How to create a child investment

Teaching children about money early sets them up for life. Whether you’re in Nairobi, Lagos, or Accra, helping your child understand how investing works — even in a simulated environment — builds habits that last. KiddyCash lets you create a child investment inside your family account: a practice investment that mirrors how real markets move, without putting real funds at risk. If you’ve been reading about why allowances matter for modern families, this feature takes that thinking one step further.

What is a child investment?

A child investment in KiddyCash is a simulated market position linked to your child’s wallet. It tracks a chosen asset — like a stock or fund — and shows your child how their “investment” grows or shrinks over time based on real market data. No actual money is traded. Think of it as a flight simulator for finance.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

  • A KiddyCash family account with at least one child added
  • Your child’s wallet set up and active
  • Completed KYC (identity verification) on your parent account — required before investment features are unlocked

If you haven’t explored how allowances work as a family financial tool, it’s worth a read before introducing investments — allowances and investments work well together inside KiddyCash.

Steps to create a child investment

  1. Open the KiddyCash app and log in with your parent account credentials.

  2. Go to your family dashboard. Tap Family in the bottom navigation bar, then select the child you want to set up an investment for.

  3. Navigate to the Investments section. Inside your child’s profile, tap Investments, then tap Add Investment. You can also go directly to the investment creation page here: Create a child investment.

  4. Choose an asset. Browse the available assets — these may include simulated shares, index funds, or savings bonds depending on your region. Select the one you want your child to track.

  5. Set a simulated amount. Enter the amount your child is “investing.” This figure is used to calculate simulated returns. You can denominate it in KES or your local currency. For example, enter KES 1,000 to simulate what that amount would look like invested in the chosen asset.

  6. Add a goal (optional but recommended). Give the investment a name and a target — for example, “School trip savings — KES 5,000 by December.” Goals make abstract numbers feel real for children.

  7. Assign a learning badge (optional). KiddyCash can award your child a badge when they create their first investment. Toggle this on if you’d like to mark the milestone.

  8. Review and confirm. Check the asset name, simulated amount, and goal. Tap Create Investment to save.

Your child will now see the investment in their wallet view, updated with live simulated performance data.

What happens next?

Once the investment is live, your child can watch it change day to day — a practical way to spark conversations about risk, patience, and growth. You can learn how to track performance in how to view a child investment, or make changes anytime by following how to edit a child investment.

If your child sends money via M-Pesa and wants to allocate part of it toward their investment goal, you can adjust the simulated amount at any time from the edit screen.