Why Can't We Just Print More Money? Inflation for Kids

Why can't a country just print more money and hand it out, so that everybody has enough? It sounds like an obvious fix to poverty, and most adults cannot explain what is actually wrong with it.

This family-friendly show for kids answers it without economics jargon. It is about the difference between money and the things money is for. Money is a promise that you get a turn at something real: an apple, a seat, a place on a team, a house. Promises can be printed in an afternoon. The real things take a season, or a year, or a decade.

In this episode:

• Why "just print more money" sounds like an obvious fix to poverty, and what is actually wrong with it
• The difference between money and the things money is for
• Money as a promise that you get a turn at something real: an apple, a seat, a place on a team, a house
• Why promises can be printed in an afternoon while the real things take a season, a year, or a decade
• The kids test the idea against places they already know, and argue with their dad about whether it is fair
• The two questions worth asking any time someone says more money will fix a problem: is there more stuff, and if not, how long would it take to make some?
• A country that printed anyway, and what its money was worth by the end

Best for ages 7 to 12.

Junior Boardroom is a family podcast where kids break down business, money, and how the real world works. Hosted by Raina (10), Devin (8), and their dad Mel. More at juniorboardroom.com.