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Money Lesson 2 Parents Should Teach Kids: Dream Big
Updated

Teach Kids to Dream Big and Take Aim. They are Great Habits

Parents, when children have a clear aim, they can achieve amazing things—things that truly matter to them and that they genuinely want to accomplish!

The right dreams make all the difference. They inspire. They motivate. They drive behavior. They help kids delay gratification, say "no" when needed, and do things they find difficult.

How can you tell if a dream is truly the right one? It’s simple: kids (like adults) are willing to invest their time, stay organized, and make intentional choices—including smart money decisions—to pursue it.

Without meaningful dreams or a clear direction, children are more likely to feel lost, uncertain about their purpose, and may end up wasting both time and money.

Why

I'll never forget what dad used to say to me: "It takes just as much time and energy to dream big as it does to dream small. So dream big—and take consistent, small steps to achieve your big dream."

Dreaming big and aiming high are great habits, especially if they are supplemented with clear goals, written plans, and action on those plans. Toss in some measurements to evaluate progress and you have what Sammy Rabbit refers to as "smart dreaming!"

Here are three big benefits of teaching kids to dream big:

  1. "Smart dreams," the right dreams, drive our desire. They provide us with purpose. They inspire us to action. They get us to work. They get us to invest effort and energy. They get us to sacrifice.

  2. Smart dreams not only earn our interest, they give us the opportunity to build and grow our skills and competency. They call on us to do our best. They help us to discover who we can become and what we are capable of accomplishing. They develop our grit, resiliency, and confidence to build on success as well as how to learn and rebound from failure.

  3. Smart dreams help us find "extra" within ourselves to conquer difficult challenges. Extra focus. Extra discipline. Extra determination. They provide us the strength to make difficult choices, like saving money, delaying gratification, and prioritizing our spending on what we truly value. They help us make better choices with not only our money, but our time as well.

When

We recommend introducing the idea of dreaming big to children as early as possible—ideally around ages 5, 6 or 7. This is a golden stage of development when kids are naturally curious, imaginative, and open to new ideas. It’s the perfect time to begin planting the seeds of confidence, purpose, and possibility.

When children are encouraged to dream big from a young age, they begin to see themselves as capable, creative, and full of potential. Early exposure to goal-setting and dreaming helps shape their mindset, builds self-belief, and teaches them that with effort and small, consistent steps, they can turn big dreams into real achievements.

Just like financial education, building a dreaming habit takes time and reinforcement. Be patient, be positive, and keep the conversations going. You’re helping your child build a lifelong foundation of hope, vision, and motivation.

How to Start. 3 Easy and Fun Steps

Have kids:

  1. Listen to the song Big Ol' Dream!

  2. Have children complete the activities associated with the song and start their own Sammy Rabbit Dream Big Journal.

  3. Make a deposit with your child or children into a piggy bank, savings jar or into a savings account at the financial institution of your choice. Repeat weekly.

Access song and activities | lyrics and discussion question | Sammy Rabbit Dream Big Journal actities

Keep Kids Learning, Growing, and "Becoming"

Let's get kids financially literate, dreaming big, and becoming everything they are capable of becoming. Here is what you can do to educate, empower, and elevate children:

  • Collaborate and partner with Team Sammy on '1' financial education strategy in your community. See our Menu of Project Ideas or suggestion one of your own!

Contact Sammy

CONTACT Sammy today!

We welcome your questions, suggestions, brainstorming discussions and support advancing Sammy Rabbit's mission—getting kids, families, and communities consistently advancing their financial literacy!

Recommend Reading and Resources

5 Outstanding Quotes and Sammyriffic Wisdom on Dreaming Big

Here are five outstanding quotes that reflect the power of dreaming big.

(1) "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

–Les Brown

(2) “The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it.”

–Kalpana Chawla

(3) "The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

–Michelangelo

(4) "Dream the biggest dream for yourself. Hold the highest vision of life for yourself. The great courageous act that we must all do, is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams."

–Oprah

(5) "Dream big. Do big, one step at a time. It's a great habit!"

–Sammy Rabbit

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