Sorry for the hiatus. Its been a busy school holidays. So my daughter has been asking for things every time we go to the shops so I decided it was a great time to teach her about saving money and valuing what we have. I think we live in a world where it seems everything is so cheap that nothing has any value. I want my dd to understand that it is fun to work for something and pay for it out of your own money and hard work. So I wrote a blog on it http://smartbabysmartkid.com/eeek-im-starting-to-teach-her-about-money/.
I hope that while my EL will prepare her for academic life I also want to prepare for real life so she can use all of her academic skiils to her full potential while living in the real world and also lets face it I do not plan on having my 30 year old daughter living at home with me being a professional student for the rest of her life.
I’m sure we all suffer with the “I neeeeeeed …” around the shops. Never too early to learn
We haven’t started saving money, but I have had some success with a sweetie box - I was so fed up with the constant begging for more sweets (at home and every time we entered a shop) that I had to do something! Now we both have our own special ‘sweetie box’ with a couple of handfuls of little marshmallows/chocolate buttons etc. and one bigger item (ie. a small chocolate bar) to last the week. When the box is empty it is tough and he will have no more sweets until the next Sunday. So far, it has worked really well - he seems much more aware of how much he is taking (asking less often and taking less) and when he emptied the box on Saturday morning he didn’t meltdown when I reminded him that he had to wait until it was re-filled. It has been three weeks and I he has made it last 6-7 days every time and I rarely say ‘no’ when he wants some sweets - he usually takes 3 (because he’s 3) a couple of times a day
I think having a visual - whether it is a savings chart like you used or a reducing number of sweets in a box - really helps with their ability to understand
Kimba, great idea and article! I haven’t been much bothered about buy me this or that, but when they do happen… welll… I’ve run out of explanations and ways of refusing without having tamper tantrums or what are they called in English :wub:
I wish we would have saving options / recycling options I mean, like you do. But maybe I’ll find something similar or I’ll make one for them to be paid in the family, who knows :biggrin:
Also, MummyRoo, what your saying makes sense. They do need visuals, tangible, if possible :laugh: or tastable :laugh:
