“Pocket money is very good at understanding the value of money. To illustrate, we didn’t buy smartphones for our kids – their first phones were very simple. We said we just need to get in touch with them and they need all the other fun. Until now, I remember very well how we bought a simple Nokia for my first son for the euro, although he obviously wanted a smart one. So he saved him for more than a year, but when he went to the store, his son didn’t buy that phone that way. Says: well really too expensive, I’ll be still with that bear. And he spent two more years without being smart, ”the educator laughed.
According to her, parents need to provide everything they need. For example, a child may not have winter boots, but the question is – what? “Maybe your child wants some expensive shoes that his friend X has. Then we can tell him very calmly – you need winter shoes, I can’t buy the shoes you want, if you want – please can save that difference. cover yourself. Then the child can save from his pocket money or ask for small jobs and earn money, ”A. Landsbergienė taught.
She pointed out that when starting to give a child a pocket money, it is recommended to start with smaller amounts and gradually get used to the money. Although the times are different, at first A. Landsbergienė advises to give only cash, not payment cards, because children by the age of 9-10 they have almost no abstract thinking and everything must be very clear and tangible to them.
“Let’s say you give a child 5 Euros a week – a euro every day. You can start every day, and then once you see it picks up, you can gradually start giving more money right away. If a child says – this and that costs 2 Eur, then I will have to save for two days – it is the beginning of saving, – she said and shared another personal example: – Our children themselves said that they already want to start saving. I remember when my son came and asked if he could receive pocket money not every week, but twice a school year, from September to January and from January to the end of the school year. Says it will be much easier for me to plan then. Of course, he was already a high school student. And the other child put everything in envelopes and even wrote it down on what he was saving. ”
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It was established in the family that in primary school children will receive 5 Eur per week, in basic school – 10, and in the gymnasium we have already taken into account the specific situation.
According to A. Landsbergienė, although there are many methods and methodologies for teaching children financial literacy, the biggest problem is that our society, the parents themselves, have a huge gap in this area. Teachers don’t teach, parents don’t teach, so where will the child learn that? It has to be taught very precisely and purposefully from kindergarten and school, only then will the generation grow up to teach its children naturally, she said.
“When is it time to start talking to children about money? Then when you start talking to them in general. The topic of money does not have to wait for some time. Sometimes it is necessary to start talking to children before he has asked himself a question. Because it may be too late: everyone is mine money gone, what to do? “Maybe you didn’t have to keep them in your pocket,” the conference participant said with a laugh.
According to A. Landsbergienė, it is very important that children can learn from their mistakes, because that is the only way we learn – through practice. “One of our daughters kept pocketing 5 euros for her week, even though we kept repeating that she could easily lose that money. Didn’t listen. But it was enough once he lost the money – he immediately started looking for a wallet. The child has to make the necessary mistakes at his or her age as we learn through practice. Look – it’s much better to lose 5 Eur when you get seven than 500 Eur when you go to work for the first time and get paid for the first time, when you have absolutely no idea about taxes, savings, responsibilities, etc., because for life you have been protected from mistakes and are suddenly faced with unpleasant feelings and consequences that may last for months or even two months. ”
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She also disapproves of parents who reward their children financially for their daily work or promote good learning with money. According to the educator, such a child may not have a true value spine. “It simply came to our notice then. But I think it’s bad nonetheless. At home, everyone has responsibilities and duties. Then maybe my mom and dad should pay for some work? The family is a small community and we try because we love each other, we want the house to be beautiful, tidy. Jobs like garbage removal, tidying up, cooking are just a duty. In another language, if it is any additional work and we would hire another person for it, for example, to mow the grass, we can pay the child who has offered to do it, ”said A. Landsbergienė.
During the discussion at the conference, she regretted that Lithuania did not have the conditions to earn extra money. “I wanted to take out an individual license for my daughter, who loved to bake and wanted to sell her cookies. That experiment ended unsuccessfully, and her daughter had to say that she would try to offer her pastries to someone close to her – another example she shared from personal experience and was glad that the activity taught her daughter the value of money. – After making a childish excel, she learned – what is income, expenses, profit. They bought ingredients from the profits, they watched – no, this flour is too expensive or expensive in this store. In this way, she started to understand everything very well in her early teens, because it was tangible, relevant and gave her inner motivation to make money. ”
My Investment is a personal finance conference for anyone who wants to save and invest wisely. The conference took place on November 23-25 on the Delfi portal. Videos of all speakers can be found on Delfi Plus.
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Education
You will find detailed and professional answers to many of your questions each week in the Education section.
If you have questions about the upbringing and education of children, if you are having problems in an educational institution and cannot find an answer, you can ask questions to childcare professionals.
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