Teaching Money Management to Young Children
Kids catch onto the importance of money in life pretty quickly as they watch us use it. The way to show your child the value of a dollar is by teaching them the different ways a dollar is used.
Begin When They're Young
Begin explaining to your child how money works from a young age. It's important for kids to know you get money by earning it. Items (or services) in life are given in return for money, and the value or worth of that item varies according to the seller. If you do not have enough money, you can not purchase the item.
You also want to talk about the significance of saving money. Tell them that a kid with a few bucks can buy candy that they will eat right away or a toy that will break because it is cheap. Next explain that if that child saves the money and adds more to it over time, they will be able to buy something with more value that will last a little longer.
Have A Savings Plan
To develop a savings plan, help them decide on a percentage they can save each time they earn money. Ten percent is a good amount to work with since all they have to do is move the decimal point one place to the left. That will help them to see that for every dollar they earn, ten cents can be saved. You can also show the other examples too.
Make sure that they know that the account is not for the better short-term item, but for a "rainy day", a car or even their college fund. With the remaining 90% they get the candy or "better item" that you previously told them about. This principle is a good way to teach the about child being discipline and saving for long-term savings; like when they want to buy a house or retirement when they're grown.
You already know that a six year old could really care less about saving for an emergency or even driving a car, but they will be able to see that saving ten percent over the years adds up. This teaching is a good for when they get their first job because they will already know about putting some money to the side.
You can also share with them about putting some money to the side to give to a charity they are interested in. Concepts like this teach them even more about managing their money.
As Your Child Grows
Once your child is old enough, take them down to the bank to open a savings account in both of your names. Take them to the bank once or twice a month to put so that they can deposit their savings. When the bank statement comes sit them down and show them how money is grows with the help of interest.
Interest is a huge part of using money. Either it'll make you pay more than what your item was originally worth (credit) or it can help you make more money. Teenagers need to understand that unless you can pay off that debt within 30 days, you'll actually be paying more for your purchased item.
One of the best ways to teach about how good or bad interest can be is by role-playing. You can find an item your teenager wants to pay for with a credit card as an example. Make a chart showing that by only making the minimum payment, it will take longer and cost more because of interest.
You can even switch it by taking the number of months it will take to pay off the debt verses the interest they would earn with a savings account if they save money for the item they want. The amount of interest may not be much, but you want them to see that if you save money to purchase the item, you pay only that amount and there will be no interest to pay along with it.
When children understand how money works they'll (hopefully) be more inclined to use responsibility when making money decisions.
Begin When They're Young
Begin explaining to your child how money works from a young age. It's important for kids to know you get money by earning it. Items (or services) in life are given in return for money, and the value or worth of that item varies according to the seller. If you do not have enough money, you can not purchase the item.
You also want to talk about the significance of saving money. Tell them that a kid with a few bucks can buy candy that they will eat right away or a toy that will break because it is cheap. Next explain that if that child saves the money and adds more to it over time, they will be able to buy something with more value that will last a little longer.
Have A Savings Plan
To develop a savings plan, help them decide on a percentage they can save each time they earn money. Ten percent is a good amount to work with since all they have to do is move the decimal point one place to the left. That will help them to see that for every dollar they earn, ten cents can be saved. You can also show the other examples too.
Make sure that they know that the account is not for the better short-term item, but for a "rainy day", a car or even their college fund. With the remaining 90% they get the candy or "better item" that you previously told them about. This principle is a good way to teach the about child being discipline and saving for long-term savings; like when they want to buy a house or retirement when they're grown.
You already know that a six year old could really care less about saving for an emergency or even driving a car, but they will be able to see that saving ten percent over the years adds up. This teaching is a good for when they get their first job because they will already know about putting some money to the side.
You can also share with them about putting some money to the side to give to a charity they are interested in. Concepts like this teach them even more about managing their money.
As Your Child Grows
Once your child is old enough, take them down to the bank to open a savings account in both of your names. Take them to the bank once or twice a month to put so that they can deposit their savings. When the bank statement comes sit them down and show them how money is grows with the help of interest.
Interest is a huge part of using money. Either it'll make you pay more than what your item was originally worth (credit) or it can help you make more money. Teenagers need to understand that unless you can pay off that debt within 30 days, you'll actually be paying more for your purchased item.
One of the best ways to teach about how good or bad interest can be is by role-playing. You can find an item your teenager wants to pay for with a credit card as an example. Make a chart showing that by only making the minimum payment, it will take longer and cost more because of interest.
You can even switch it by taking the number of months it will take to pay off the debt verses the interest they would earn with a savings account if they save money for the item they want. The amount of interest may not be much, but you want them to see that if you save money to purchase the item, you pay only that amount and there will be no interest to pay along with it.
When children understand how money works they'll (hopefully) be more inclined to use responsibility when making money decisions.
About the Author:
Laura Nelson-Smith is the resident editor of Career & Finance at http://www.Schmoozins.com - an online magazine for women that gives all women a voice. Join us as a contributor, schmoozer or just hang out a while.
posted by Debt Consolidation Loan at
12:10 AM
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