Equipping Children with Financial Literacy

Your Guide to Joyous Education’s Little Tauke Program

Financial literacy is crucial for every individual to function in society. When it comes to managing the ringgits and cents, a strong financial sense is handy in helping us make informed decisions and manage the day-to-day expenses. Empowering your children with financial literacy is probably one of the best parenting strategies you can adopt to set your child on the path to strong financial stewardship.  

In this article: 

Financial Literacy for Children

Financial literacy empowers individuals to understand and manage their finances effectively. Concepts such as budgeting, saving, investing, and making educated financial decisions can be challenging to grasp, but let’s face it – handling money well makes managing expectations and entering adulthood easier to navigate. By translating this concept into simpler terms and examples, you can teach your child lessons about making financial decisions which will guide them into adulthood.  

Read about our 5S Learning Model to Nurture Holistic Development in Children 

Parenting Tips for Teaching Financial Literacy

Introducing financial literacy at home can be fun and simple. Here are some tips you can adopt in teaching your child about managing money: 

Introducing the Concept of Saving

Saving is a fundamental principle of financial literacy. It is a good place to start teaching your child about managing finances. Here are some options to help your child learn about saving: 

  1. Start a Savings Account
    Open up a savings account for your child and encourage them to deposit a part of their allowance or their ang pao/ duit raya/ birthday money. Periodically show them how their savings are growing incrementally.

  2. Give them a Piggy Bank
    This is more suitable for younger children to understand about saving in a fun way. You can have separate savings banks for separate goals, i.e.: one for toys, one for outings, or buying gifts and treats. 

  3. Introduce Delayed Gratification
    Have conversations with your child on how saving allows them to make greater and more meaningful purchases in the future. The concept of delayed gratification needs to be explained and is key to understanding financial literacy. 

Showing Your Child How to Pay Bills

Apart from saving, it is good to demonstrate how you pay bills by introducing the process of budgeting to your child. One of the best ways to do this is to involve them in the day-to-day expenses.  
 

  1. Explain Monthly Expenses 
    Spend time explaining to your child about all the monthly household expenses such as rent or mortgage, utilities, and groceries. 

  2. Show the Budgeting 
    Create a simple budget that includes income and expenses, so that your child can observe how money is spent each month. 

  3. Have a Conversation on Choices and Priorities 
    It is good for your child to understand how to make choices with spending money, i.e.: why buying vegetables is more important than ice cream. Explain why some purchases are essential while others are a ‘once-in-a-while’ treat. 

Providing Opportunities to Earn Money​

As your child begins to grasp the concept of saving and budgeting, it is time to introduce the idea of earning. Here is how you can provide opportunities for your child to earn money and understand its value: 
  1. Delegate Chores for Rewards Assign age-appropriate chores which your child can complete to earn an allowance (which signifies their income). This exercise will allow them to understand the value of working to earn an income. 
  2. Encourage Entrepreneurship Spark your child’s interest in business by allowing them to explore entrepreneurial projects such as selling handmade crafts or offering to do chores for your neighbors. 
  3. Have a Conversation about Careers As your child matures, encourage discussions on different careers and how education and gaining particular skill sets can prepare them for better job opportunities and higher pay grades.  Read also: Guide to Understanding Your Child’s Developmental Milestones 

In addition to incorporating financial literacy into your parenting strategy, you can enroll your child into programs such as Joyous Education’s Little Tauke. The program is designed to equip your child with hands-on experience in managing finances, tailored for the cognitive capacity of your child.  

  • What is Little Tauke? 

Little Tauke is an innovative program by Joyous Education that empowers children with financial literacy knowledge through interactive games, activities, and workshops. 

  • Benefits of Little Tauke 
  1. Open your child’s world to engaging yet pragmatic financial literacy skills such as budgeting, saving, investing and entrepreneurial projects.
  2. Tap into a community of parents and educators who support the concept of financial knowledge as an integral part of education. 

Looking for a Joyous Education branch near you? Click here. 

Embracing financial literacy as a key part of your child’s education will set them up for sensible and stable financial management skills as they mature.  Apart from growing into responsible adults, engaging your child in healthy discussions about managing finances will encourage a deeper and more meaningful relationship with your child. Whether through simple conversations or by participating in programs such as Little Tauke, your child stands to gain significant insights into the world of adulting in a gentle and structured manner – one they can apply in throughout his or her life.  

 

Have any questions for us? Speak to Joyous’ experts today for personalized professional advice.