Parents frequently hear that it’s important to teach children about money, and it’s hard to imagine any mother or father arguing the point. But obviously you’re rushing things if you’re trying to explain revolving credit to a 5-year-old. So if you’re wondering what concepts kids can grasp and by what age, here are guidelines to get you from kindergarten to college.
Your child is in kindergarten. As you’ve observed, your child knows plenty about money. Every time you go through the grocery store checkout aisle, he probably demonstrates that he understands there are cool things to buy – if only he can convince you. But what specifically should young children know about money? According to the Money As You Grow website (moneyasyougrow.org), a kindergartner should grasp four key concepts:
1. You need money to buy things.
2. You earn money by working.
3. You may have to wait before you can buy something you want.
4. There’s a difference between things you want and things you need.
How to teach your kindergartner: Even some grownups have trouble with that last part. But the best time to begin teaching kids about money is when they are young, before they become preoccupied with digital devices and other distractions. “Five-year-olds are inquisitive, they want to learn,” says Diana Webb, an assistant professor of finance at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.
Feeling really ambitious? You can also set savings goals for your kindergartner, says Rakesh Gupta, a business professor at Adelphi University in Garden City, New Jersey, who teaches a personal finance seminar for college freshmen. Then, when your kid meets his goals, you could deposit “interest” in the piggy bank, and explain what interest is, he says.
Your child is in sixth grade. By now, according to Money As You Grow, children should understand the concept of saving, including what compound interest is. Conversely, they should understand that credit cards are loans, not free money, and that if bills aren’t paid in full within a month, you’ll wrack up interest, paying more than you originally spent. They should also recognize that putting personal information, such as bank account or credit card details, on a website can be risky because someone could steal it.
How to teach your sixth grader: If your child doesn’t already have an allowance, it’s time, Gupta says. He even thinks opening a bank account for your kid is a good idea by this age –provided you help him use it and teach him to keep track of incoming and outgoing money.
And while it may seem premature to give your children a bank account and an allowance, Webb says, “kids will have a far better understanding of money if they realize nothing is given to them without effort.”
Your child is a freshman in high school. Not only should your teen be thinking about college andhow much it could cost, according to Money As You Grow, she should also understand that if she won’t have the cash to pay for something within the next month, she shouldn’t pay for it with plastic.
Ted Gonder, co-founder and CEO of Moneythink, a Chicago-based nonprofit specializing in educating inner-city high school students on financial literacy, says freshmen should also recognize how money can either help – or stand in the way of – achieving their dreams.
“They should have goals in mind for their lives and understand that money is inextricably linked to those goals’ fulfillment,” Gonder says.