Guest blogger Carol Ehlers is a Human Sciences Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
Wondering about the right time to talk to your kids about money? Children learn about money from many sources. Long before they enter school, they see adults using money and buying things. They see thousands of commercials each year. Like it or not, money is a part of your preschooler’s life.
What children witness affects their attitudes and how they value money. Some of these beliefs will help them as adult consumers and some will not. For example, they might get the message that saving is important or they might not.
As a parent or guardian, you will not be the only influence on what your child learns about using money. But when you daily reflect on basic lessons about money, you increase the chance that your child’s values will be similar to yours.
Simple activities and other resources, which are parent and child tested, can give ideas for:
- Teaching how money works and what it can do;
- Talking about how your family uses money; and
- Modeling good money management.
Here are some tips and ideas for parents to use with their preschoolers to begin increasing their money management skills:
- Encourage play that helps preschoolers think about money. This helps children learn about daily consumer choices. For example, play restaurant, supermarket, post office, bank, gas station or car wash.
- Use games to help your child identify coins and values. Ask the preschooler to help you count out the money as you purchase items together.
- Talk about work. Preschoolers can learn that some family members go to work to earn money for family needs such as food, clothes and the home. Preschoolers can learn that other family members work at home so that the family does not have to buy some good and services like laundry, cooking and yard work.
- Share information. Talk with your child about how money is earned, paying for expenses and saving money. A good gift for a preschoolers to start learning this concept is a three part container with slots that are labeled SAVE, SPEND, And GIVE. There are some great examples on the internet.
Money as You Grow, from the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) offers wonderful research-based guidance and financial learning activities for parents and caregivers of young children, and older children too.
The FDIC provides a range of resources for consumers, including free parent guides for four different age groups, including Pre-K through Grade 2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. Their page also features podcasts and games. (The parent guides are two-thirds of the way down the page).
