Have you ever thought about what your children’s learning style might be when it comes to teaching them money?
Whether your child is auditory, visual, or kinesthetic (we’ll help you know what that means), kids are easily influenced. Their brains are sponges.
They are constantly forming assumptions, conclusions, and developing habits based on what they interpret in the world around them.
While there are lots of important lessons and values for kids to learn while they’re still young, learning the basics about money management will help them develop good habits that will lay the pathway for a successful financial future.
3 Learning Styles
Kids, however, are always changing. Every child has a different learning style and at a different pace.
- Some children prefer to learn through pictures, videos, and presentations (visual).
- Others prefer to learn through music, audio, or lecture (auditory).
- While others prefer learning through hands-on activities that get them moving (kinesthetic).
No matter your child’s learning style, it is possible to teach them important financial lessons. Real-life application engages all three learning styles at once.
How to Teach Your Little Learner Based On Their Learning Style
Here are a few ways to teach your little learner about money in a way that works best for their learning style.
Visual Learning Style:
Visual learners absorb information through sight; that includes reading books or seeing movies, images, videos, and demonstrations.
Visual learning is one of the easiest teaching styles because of modern technology. You constantly have access to any video clip, image, photograph, or online demonstration at the tip of your fingers.
To teach your visual-learner child about the ins and outs of money, consider doing the following:
- Show your children School House Rock videos. There are a plethora of them on YouTube, available for your children to discover. They’re short, educational, and will take you on a walk down Memory Lane. $7.50 once a week, anyone?
- Play educational videos about money and finances. Kahn Academy and YouTube can be great resources.
- Make a PowerPoint. The more artsy, fun, and color-crazed it is, the more your kids will pay attention.
- Show your children pictures and diagrams about how budgeting and saving money in the bank work.
- Encourage your children to read children’s books about saving money. There is a variety of them on the market. Search “kid’s books about money” on Google and you’ll get instant recommendations.
Aural Learning Style:
Kids that learn aurally achieve the most when listening.
If your child is good at remembering tidbits from past conversations, can easily recall names, or is good at quoting movies, then odds are she is an aural learner.
Verbal communication will be important if you want to successfully help your child learn more about money.
Here are some ways to teach aural learners:
- Listen to financial podcasts with your child. Never underestimate the power of listening to Dave Ramsey’s podcast. If, however, your child has yet to discover the unlimited joy of Dave Ramsey’s financial advice, there are a surprising number of podcasts made especially for children. Find one that approaches financial responsibility through fun stories or math and listen to it with your children.
- Read to your child. Find a children’s book about money, responsibility, or piggy banks. Your kids will enjoy the added storytime and will unknowingly be learning a lot about how to responsibly save, spend, and take care of their money.
- Play children’s songs about money. No, I’m not making this up. There are countless children’s songs about learning how to count, organize, and save/spend money. A quick search into Google or YouTube will give you instant results. You can also have your children help make up their own catchy jingles and tunes. Note: we do not take responsibility for how catchy your children, or how annoying YOU, find these songs.
- Have a chat with your kids. Take the time to have a quick, to-the-point discussion about what you want them to know about money. These discussions can happen as frequently as necessary. As they get older, they’ll feel comfortable talking to you about their financial concerns because they trust you.
Kinesthetic Learning Style:
Kinesthetic children love to be on the move. Think constantly wiggling, first to volunteer, and bouncing-off-the-walls kind of kids.
Instead of getting frustrated or discouraged with them, redirect that unbounded energy to help them learn. Here are some ideas:
- Print out coloring pages. Find or create your own coloring pages that demonstrate the money lesson you’re trying to teach. Kinesthetic learners will be much more inclined to listen when they can create something while you teach them.
- Play store or house. Print pretend-money and play kitchen center or house with your child. You can teach them about how money plays a part in grocery shopping, eating out, or owning a business.
- Give your child a weekly allowance. Sometimes, the best teacher is experience. Get your kids involved in earning money through weekly chores. At the end of the week, help them divide their money into spending, saving and giving. Put their spending and giving money in their piggy bank at home. Help them deposit their savings in their bank account.
- Have your child make a piggy bank. There are lots of ways to get creative with piggy banks, and it will get kids excited about saving money. Buy a plain piggy bank for your child to color and decorate, or have them go with you to select one on their own.
Why Teach Your Children About Money?
As a parent, don’t you want your child to succeed? To grow up, get a good education and follow their hopes and dreams?
Imagine your child at age 35 living at home, asking for handouts and expecting you to take care of their needs. Yikes!
When you take the time to teach your kids about money, they become confident, responsible, and successful adults. And you worry less and enjoy more!
When Should You Teach Your Child About Money?
The last thing you want as a parent is your 35-year old child living in your basement. So when does teaching them about money start?
The sooner the better.
The earlier you can instill in them good money habits, the better off they will be.
Qube Money
Coming soon, Qube Money will release Teen and Kid Cards to give you the ease of digital cash envelopes for the entire family.
Qube Money’s Teen and Kid Accounts will enable parents to easily track chores, pay kids, and monitor kid’s finances.
Qube Money Parent View will give you access to your child’s budget, balances, ledgers, and reports. Parent Permissions will enable you to regulate your child’s spending.
Related: How Qube Money Will Help Families Budget
Envision you and your children using the same finance app eliminating a need to learn another system, connecting another account, carrying another card, or downloading another app.
An app designed to help you mentor your children to experience real-life lessons with money and develop positive financial habits.
Qube Money engages tools to appease visual, aural, and kinesthetic learners.
Conclusion
No matter how your child learns, remember that multiple learning styles can exist at the same time.
Most people learn using each of these learning styles, to some degree. By presenting your children with a variety of fun options that teach them money responsibility, they will learn crucial life skills while enjoying bonding time with their family members all based on their learning style.
For more ideas about money education, financial tips, or saving quips, visit our website at https://qubemoney.io/family.
