Nurturing Future Financial Superstars

 

We have had some perfect opportunities and a real life context for our Years 2 and 3 students with the Senior Market Day.  We have been laying the groundwork for a lifetime of smart financial decisions….yes that is a big ask however we have been blown away about some of the authentic conversations we have had with our kids when we explored money and how we acquire this.  

 For our 6 and 7-year-olds, financial literacy isn't about complicated stock markets; it's about real-life, everyday contexts that make sense to them.   They were able to tell us all about investing and interest !!!  Clearly there has been some great conversations at home about saving hard earned money.  This has really been a great opportunity for kids to share and learn from each other. 

At this age, the focus is on concepts such as:

Understanding Money: Recognising New Zealand coins and notes and knowing that money has value and is exchanged for goods and services.

Needs vs. Wants: Learning to distinguish between things they truly need (like food and shelter) and things they want (like a new toy or treat). 

Earning and Saving: Understanding that money is earned, often through chores or tasks, and the simple concept of setting money aside for a goal.  This one was a really hard one for some of our students to get their head around.  

The best lessons happen in the real world! Here are some of the suggestions from the students themselves on how they learn about money at home.

• Being Involved in grocery shopping. 
• Having a small budget for a specific item/s and helping them compare prices or find a good deal. 
• Asking them to count out the money or check the change.
• Family Jars (or Accounts): Introduce the idea of Spend and save with their pocket money. This helps them manage their money across different purposes.

The importance of financial learning is recognised in The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), often being integrated across learning areas like Mathematics and Social Sciences.

Specifically for this age group, students are learning to:

• Recognise coins and notes. Describe ways of using money for different purposes. 

• Recognise that money has worth, that is, value.

• Use coins and notes for simple transactions – give and receive change. 

• Discuss different ways of paying and receiving payment for goods and services.

We look forward to supporting our kids to be good consumers at the Senior Market Day Friday. 

Our Senior students have had some great proposals and marketing strategies.  The advertising was very impressive.