Teaching Tips for Lesson 2: Be Like Sammy Rabbit

This is the second of seventeen blogs providing practical teaching tips inspired by the lyrics and concepts from the Sammy Rabbit song Get in the Habit!

In the original blog, How the Sammy Rabbit Song Get in the Habit Teaches Kids 17 Money Lessons — Plus Powerful Vocabulary, we explored how the song supports financial education in three powerful ways:

Through clear, repeatable phrases directly from the song
Through real-world money lessons that naturally emerge when kids discuss and apply those phrases or concepts
Through everyday money language that builds financial vocabulary.

Now, we’re expanding on that foundation with a series of blogs that offer teaching tips for each of the 17 individual lessons embedded in the song. Each blog will include: (1) Simple questions to ignite discussion and learning (2) Two easy-to-implement micro-activities (3) A challenge action step (4) Key words to build personal finance and life-skills vocabulary.

Let’s begin with Lesson 2, built on the phrases: “Be like Sammy Rabbit,” and "Be like Sammy the Saver."

For context, the full lyrics for each phrase are:

Get in the habit, like Sammy Rabbit, saving money all the time.
Do yourself a favor, be like Sammy the Saver.

The full lyrics for each phrase have been intentionally organized into individual lessons, making it easy to teach one concept at a time or combine lessons into a sequence. For this lesson, however, we’ve combined the two phrases “Be like Sammy Rabbit” and “Be like Sammy the Saver,” since both reinforce the same core message within the song Get in the Habit!.

You can click on the following links to find: song lyrics and a karaoke Video.

Summary

Lesson: Discuss the importance of having the right role models and friends when building positive money habits. The right role models help children see what good money behavior looks like, while supportive friends make practicing good habits more fun. When kids have positive examples—whether it’s Sammy, a parent, a sibling, or a friend—good habits feel more natural and achievable.

Share With Kids: A role model is someone who shows you how to do something well. When you follow a saver—whether it’s a role model or a friend like Sammy—it becomes easier to learn good money habits.

1. Simple Discussion Questions

Use one or two—short, easy, and perfect for home or classroom conversations.

Who is someone you look up to? Why?
What do you think makes someone a good role model?
How can a role model or friend help you make good money choices?
What money habits do you see Sammy Rabbit using?
Who in your life is “a saver” you could learn from?

2. Two Micro-Activities (2–5 Minutes Each)

Micro-Activity 1: Role Model Spotlight

Materials: None

Ask children to name one person who sets a good example with money or habits.
Then ask:

“What do they do that you admire?”
“How could you do something similar?”

Purpose: Helps kids recognize positive behaviors in their real world.

2. Micro-Activity 2: Sammy Saver Pose

Materials: None

Have children stand tall and strike a fun “Sammy the Saver” pose—one that shows confidence, pride, and readiness to save.

Then ask them to say:
“I’m a saver just like Sammy!”

Optional: Let kids create their own role model pose.

Purpose: Builds identity, confidence, and emotional connection to saving.

3. Challenge Action Step

This week, ask children to observe someone who shows good money habits.
It could be:

A parent
A sibling
A friend
A teacher
Sammy Rabbit

Have them share one thing that person does that they would like to copy.

Each time they practice the habit, have them say:

“I’m being a saver like Sammy!”

This builds modeling, repetition, and pride.

4. Key Vocabulary Words

These simple words help build a foundation for understanding routines and daily practices—essential concepts for early financial literacy.

Like: To want to be the same as or do something the same way.

Saver: Someone who keeps money instead of spending it all. | A person who saves money for later. | Someone who puts some money aside each time they get it.

Role Model: Someone whose actions you want to copy. | Someone you look up to and learn from. | A person who shows you how to do something the right way. (Note: These words are not in the song lyrics, but they are important to this lesson, so we’ve included kid-friendly definitions.)

Check Out Money Lesson 3

This blog is part of a 17-lesson series using the Sammy Rabbit song Get in the Habit to make it fun, easy, and effective for anyone to talk with and teach young kids about great money habits.

When ready, check out Teaching Tips for Lesson 3 from the song Get in the Habit: Saving Money All the Time! It focuses on the importance of saving money regularly.

Additional Songs and Fun Resources

Keep:

kids listening, learning, singing and growing with a FREE or PREMIUM Money School Memberships.
parents, teachers, and community leaders learning and growing their financial literacy teaching skills by reading Sam X Renick's series of articles: Money Lessons Parents Should Teach Kids!
delivering financial education at home, in school, and other venues with Sammy's Dream Big Financial Education curriculum!

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We welcome your questions, suggestions, and ideas! Let’s connect, brainstorm, and partner to keep helping kids, families, and communities build strong financial literacy knowledge, habits, and skills—so together, we can create better and brighter futures for all.