Get kids into the spirit of giving
October 30, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Christmas, Holiday Thrift, children's activity
For holiday gift giving, kids sometimes need a little push. I’m not a fan of giving gifts galore, but that’s mainly because I’m interested in more meaningful and less expensive holidays. That said, I also think it’s smart to include your child in what gift giving you do participate in, because kids tend to get, get, get during the holidays, so a little giving can go a long way at forming their mindset about the holidays. Also, this creates a good opportunity to discuss money and budgeting issues.
How to pull it off:
Give each child a set budget for gifts. I …read more
Why paper cash and coins are smart for kids
August 17, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under children's activity
Kids see an endless amount of plastic cards being used to pay for everything from groceries, to toys, to household goods, but they rarely see cash anymore. Older kids even get pre-filled debit cards from their parents to use vs. cash. The problem is this sets up kids to consider money as something that arrives in an endless supply so long as you don’t lose the card.
If you consider a small child’s point of view, it makes no sense where money comes from if you only see people pay with cards. It also makes less sense if you don’t explain …read more
Teaching Little Ones About the Budget
April 11, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Kid Stuff, children's activity, family
In my life I’ve met two sorts of parents – the type who teach their kids about money and budget from the get-go, and the type who act like the household budget is the devil in disguise; sure to corrupt a small child. I don’t agree with the latter.
I’ve heard all the excuses…
“I don’t want my kids to worry about money issues – they should be having fun.”
“There’s no way my kid will understand.”
“The budget is an adult issue.”
“It’s too personal to discuss with the kids.”
And so on and so on.
I’m more of the mindset that the family budget is …read more
