When teaching kids about finances, we usually divide the ways we use our money into three categories – saving, spending, and sharing. A simple way to explain this to your child is:
- When we save, that money can be used to buy something in the future or prepare for an emergency
- When we spend, we buy or pay for something that we want or need right now
- When we share, we give it to others who may not have enough money for the things they need
To help drive this message home even more, you can create your own save, spend, share banks with your kids.
Creating the banks
Gather the following supplies:
- 3 empty jars with lids
- Construction paper
- Crayons or markers
- Scissors
- Tape or glue
Instructions:
- Cut the construction paper for your child so it’s the size of the jars and put holes in the lids of all three jars.
- Have your child decorate the construction paper to show what they’ll do with the money they have set aside in each jar.
- When they’re finished, tape or glue their pictures to the jars.
When your child receives money, help them decide how they want to divide it up. When money accumulates in their save jar, have them deposit it into a savings account to help keep it safe.
Learn about more ways to teach kids good money habits on our WalletWorks page.