Five Unique Ways To Teach Your Children About Money

Today I have a guest post for you from Emily at StarWalkKids.com. Enjoy!

Kids don’t know much about money and how to spend it unless you teach them. Take time to walk your children through how to earn money, and show them how you can save for a rainy day. Let them know that you can invest and the money grows and allow them the satisfaction of rewarding themselves after completing a task. 

Use a piggy bank 

Teach your kids the art of saving from a young age and let them know how important it is to set some money aside. Get them a jar or a piggy bank and encourage them to drop a few coins inside daily to get to the desired goal. It is important to introduce to them saving at an early age and explain to them why having savings is a good thing. After their savings have grown, allow them to buy whatever they have been asking for with their own money as this will give them satisfaction.

 Give them an allowance after a job 

Make them understand that money is not given for free and you have to work and earn it. This will make sure that they always respect the amount of money they get and be able to manage it wisely. Give them house chores, and once they have completed them, you can reward them by paying them. This will allow them to learn that hard work pays. Furthermore, when you teach them on how to work for everything they have, they will grow to be great adults in the future.

Take your kids to the grocery store 

Bring your kids the next time you are going to the grocery store as this will give them an opportunity to see the exchange and transactions world first hand. Let them help you to choose the grocery you want and show them how you can save money in a grocery store. This is done by giving them an opportunity to choose groceries and compare the prices of different brands. As they do this, they will learn how to make choices in life and survival tactics. After a trip to the store calculate with them the amount of money that they have helped you save. You can use the money to give to charity or treat yourself to ice cream; they will learn the art of charity and sharing as well as saving.

Use games and puzzles to teach them about money 

You can introduce your kids to games and puzzles and give them an opportunity to complete the task. Once they have done, you can reward them with a prize; this will show them that after completion of a task you always get a reward. Additionally, you can play games such as Monopoly which requires kids to make financial decisions to win the game.

Encourage your kids to start a business 

Teach your kids the art of investing in a business, let them learn that when you invest in something your income doubles. Help them open up a lemonade stand with their allowance money and let them learn about making profits in a business. This will open up their minds, and they will understand how money works in the world. Additionally, this will discourage them from being lazy when they become adults.

In conclusion, show your kids the art of spending money, saving, and investing as this will ensure that they learn some valuable skills for life in the real world. You can read more on Star Walk Kids, and you can also find games and toys here which will help your child learn to manage their money from an early age. 

Sunrise, Sunset

Everyone has dreams of what they would like their life to be when they are young. At 5, I was going to be a princess like Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. At 13, I was going to be a ballerina traveling the world to dance. At 16, I was going to be a psychologist helping all kinds of people navigate this life and healing traumas wherever I went. At 18, I began writing The Great American Novel (or so I thought at the time). 

At 20, I had my first child and all I wanted to do was be the perfect mom to my tiny little boy and my entire life changed.

Accurate portrayal of parenthood. 

As any parent will tell you, parenting is the hardest yet most rewarding job you will ever have. I took my new responsibility very seriously and enjoyed every single second of it. No, it wasn't cookie cutter perfect all of the time but I absolutely tried the best I could to be the best mom in the entire universe. I think every parent has those moments where they wish they could go back in time and change or fix something, and I am no different. My children are both in their 20s now and I miss them both to pieces and to death every day.

As it turns out, I get the chance to do it all over again because my oldest, my son, is going to be a first time dad in April!

Because of this, I have been on the hunt for all kinds of new baby stuff. And, as I mentioned before, I am absolutely amazed at everything they have for babies now! Just the sonogram technology alone is incredible! I can actually make out the baby's features, something that I definitely couldn't do with my own sonogram pictures! I am learning so much and finding so many cool things. One of the best things I have found is the Amazing Baby Swaddle Sack!

Designed by Lynette Damir, a nurse and mom of two, the Amazing Baby Swaddle Sack is a new product found exclusively on Amazon. As most of you are probably aware, swaddling is very important for your baby as it keeps them warm, snug and from being awakened by their own startle reflex. Swaddling is another way of telling your baby that she is safe. The Swaddle Sack comes in three stages: Stage 1 is the Swaddle Sack With Wrap for babies 0 - 3 months, Stage 2 is the Transitional Swaddle Sack for ages 3 to 6 months, and Stage 3 is zzZipMe Sack for ages 6 to 18 months. I got the Transitional Swaddle Sack and it is ADORABLE and so soft! 

It is designed perfectly for your infant: there are fold over mitten cuffs that can be worn open or closed so your baby can self soothe if she needs to. The round sack and arms up design helps your baby sleep better and allows for leg support and movement. It's made of soft and stretchy breathable cotton and has a 2-way zipper so it's easy to wrap the baby or unwrap the baby for diaper changes, or whatever baby might need. It is one of the new products I have found that I am truly excited about and wish I had when my own were tiny!

I cannot WAIT to use this for my sweet little granddaughter on the way. To say that she is going to be even more spoiled than my own children is the understatement of the century! I mean, that's just what grandparents are supposed to do, right?

What baby items are a must have for you?

8 Ways A Writing Career Benefits Your Kids

Today, I am honored to bring you a guest post from Samara over at TinyFry! Samara Kamenecka is a Virtual Assistant specializing in SEO and writing, based in Madrid. When she’s not chained to her computer, she likes to explore the city with her boyfriend, their two kids, and their dog. You can find her blogging about everything from pregnancy tips to parenting hacks over at Tiny Fry. 

8 Ways A Writing Career Benefits Your Kids

Some people think that writing is an easy way to make a living working from home, but if it was easy everyone would do it. The truth is that making a living from writing can be challenging, but if you’re good at it, many rewards come along with writing as a career. My favorite part of being able to work from home is how it benefits my kids.

       No Daycare

Not having to pay a daycare provider is two benefits in one. First of all, daycare is not cheap, and many parents seem to work just to pay for someone else to care for their kid(s). Secondly, you know exactly who is raising your child, and you never have to worry about what the daycare provider may or may not be teaching them.

 Flexible Schedule

Having a flexible schedule is the best benefit for you and your kids. There are not many people in this world who have the flexibility to pick up and drop off their kids from school, attend mid-day school events, and still be around to have family dinner and help with homework at night. It also doesn’t force you into a panic whenever your kid has a sick day, or the daycare cancels out of nowhere.

      

Grow Together

Working as a writer takes a lot of hard work and growth which can get a bit  frustrating at times, especially when there are little ones tugging at your pant legs while you’re trying to focus. Though some days can be tough, it allows you and your kids to grow together and understand each other better. You will both probably learn lessons in patience and time management while building a stronger bond.

       They See a Role Model

A lot of kids don’t understand the importance of work because they simply don’t see it. By seeing you working to provide for your family you are setting a good example for work ethic and helping them understand an important part of life as an adult. As a work from home mom, you are also setting the example that women are an equally important part of the workforce as men.

      No Commute

Some people spend two hours or more of their day commuting to and from work. Not having to commute is a benefit for anyone who works from home, but especially parents who get to spend that extra time with their kids. It also saves money and the environment, which is yet another benefit to your children.

       Financial Contributions

Some parents decide to start writing after they have decided to stay at home. So hopefully, that income can be used in surplus to the budget to do things like save for a child’s education or enroll them in enrichment classes. The money could even be used for a vacation potentially, and since you’re a writer, you won’t have to worry about taking time off!

       A Safe and Clean Home

One of my favorite benefits of being a writing mom is that I can take a break from work to clean a room or throw in a load of laundry. Being able to care for the home while working helps keep a strong work/life balance and also keeps my home cleaner and safer for my kids to play.

      Mental Wellbeing

This is perhaps the subtlest benefit for children with work at home parents. Just knowing that there is going to be someone home to talk to when they need it offers confidence and lowers stress. Being around all the time to offer a hug for a scraped knee or an emotional bruise goes a long way in the happiness of a kid. I can’t tell you how many times my kids have come and sat by me in silence while I worked just to be around me. Being this available builds an unbreakable bond between parent and child that not every parent gets to experience.

If you are choosing to pull double duty as a parent and a writer, make sure you are prepared with everything you’ll need to keep your babies and kids safe and occupied. Writing from home benefits your kids in many ways, but it is still a job and one that can get a little tricky to balance if you’re not careful. At the end of the day, it is one of the best careers in the world to have when it comes to the perfect balance between finance and family.

Time Marches On..

Having grown up children, one who is living on his own, has been....different.

I say different because I still feel like mom, I still talk like mom, I still act like mom, but I'm not cleaning noses, or yelling about cleaning rooms, or taking inedible things out of toddlers' hands.

Those are the things I used to fret over. Some accident or random thing was going to happen to my children so I had to watch them every single second of every single day. 

The things I fret over today, however, are very different. I still fear accidents and randoms, but mostly it's I hope they're wearing their seatbelt, I hope work/school went ok, are they eating enough? Is everything ok in their personal life? Are they struggling quietly and privately (just like good ole mom) and too proud to tell me? 

And on..and on...and on....

You never really stop being mom, it just changes. 

And now, with my second child about to free fall into the world, I am beginning to feel the wind of the empty nest storm moving in.

Worry and pacing the floors at all hours of the night has always been part of my job, so to speak, but now I can't just crack the door open and look at the most wonderful part of my life, laying there sleeping soundly.

I feel a tornado, a hurricane, a tsunami coming. I already know I am going to be a mess, so I just embrace it. It's part of life, right?

To remind myself, and because I have more money now (one of the perks of kids growing up), I have been treating myself to little trinkets here and there. Things I probably would have bought for myself when I was younger but was funneling all of my money into diapers, clothes, and toys. 

I found this necklace on Soul Soup Treasures for a reminder to stay strong, that the weather isn't always going to go my way, and tomorrow is another day and I want to be around to see it. 

Parenting is never easy, regardless of your child's age, but if you can hold on while the wind whips around you, when the rain just keeps coming down, when you feel like everything has been washed away and you're drowning in the sea of worry, just remind yourself that the sun will come back and the rain clouds will retreat... 

It's just a matter of time.