Bitcoin Forum

Ordinary money is physical like a coin. Bitcoin is like a coin stored on a computer, it is computer money.

When you see ordinary money on a computer, it is basically physical money that is in a bank. But computer money is actually on your computer.

With ordinary money, the government decides how much money there is.  With computer money, a computer formula tells you how much money there is.

With ordinary money you almost always know who you are doing business with. But with computer money you don't need to know who the person is, you just need to connect to his computer.

With ordinary money the government can easily tell how much money you have and how much money you should pay the government, because that money is in a bank. With computer money it is difficult since that money is on your computer.

With ordinary money you need to pay a fee when you send money because the money has to go from one bank to another and those banks have fees. With computer money you don't need to pay a fee because the coins go directly to the other person's computer.

So with ordinary money you need governments and banks, but with computer money all you need is your computer!

This isn't quite true anymore, but it is the closest approximation of the truth I think that would make sense to a small child.

It is true! It's just not the full explanation. Follow up talks should include how bitcoin is created, how transactions are confirmed, etc.

The only comment I'd remove is this one...


The government can subpoena bank records but you make it sound like it's regular course of business. No government is looking at my bank account, and if they are they aren't telling me how much money to pay in taxes - i need to calculate that number on my own! Taxes and bank records are separate things.

You're on to a good start here!

dont explain bitcoin to a small child, its not good for them

MI don't think that to explain bitcoin to a little child is an uphill task, even though the child may not understand or fully comprehend the blockchain terminologies.
You can start by explaining fiat , tell the child that fiat money can be felt and used to purchase goods and services world over while bitcoin is not physical money and so cannot be felt.
And can only used I carrying out transactions within the Cryptocurrency space.

Your assumption is right for small children, that bitcoin is money on a computer and can tell small children that bitcoin can be used to buy games on the internet or buy toys, so they will keep it for a long time until they get the games and toys.

Yes, i am agree with you on that. And if you try to explain the bitcoin to a child, he would never understand it because no one can explain that to him. Even we really don't understand the all system as well. When i try to tell something about the BTC to someone, sometimes i can't answer the questions which asking to myself. Yes i know about the blockchain system and know many things about the BTC and the cryptocurrency but i can't asnwer all questions for sure.

There is no use for explaining bitcoin to a small child, they are not going to have anything to get through the kyc process! Bitcoin needs to be easier to obtain before children can use it

You tell them you are paying their pocket money in BTC but there isn't anywhere they can actually spend it.

Children has different attitude and status in life mate their are some child that want to find earnings to help their families,for me its better to tell a child who is in need instead of going to the street to get a income here in Bitcoin they will spend their time to get a income and to help their families and pay their school fees and also they will get a lot of knowledge in Bitcoin.

Your suggestions are good, but I have a better idea,

You first tell them that all electronic money is just a reflection of numbers in some computer. So when you do a payment with say your credit card, then the credit card companies subtract the money electronically from your account to the account of the person your are paying.

Now Bitcoin is the same thing, with a small and very important difference. Bitcoin transactions does not go through a Bank or a credit card companies computers. It goes through 1000s of computers on the internet, where the changes are reflected and verified by other people on the internet. <electronically>  ::)

Well by sending bitcoin, you are now required to pay a very small fee.

In short you can tell a kid that bitcoin is a computer money that you can send to others computer wherever they are in this world.

To be honest, I believe that practical knowledge is the best solution to explain Bitcoin and blockchain technology to kids. We have seen Australia has introduced Crypto to primary grade students in their academic curriculum. You can give little demonstration along with an explanation in easy to understand language. Make sure that the kid is understanding what you are trying to explain.

I agree, for me to learn about crypto / bitcoin takes weeks to know just in surface, not the core yet. I still need to learn more.

Little kids are going to be teaching You about this stuff not the other way around

I don't think a small child has much to do with bitcoin but the simple definition of bitcoin is that is can be transferred from one person they sender to the other person the receiver through there wallet

Kids lecturing adults on the bitcoin,did you really just say this,even most developers haven't fully understood the bitcoin and the blockchain technology to the latter.

I wouldn't even recommend the bitcoin to be taught to children just yet, it could be brought up to them maybe in their college years,when they probably could assimilate much better,and be wise when using the network

Why do you need to explain bitcoin to a small child?

Bitcoin and any cryptocurrency is very dangerous and too much people try scam by creating phising and fake website to steal your assets. Small child should not try anything dangerous to make it sad. They are not sure to keep save their asset or that private key to any people.

Seriously? Even if you explain step by step what is bitcoin to a small child still they dont have interest on it, a child will be a child dont force them to learn a thing that still beyond of thier knowledge

Same way you explain Bitcoin to an average adult.

In fact that's how lots of stupid projects sold their shitcoins to fully grown adults.

How do we explain a BITCOIN to a small child?

Simple.

Magic Internet Money!

It's not so hard to understand, they just don't want to learn more about it and denies interest about bitcoin and blockchain.

When a kid actually don't have any knowledge about the fiat or crypto then we can introduce them to cryptos much easily because they will just accumulate what we are showing to them.But for using cryptos we no need to have extensive knowledge just having the knowledge of reading and using smartphone will be enough.

I think you should move the topic to Bitcoin Discussion, not here.
In my opinion, bitcoin is bitcoin, no matter which price it has at specific timepoint, 1 BTC is always 1 BTC, nothing more, nothing less.
It's easily visible fact, everyone can see it.
Explanation what bitcoin is for children, I don't see reasons to do this.
Do you explain what is sugar, salt to children?
Of course, sometimes but such explanations on sugar, salt are not essential things/ definitions that children should know.
What they care and should care about is functionality of sugar, salt for their body's health as same as the benefits bitcoin can bring to their lives.
That's all.
Teaching them, giving them guide to use bitcoin and get benefits from bitcoin for their daily lives.

That is a good analogy to compare the use of smart phone in every day life in the present day, it might not necessarily be the case when it comes to financial things, how many kids know about internet banking and other banking related services, i am sure only a small percent will know these things, but with major online adoption we will see a massive change.

If a new user is planning to invest in bitcoin, they need to use fiat currency first and they invest according to the price valuation according to their local currency too.

You will explain these basic things to kids when they are small, there will be a time when they are curious about everything and that is how kids are. ;)

Why don't you explain bitcoin to your children once they grow up? And tell them that these holdings can make you go rich in the future and give your bitcoins to them.

Maybe I will say this:

"Hey kids, let me tells you. In the future, our paper money will be change into digital like what your dad pay to buy your toys in malls. You see that your dad doesn't use paper money, but your dad uses the money inside his phone and transfer the money to that store. You can imagine how this will makes your life more simple. You don't have to carry paper money everywhere, you only load some money on your phone, and it's enough to pay everything you want."

That is just an example of what I will tell my kids. I don't want to explain to details because they don't need to know, all they care is play, and we should support them. If they want to know what I did, I will explain that your dad works from trading, watching the price up and down.
If you want to know about bitcoin, then you need to go school until you graduate, don't forget to learn about technology because technology will grow bigger than now and that is what your world will be in the future.

The topic would have been better this way "how do you explain bitcoin to a layman"
Well bitcoin simplified is digital money or currency that can be transferred from one individual to another

Let the child grow and only after he have 15-16 years explain how bitcoin work, because even if he understand what you say he may fail to take protection and can lose bitcoins.

Simply tell them:
Bitcoin is the next legend in human civilization, just after Gold in human history.
That's all you need to say to your kids.
If there is no demand to explain what is Gold to children, there will be no demand to explain what is Bitcoin to them.

The different between the paper money and the bitcoin is the activities that one under go before carrying out it transactions because the bitcoin is operated base on the internet and by computer coding and bitcoin is the digital money which is operated on the internet and does not have physical representations.

Why should we explain small children about bitcoins, kids should not worry about money, so I see no reason for explaining them about it. 
Kids know digital money from all their games, they know they can earn them from doing things in their games, and spend them on upgrades.

A simple way to explain it cut be something like this.
The bitcoin blockchain is just a way to keep account of the transaction between the owners of bitcoins. So when I send you one bitcoin then the miners who keep account of the blockchain has to agree that now I have one bitcoin less and you have one bitcoin more.

For the first time i find you answer helpful lol 😂

I have been disagreeing with most of your post here as i find you anti bitcoin(sorry for the term but thats the way i see it)

But I believe that this must not be explain for smaller child in which they don't need this at those ages(unless small child for OP is secondary level lol)children should think only on what to play and not how to Earn or to be tech at young age.we once a kids also and we know that playing is what we need than learning things that required for older people

Small child dont see reality as you do, for him all he see first is normal.
So if you say Bitcoin is money, it is money for child more real than actual FIAT money. Its digital? Its normal its digital, old fashion money is not digital.
See my point? :)

Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency, dominating the crypto space with its blockchain technology and its scarcity. Bitcoin was created in 2009 by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, who might be an individual or a group of people. It works on a peer to peer network, where no intermediaries are involved. It is the digital currency, which aims to exclude intervention of any third parties, while you are transacting.

It is gaining adoption and some people have started using BTCs in real time, like buying a Lamborghini or buying a mansion. It's easy as well as advanced. Once you understand the technology behind it, you will definitely embrace the beauty of this digital currency.

Bitcoin prices are surging that too at a greater pace. It is trading at $5,277.62with a 4-month high. The ever-fluctuating Bitcoin made many involved in the price forecast of Bitcoin.

If years to come, my children become adult and I become elderly, I will say them about bitcoin. To keep it briefly, I simply say "Let me tell you about a legend, namely bitcoin. I give you a key word, now, you can start find out what is bitcoin". That's it, but I believe if that day come, my children might even understood about bitcoin and blockchain technology better than me.

There are many ideas you can use for example you can use board games or are you can go for any role play games. There are many options you can try as because the child loves to play and they do not care about what type of games as long as they are interested in playing it. I think children should have a small introduction free course on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their schools should I get a basic idea about what digital assets are and how they work just like what they learn about banks.

I think you are not asking us question, you are telling us answer that how to convince to people who don't know about bitcoin, even he is a child or man.
But you are telling right, Bitcoin is a computer money, because we earn it from computer. So better to tell about bitcoin in a short sentence that it is a computer money.

I can not agree with those, who tell that children should not know about cryptocurrency. Financial literacy, especially for Z generation, should start from the childhood. Yes, first time the child would definitely make mistakes, but he will thank you when he will grow up and will know the basics. You can start explanation as a game, "explanation on apples".