What is barter?

Trading without using money is called barter.

Imagine you have a toy car, and your friend has a chocolate bar. You both want what the other has. Instead of using coins or paper money, you just give each other what you have, you trade your toy car for the chocolate bar. That’s barter!

It's like when you swap snacks at lunchtime. If you have a cookie and your friend has a juice box, you can say, “I’ll give you my cookie if you give me your juice box.” No money needed, just a simple trade.

Sometimes people don’t have money, but they still want to get what they need. So instead of buying it with coins or bills, they use things they already have, like food, toys, or tools, to make the trade.

Barter is like trading your favorite snack for a friend’s game, no money, just fun!