American Credit Foundation Suggests Tips for Teaching Children the Importance of Money
The holiday season is a good opportunity to make children aware of spending and responsibility.
Midvale, UT (PRWEB via PR Web
Direct) December 15, 2004 -- Though parents face their children’s seemingly
insatiable desires to spend on a daily basis, Christmas commercialization adds a
unique twist to their barrage of purchase requests. The American Credit
Foundation suggests utilizing the spending habits and issues of the holidays to
give children a deeper understanding of where money really comes from. Reducing
greed, instilling awareness and teaching good work habits in children will go a
long way to creating financially successful adults.
According to Mike
Peterson of the American Credit Foundation, there are seven ways to positively
teach children about money.
*Start Early: The best way to start is when
they’re young. As soon as they’re ready, teach them about coins, dollar bills,
and their increments. Explain what “work” is, why you need money, what you do
for your employer and how the work structure operates. Showing them the
importance of money will help them to understand why they can’t have everything
they see.
*Turn the Water Off: Counter the concept of money and spending
with the idea of waste. Using the simple illustrations related to utility bills,
compare electricity and water waste to unnecessary bills and spending. Explain
how these wasted resources could be utilized for needed expenditures or uses.
These simple and visible examples will help children easily understand that
money is allocated for specific expense, not endless want.
*Differentiate
Between “Want” and “Need”: Teaching children the difference between want and
need is an important step in helping them decide what to do with their money.
Begin by exploring what the children already have, whether their existing items
can be repaired or revamped, how often they use specific items and what they
truly need in comparison.
*Make Saving Fun: Using a common piggy bank,
allow children to put coins into the bank after certain agreed-upon chores are
completed. When the bank is full, work with the child to wrap the money into
rolls and then take them to the bank. Setting aside some of the money for saving
and some for spending, sign up for an ATM card and allow the child to make
withdrawals from their own account.
*Give Them Purchasing Power: Take
your child to the store with you and help them to understand prices and sales.
This would work well with a list of gift items for family and friends. While
establishing a budget with the goal of staying within that amount, allow them to
decide which items are the wisest to purchase. Give the child a calculator and
allow them to keep track of how much is spent. If for some reason it is
necessary to override their decision, make sure they understand why. This will
both broaden their sense of responsibility and improve their analytical
skills.
*Teach Them Personal Responsibility: The simple concept of
teaching a child how to care for and take responsibility for their personal
possessions helps them to understand value. Value is crucial in appreciating
worth. Once a child really appreciates worth, the concept of money will fall
into place.
*Let Them Work: Let children earn money in small ways around
the house, rather than just giving them a weekly allowance. From cleaning up
their room to mowing the lawn, jobs are essential in teaching children that
money will never grow on trees. Pay a fair wage and don’t overcompensate, but
make sure the child has enough incentive to want to work, much like an adult.
Teaching children from an early age about money can save you and them a
lot of trouble in their later years. Remember that children, as adults, most
appreciate those things that they’ve worked hard to get. You aren’t doing your
children any favors by buying them everything they want. A little financial
instruction can go a long way to helping your children become financially
responsible adults.
About American Credit Foundation
Mike Peterson is
the Vice President and a Credit Counselor with American Credit Foundation. Since
1999, American Credit Foundation has assisted thousands of individuals and
families with their financial situations by providing seminars, education,
confidential counseling services, and, when applicable, by establishing debt
management repayment plans. The Foundations credit counselors are certified
through the National Institute for Financial Counseling Education.
Debtguru.com is the official website of the American Credit Foundation
and contains a number of free consumer resources. For more information, please
visit http://www.debtguru.com
Media Contact:
Mike
Peterson
801-208-1000
e-mail protected from spam bots
© 2004
DebtGuru.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/12/prweb189095.htm