Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Wrapping Up Financial Literacy Month

money and savings
from 401Kcalculator.org
April is Financial Literacy Month in the United States.  The Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy  describes this month as a time to "draw attention to the importance of financial literacy and the need for more and better financial education through a variety of activities and initiatives.

To celebrate Financial Literacy month, I have gathered 30 activities, one for each day of the month, that you can do with your child or teen to help start them on a path of financial responsibility.  Here is the final installment.


Week of April 23rd - 30th

April 23rd:  Encourage young entrepreneurs to go beyond the lemonade stand.  Great resources for this at www.raisingceokids.com

April 24th:  Talk with your kids and teens about money whenever the opportunity arises.  Don’t lecture them --- just include them in meaningful conversations. 

April 25th:  Encourage teens to comparison shop and look for the best deal on the item that they are wanting to purchase.

April 26th:  Participate in age appropriate volunteer activities.  Teens could help in a food pantry or start a clothing drive.  All kids can participate in fund raisers and donate money to charities that you support. 

April 27th:  Encourage your child to set a goal and make a plan for achieving it.  When a child or teen knows what they are saving for, they are much less likely to blow their money on an impulse purchase. 

April 28th:  Check out some great online money games for your child at TeenDollars.org  

April 29th:  Have your child wait a week or two before purchasing a big item.  If they still want it after a week or so, then it is probably a good purchase for them.  If the excitement has worn away, they can probably live without the item.  Delayed gratification can reduce impulse purchases.

April 30th:  Let your children help you plan weekend or summer activities.  Challenge them to find inexpensive options.  

4 comments:

  1. You always have excellent resources and ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The money games for teens sound cool. Too bad they weren't for 1 and 2 year olds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jai, for one and two year olds, I've read that the very best thing you can be doing is establishing that bond of trust and love by being there to help your children with their needs. Money comes later!

      Delete