It’s never too early to start teaching your children the importance of money management. From pre-schoolers to adult kids, understanding financial fundamentals like saving, investing, and budgeting is crucial for creating healthy money habits. Here are the most effective activities that will help your kids learn about finances in a fun and engaging way.
1. Earning allowance
To introduce the value of money to your children, you can provide an allowance as payment for some chores. There are many apps, like BusyKid, that can be of use and will help gamify the whole experience. It’s an easy-to-use platform that teaches the importance of investing, making donations, and learning financial responsibility from an early age. There are many other useful apps, so check out the payday loans online app, especially if you are looking for a loan app.
2. Open a bank account
As with every other piece of advice on this list, this option is age-dependent. For instance, if you have younger children, consider introducing a piggy bank to teach them about finance and saving in a more tactile and hands-on way. On the other hand, older children will benefit from opening their own bank account, as they will learn about money management and banking, as well as keep their money from birthdays and other occasions in one place.
3. Encourage a summer gig
Summer jobs offer an excellent opportunity for your kids to learn hands-on about the importance of work, gain experience, and develop soft skills. There are many options, like baby and pet sitters, mowing loans, or weeding the flower beds of your neighbors. It’s also worth teaching responsibility and encouraging your child to save a portion of their paycheck and not to splurge immediately on a new must-have.
4. Gamify the experience
Online and board games offer a wonderful opportunity to introduce money management and financial literacy skills to your kids. From playing money and plastic coins to lemonade stand pretend shopping games, there are many ways to make the experience fun.
Another game worth mentioning is Monopoly. After all, there is a reason why this board game has been a popular source of entertainment for many decades. Children and adults alike will have to count and pay attention to prices, do the math, negotiate with other players, and strategize. Monopoly Junior is a simplified version of this game available for younger children.
5. Introduce them to the basics of investing
Investing is one of the activities that should be taught from an early age. Minors can’t have their accounts, so consider opening a custodial account at a brokerage on their behalf. They can choose which stocks to invest in, gain a sense of ownership, and learn the importance of wise financial decisions.
To sum it up, it is pivotal to ingrain financial literacy and a conscious approach to money from an early age, as it will help build up healthy monetary habits. Luckily, there are many ways to go about it, ranging from Monopoly and play money to encouraging summer gigs and starting investing early on.