Money Talks- Teaching Kids Without Lecturing

money and life talks

Hi there! This is a new series I’m testing out that shares money and life reflections from the week. If you enjoy the series, please leave a comment below so I know to keep it going. Thanks!

Today, I thought I’d share an interesting phenomenon in my household. It highlights a couple of cool things:

  • The power of your environment
  • A great way to teach kids without lecturing

*Bonus: It was low effort and free!*

The Set Up

In January, my kids were home A TON. So much so that I decided to pick up nonfiction books at the library while we were there. (So their brains didn’t turn to mush) One was a money book for kids – but I went for variety too.

money talks February
There’s a spy book floating around somewhere too

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I told them about the stack and to check it out when they got bored. And that was it.

Fast Forward 2 Days

My 12-year-old son tries to become a millionaire by finding a rare penny in our coin jar. He fails, but succeeds in making a huge mess. I eventually realize this came from the money book in the stack.

I am both amused and annoyed.

Fast Forward a Week (Maybe 2)

We’re driving from an activity, and out of the blue, he asks why people use credit cards.

BINGO. What followed was a fun discussion about credit cards, debt, investment managers, and even real estate investing. None of which was brought up by me.

Books are great because:

  • You and I don’t know everything. Maybe we can learn something new with our kids. Or contemplate from a different perspective.
  • Kids listen half as much if they think you’re lecturing. By getting direct input elsewhere, my son listened and asked many more questions.
  • And when would I ever bring this up? It’s not like people go around talking about credit cards.

Have the 9 and 5-year-olds picked up this book? Nope. But I have a feeling if I keep picking up books like this they’ll eventually get curious enough to check it out. And then maybe we can have a totally random conversation in the car.

That’s it! Until next week friend. Have a great weekend 🙂

You can also check out:

  • Thankful Thursday: A series about gratitude and feeling abundant.
  • Monthly Money Moves: I share 5 real-life applications as a mom, business owner, household financial manager, and writer.
  • 3 Point Thursday: The short weekly newsletter full of inspiring wealthy woman ideas.

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