighbour was happy. So she gave me a coin. That is where my first coin came from.
Ask your child: what do you think Mila made for her neighbour, that made the neighbour so happy? Let them imagine it. The idea underneath is simple. When you make something good for another person, that is how money comes to you. You do not need to explain more than that.
What about you?
What is something you love to make?
Ask your child: what do you love making? Drawings? Songs? Towers from blocks? Things you build with me? Anything counts.
Your turn
If your child cannot write yet, write the words for them. Or let them draw it instead. There is no wrong way to fill this page.
That sounds wonderful.
Now, who could you make something for? Someone who would be really happy to have it?
Listen to who they name. This is information about who matters most to your child right now. It is precious.
Make something
This is the heart of the adventure. Draw with your child if they want company. Or sit beside them and let them work. There is no rush.
Look at what you made! That is amazing!
You are a maker.
That is what makers do. They make things that other people are happy to have. That is how making turns into money.
Read these lines slowly. Let them land.
How does it feel,
knowing you can make something
a person you love
would be happy with?
This is the most important question of the whole adventure. Do not rush the answer. If your child says "I do not know," sit with it. The feeling is enough. They do not need to name it.
End of Adventure One
You are a maker.
That is the first beautiful thing
a person gets to know about money:
that you can make it appear,
by making something other people love.
Read this aloud. Then close the booklet for today. Tomorrow, ask your child what they want to make. Watch what happens.
The grown-up reading this with you might have a coin for you today. A real one. A small one.
It is for something you have already done, something that mattered to them.
Hold it. Then keep it safe. You will need it for the next adventure.
My first coin came from…
Optional. Pick one specific thing your child did that mattered to you. Tell them the real story. Give them one small coin. Name the value they brought.
Hello again, my dear. Come back.
I have another story for you.
A new sitting moment, maybe a quiet afternoon, maybe a different day. There is no need to do all three adventures in one go.
When I was a little girl, just a bit older than you, there was something I loved more than anything I had ever seen.
My pockets were empty. So I started a tiny jar at home. Every coin I earned, I dropped inside. And I waited.
If you remember saving up for something when you were small, share that story now. The longing matters more than the thing.
You waited? For something you really loved? How long did it take, Mila?
What is something you love so much you would wait for it?
Ask your child what they would wait for. Listen. There is no right answer.
I waited many, many weeks, my dear. And every time a new coin dropped in the jar, I felt a little flutter of happy. Because I knew it was getting closer.
Saving is not waiting for nothing. Saving is choosing what you love most, and patiently bringing it nearer.
This is the heart of saving: that the waiting itself can feel good. Read it slowly. Let it land.
Oh! If I had a coin I would spend it right away! A sticker, a sweet, anything!
Mm. And then? When you saw the thing you really loved?
Oh! … My pocket would be empty.
Finn is fine. He just notices and tries again. If your child has thought the same thing, this is where they get to feel "I am not the only one."
What about you?
Is there something you love so much
that you would wait for it?
Help them find one thing: a toy, a book, a small thing for someone they love. Anything counts. Whatever they pick, that is the right answer.
You get to choose
I would wait for…
There is no wrong choice here. The whole point is that your child gets to decide. That is what it means to be the boss of your own money.
That is something worth waiting for.
Now, let us make a jar that is just for you. A jar to hold the coins on the way, starting with your first one.
Find a real jar at home, any small one will do. An empty jar is perfect, anything you have at home. Decorate it together using the next page as a planning sheet.
A real jar, decorated by you
My jar is for…
Every time you save a coin, colour one in. Watch them grow.
Plan the jar here, then decorate the real one however they like. Keep the booklet near the jar so they can colour a coin in each time. Seeing it fill up is the reward.
Look at your jar! It is beautiful!
You are a saver.
That is what savers do. They choose what they love most, and they wait for it.
Read these lines slowly. Let them land.
How does it feel,
knowing you can wait
for something you love,
and that the waiting itself
is part of the joy?
Sit with the answer. Even "I do not know" is enough. The feeling is what matters, not the words.
End of Adventure Two
You are a saver.
That is the second beautiful thing
a person gets to know about money:
that you can choose what you love,
and quietly, patiently,
bring it closer.
Read aloud. Then close the booklet. Put the jar where they can see it every day. Watch what happens.
Hello once more, my dear. Come and sit.
I have one last story for you.
This is the third and last adventure. Take your time. Nothing about today needs to rush.
When I was a little girl, I had something I loved. And I had a lot of it. More than I could ever use myself.
Nearby, there was someone who had none at all. So I took some of mine, and I gave it to them.
Ask your child: what do you think Mila had so much of? Let them imagine it. The thing does not matter. The sharing is the point.
You gave some away? Just like that? And it felt good, Mila?
What about you? Is there something you have, that you could share?
Let them think. Do not steer them toward a "right" thing to share. Whatever they name is the right answer.
It felt wonderful, my dear. Better, even, than keeping it all for myself.
When you have more than enough, you get to share. That is one of the most beautiful things you can ever do with what you have.
This is the heart of it: giving can feel even better than keeping. Read it slowly. Let it land.
Oh! But if something is mine, I want to keep it ALL. Every last bit!
All of it? Even if someone right beside you had none?
Oh! … Maybe I could share a little. And see how it feels.
Finn is fine. He just changes his mind. If your child wanted to keep it all too, let them feel "I am not the only one."
What about you?
Is there something you have a lot of,
that you could share
with someone who would love it?
Help them find one thing they have plenty of. A few sweets, some toys, a handful of something. Plenty makes sharing easy.
Your turn
Their drawing or your words, whatever helps. Let them choose what to share, and who for.
That is a wonderful thing to share.
Will you give some of it to them today, with your own hands?
Today, help them actually give it, hand to hand. The real moment is what they will remember, not the page.
A small promise
Help them fill it in. Let the words be theirs. Then make sure the giving really happens. A promise kept is the whole lesson.
You shared it! Look how happy they are!
You are a giver.
That is what givers do. They share what they have, and they make someone else happy.
Read these lines slowly. Let them land.
How does it feel,
knowing you can make
someone else happy,
just by sharing
what you have?
This is the last reflection of the booklet. Sit with whatever they answer. The feeling is the gift.
End of Adventure Three
You are a giver.
That is the third beautiful thing
a person gets to know about money:
that you can share it,
and giving can feel
even better than keeping.
Close the booklet for today. Tomorrow, when you see your child share something, name it: "Look, you are a giver."
I am a maker.
I am a saver.
I am a giver.
Read these three lines together. Let your child say them out loud, in their own voice. The noun is the gift. They get to be these things, not only do them.
The line that runs through everything
The more you
understand money,
the more you get to
choose your own
adventures.
This is the line that runs through every Be Your Own CEO product: from this booklet, to MiniCEO at age 8, to the adult Money Journey. It is the line your child gets to live their way into.
You did all three adventures
This is to celebrate
your name
A Tiny CEO
I am a maker.
I am a saver.
I am a giver.
Be Your Own CEO
Write your child's name on the line and read the three lines out loud. This is their graduation: they get to keep being a maker, a saver and a giver.
When you are ready
When you turn eight,
there is a bigger adventure
waiting for you.
It is called MiniCEO.
Until then,
may you be a maker, a saver and a giver,
every day.
With love,
Dr. Zanna van der Aa
Founder · Be Your Own CEO
Thank you for being the someone who walked this with them. It will mean more than you know.