Money Talks- Teaching Kids Without Lecturing
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.
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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.
