Money…You’re Never Too Young To Learn

I love Mondays!  Why?  I come across wonderful articles in the morning that validate the fact that other adults are out there trying to just “do good” for society.  Today I read an article by Jill Suskind entitled “Financial Education for Teens: Making It Real, Making It Matter, Making It Last”.

Let’s face it we are still in a terrible economy and it will be several long years before it all turns around and I mean for the masses.  This is a great opportunity to help our students truly appreciate the value of money and the importance of financial education.  With schools continuing to make cutbacks to programs, waiting until your school implements curriculum in finance and money will be too late.  Parents, take back the reigns and find ways to teach your kids experientially…without making more work for yourself. 

Simple moments are all you need to make little learning fun…

Change jar:  most people have a jar used to put pocket change in…use this to teach them about saving, spending, giving

Junk mail:  we all get junk mail at our homes everyday.  Many times organizations ask for donations or sponsorships.  Use those as teaching moments…is it a cause they feel passionate about?  Do they know where their money is going?  Who does it help?

Grocery shopping:  there are many little lessons to teach while at the store.  Talk about coupons, sale items, rebates, generic versus name brands, clearance items.

I also think that there should be financial education classes available for students who are truly interested in this topic.  It should be a distance learning class so anyone, anywhere can sign up and learn at their own pace.  I wonder when Blueprint Education will develop one?

Thanks Jill for the wonderful article!