With all the cashless ways to use money in this day and age, it’s difficult to show kids the value of a dollar. Substitutes just aren’t the same. Do you sense the same satisfaction from earning an extra $500 when it is deposited directly to your account instead of visiting the bank with a paycheck? Would you buy that $20 sweater if you only had $15 in your wallet vs. pulling out a credit card? When a friend pays back via Venmo for a coffee that you bought with your parents’ money, do you still return the money to your parents?
The old adage is true:
It’s never too early to teach kids about money.
Before children enter the world of direct deposit, credit cards, and Venmo, get them acquainted with cash. What do bills and coins look like, how do you make change, how do you get money, and what choices do you have with money? If your children are still too young to do math, play a game of “pretend” with them. Run through the following exercises with just $1 dollar. Wouldn’t you rather have children learn with $1 dollar than make mistakes when dealing with much more money later on? Exactly. Start NOW!
Exercise 1: From Earning to Spending
Ask your children to create an ad for a product or chore task that you can buy for $1 dollar. Pay $1 dollar once the product or service is sold, and then ask them to spend that $1 dollar on themselves, whether it be for food or a toy. Challenge them to spend $1 dollar on something they need (like lunch), not something they want (like candy). Maybe they can find a way to get both?
Exercise 2: Saving Money
Give 50-cents to your children, and ask them to hold onto the money for a week. Tell them that you will double whatever remains at the end of the week. Each day that week, tempt them with a treat, such as ice cream, and charge 5-cents for it. If they can hold onto the entire 50-cents for a whole week, you will match all 50-cents, so that they are rewarded with $1 whole dollar at the end of the week. If they are tempted into spending down to the last 15-cents, you match 15-cents, so they end up with only 30-cents.
Exercise 3: Borrowing Money
This exercise is easier with an allowance, so let’s play out that scenario first. As the creditor, you offer to lend 90-cents, if your children deduct 25-cents from each allowance payment for the next 4 payments (totals $1 dollar to demonstrate interest charged on the 90-cent loan). Do they take the loan?
If there is no allowance to repay from, opting into the loan means your children agree to do one extra household chore every week for 4 weeks. If that chore is missed in any of the 4 weeks, the “credit score” takes a hit, which means no more loans. Was the loan worth it?
Homework: Try one or all of the exercises above. What lessons did you learn?
Ace Academy 