My kids have no concept of money. Sure, they are little but when my 4 year old had a dime and started to cry because his sister had a bigger “money” than him (she had a penny), I knew I had to look into a financial education pronto.
Money is one of those things we seldom discussed growing up. Aside from know it didn’t ‘grow on trees’ I didn’t know much about it…how to make it, spend it, or share it. I have always been a saver so keeping any birthday or Christmas money in a piggy bank made sense to me. I’d save it until I found something I really, really wanted. Even as a kid I held on to a dollar pretty tightly. (I’m still very…frugal now.) I’m finding that trait has not been inherited by my kids.
So, I found this guide from Sesame Street “For me, For you, For later” which goes into great detail regarding teaching even young children about the value of saving, sharing, and earning money. The guide showed me that money can be talked about easily and I can show my kids how to be financially smart with every quarter, dime, and nickel that comes there way. Even at 4 and 5 years old! And learning from Grover and Big Bird makes sense and is fun! It is never too early to start learning the value of a dollar!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Genworth Financial. As always, all opinions are my own.
I wish my parents would have set a better example with money or taught me how to save, because I spend spend spend.