Teaching children financial literacy skills so they can be money savvy adults is important! The question is, where do you even start? There are different topics that can be taught at every age, from kindergarten all the way through college. As a nonprofit credit counseling agency, American Consumer Credit Counseling has some helpful tips about teaching lessons in managing money for kids! Read on for our tips on talking to middle school and high school kids about money management. We also have a link to our free e-workbook, Dimes to Riches.
Managing money for kids is a crucial topic.
Managing Money for Kids: The Basics
When it comes to teaching your middle and high school kids about money, the topics you should focus on at this age are budgeting and saving money. With only a few years until they go off to college, they will need to understand these cornerstones of money management. They will also need to understand the basics of banking. This includes how to open up a bank account and set up automatic savings. You can even help them open up their own bank account now! Banks require those opening a bank account on their own to be 18 years old, but as a parent, you can be a co-owner of the account.
Once they have a bank account set up, have them come up with a budget. You can show your teen exactly how budgets should be broken down and what percentage of income should go towards each category. Even though your child does not have all of those expenses now, it is important that they have an idea of how budgets work in real life. Because personal finance classes aren’t typically taught in schools, many high school graduates reach adulthood without ever learning these concepts. Talking to them about budgeting, saving, and how banks work is a valuable lesson in managing money for kids.
Dimes to Riches E-Workbook
The Dimes to Riches workbook is a guide for kids to use on their own to begin to understand how to take control of their money and learn money management skill that will translate into adulthood. Complete with facts, games, activities and quizzes, it is sure to get them on the right financial track.
The main topics covered in our Dimes to Riches workbook for teens are:
- SMART goals
- Create a budget
- Having a bank account
- Spend smart
- Borrow smart
Final Thoughts on Managing Money for Kids
Talking about money with your kids isn’t always easy. Though money is sometimes seen as a taboo topic, not talking about money with your kids does more harm than good. Being open and honest about your own financial mistakes can also help your kids learn. If you dug yourself deep into credit card debt while you were in college, use it as a teachable experience! Between your own personal experiences and ACCC’s resources, you should have a solid foundation to start teaching your kids about managing money!
If you struggle to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today!
