CHILDREN'S AUTHOR AND YOUNG KIDS TALK MONEY
Over the last 20 years in financial education I have had the unique opportunity to talk to thousands of young people about money, from age 4 to 24!
Even though a truckload of research reveals young kids are "little learning machines," adults routinely underestimate their ability to acquire knowledge. (See Related Read 1).
This seems to be particularly true when it comes to the acquisition of money knowledge. Consider schools for example. For a long time, they had concluded the appropriate age to begin teaching kids about money was 4th grade!
WHOA! By 4th grade children may already have a 4 to 5 year relationship with money that probably started around age 3 or 4 with the "Gimmes."
IF you underestimate or do not believe your child or student has the ability to grasp basic personal finance concepts like saving money, than do one or both of the following.
One, begin to observe, listen, and notice your children and students thinking, feelings, attitudes and associations related to money. Do it early. Do it beginning at ages 3 or 4.
Find out what seeds are being planted in their heads and hearts.
Ask yourself, if what they are learning and what money habits may be beginning to take root are consistent with your values and well known strategies that will place them on the road to having more financial security, freedom and well-being in their lives.
What these observations will probably reveal are: (1) learning has begun; and (2) your children and students are beginning to form behaviors toward spending, over-spending and over-consuming goods that have the power to enslave and dis-empower them for a significant portion of their lives.
On the other hand, they may surprise or amaze you, as my conversations with Natalie and David did for me. (See videos below)
Two, start planting your own strategic seeds into their thinking and feelings. Use short sentences to do it. I like to save money. It is smart to save money. Saving money is fun. You get the idea.
Remember, be patient. Take tiny steps daily. They add up. They compound.
Keep in mind repetition builds skills and mastery. Education is a process. And specifically, financial education, is a process that has many phases. Ideally, it will never end.
If you want or need resources to get started or to supplement and "fun up" your learning strategy, be certain to check Sammy Rabbit's resources. You will find some at the bottom of this blog and throughout SammyRabbit.com.
TAKE A LISTEN AND VIEW OF THESE TWO VIDEOS
We invite you now to take a listen and view of the two following videos with Natalie and David. Both were age 4 at the time of recording.
They provide the answer to an important and often discussed question within the financial literacy, parenting and education communities -
WHEN SHOULD YOU START TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT MONEY?
At much younger ages than many realize!
4 YEAR OLD NATALIE
4 YEAR OLD DAVID
Parting Thoughts
Reality demonstrates daily, we live in a hyper consume now, consume more than you can afford environment that targets children from birth. One thing this means, is if parents do not take conscious control of educating their children about money, someone else will. And the operative words here are - "conscious control." Because reality also reveals, the shaping of kids attitudes, feelings, habits, and thinking, in other words their financial education, is going on all the time whether we recognize it or not.
Ironically, some, if not most of that financial education, for better or worse is coming unintentionally from parents. If adult financial literacy statistics are anywhere near accurate, by and large, that can not be a good thing for kids.
Here is the good news. Parents can make a choice right now, this very moment, to change that dynamic. They can choose to take charge of their children's financial education. There has never been a time in history when it has been easier for parents to access excellent financial education resources for children of all ages, including those age 3 and 4.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SAMMY
To discover more about Sammy Rabbit, check out and test some of his resources! Obviously, we love them. And there are good reasons for it, like:
-They are field tested
-They have been proven effective repeatedly
-They are easy, time efficient and fun to us!
CONTACT SAMMY!
Contact Sammy to learn more about his strategic approach to early age and family financial literacy education.
CLICK to use our website contact form or email us at: contact@SammyRabbit.com
RELATED READS
(1) Time Magazine. Infants Understand More Than You Think, Study Shows
(2) The Money Advice Service. Adult money habits are set by the age of seven years old shows new study
(3) Financial Education Entrepreneurs - The Sammy Rabbit Story