Teaching Kids To Save Money Is Important

May 15, 2011

There are many different opinions as to what is best when teaching kids to save money. Some people are good at saving while others will not be. That is why it is important to start teaching this early in life so that it stays with them.

Sometimes it is easy to put it away but other times it may not be. It is important to learn how to be able to put at least some away even if you do not have a lot. Every little bit will help out. Children need to learn at a young age why it is necessary to save.

Teaching a child to save money is not something that is going to happen overnight nor will it be an easy task for all of them. It is important to take as much time as needed for each individual child because some will learn quicker than others. There are many ways that this can be done.

Sometimes a child can be encouraged by matching the amount that they save or a percentage of what is saved. Sometimes opening children savings accounts will help them also. This can teach them how they can earn interest when they are saving money.

Another way to help them with saving money is by having them make a wish list of things that they want. It does not necessarily have be expensive things either. To a child, having twenty dollars is being rich. They do not understand the value of money until they learn how much they need for certain items and they are earning it themselves.

Another way to do this is to let your child know that you are also saving. You could make a little game out of it also. Tell them they will get some type of reward if they put away a certain amount. If you are teaching more than one child, it could be a contest to see who is able save the most.

It is very important to tell your child that they did a great job whether they saved one dollar or one hundred dollars. The important thing is not to set their goal too high because they will become frustrated. This is something that you do not want them to give up on.

You will not want to go into detail about an emergency fund and other adult reasons with a young child. They do not understand those things. They can understand that in order to get a toy that they want, they have to have enough. It will be important that they understand these things first.

A teenager can start to understand some of the reasons why an adult should be saving money. Not all of them will be willing to do this though. This is where the rewards come in handy. Whatever method you are choosing, it is important to have patience with them. As long as they have everything that they want or need, they do not see the reason to put some away. This is something that everybody needs to learn, whether they are a young child or an adult.

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