10/10/2024 – 8:30
Children’s Day is coming, and in addition to giving gifts to the little ones, how about taking advantage of the date to teach them about something that they will cherish for the rest of their lives: financial education?
+ How much can I save in 5 years if I save R$300, R$500 or R$800 per month?
The subject can be difficult and is often seen as taboo, but even when money isn’t talked about specifically, children notice the behaviors and comments that are made around them.
“Children, even before becoming literate, absorb the behavior of their parents, or those closest to them emotionally, such as grandparents and uncles. If this person has a bad relationship with money, the child will absorb these impressions and may later reproduce the behavior, because they don’t know how to do it differently”, says financial planner Paula Sauer.
Larissa Frias, from C6, reinforces: “when we talk about financial organization, it’s a habit. And the sooner we acquire this habit, the better. Of course, respecting the learning ranges”, he says.
5 year olds: focus on the visual
For Larissa Frias, in this age group up to five years old, the main thing is to introduce the child to the concept of what money is in a playful way and its importance in everyday life.
While the child is not yet literate, Paula Sauer also suggests focusing on more visual activities and familiarizing the child with the concepts of numbers and quantities. “Go with your child to the market and ask them to pick up 5 oranges, and count on them. Or go to the kitchen and ask your child to help you separate the amounts of sugar for a cake”, he suggests. These activities help to develop the notion of quantity and values.
Furthermore, you can now start saving money with your child in piggy banks – preferably transparent ones, says Paula. “If the child is very young, perhaps just the weight of the piggy bank is very abstract, but if the piggy bank is colorless, he or she will see the number of coins grow,” he says.
At age 10: weekly wages and paid tasks
At this age, children are better able to deal with numbers and know how to add and subtract. “Parents can now introduce topics such as waste, price, expenses, preparation for conscious consumption”, says Larissa.
But Paula Sauer warns that it is still difficult at this age to plan something longer term. “Instead of talking about months, deadlines, dates, say that something is for Christmas, Children’s Day, the holidays, or the day she goes to grandma’s house.”
Precisely because of this greater difficulty in understanding longer periods of time, the planner suggests a “weekly”, instead of an allowance. When children have an allowance or a weekly allowance, they begin to realize that money is not infinite and that choices need to be made.
Another tip from Paula is to reward the child for extra tasks. “It’s not rewarding for making your bed or washing the plate you ate, that’s an obligation. But it’s rewarding for something more. The child will understand that his effort will be rewarded. So she starts to associate money with work and discipline.”
Paula also suggests letting children this age organize the bills that arrive in the mail. This way, they begin to understand what things like electricity, gas, water, telephone and credit cards cost.
15-year-olds: the value of money and interest
In adolescence, there are young people who already work and help their parents with the household bills and those who are still supported by the family. People at this age are already clearer about the value of things, products and brands that are more expensive or cheaper, says Paula.
Larissa also says that it is an ideal time to start instructing young people on how to set goals, save and think about the future.
Read the full report at B3 Let’s Investpartner of the IstoÉ Dinheiro website.
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