Budget Book Blog
If you’re feeling a bit hesitant, because you’re not sure how to pull off this “game”, this is for you!
Some Tips & Trick to make using Budget books go over well with your kids!
Right off the bat, let me say…
The first time you sit down to work on this with your kids it will be more arts & crafts than teaching.
Something that helped my boys lean into this was allowing them the freedom to help set it up as much or as little as they wanted - all the while talking about the things that would benefit them in this.
For my kids that sounded like:
“You will get paid for the chores you do each week”
“You will get extra screentime when you pay your bills.”
“When you feel like giving money to something, you’ll have money set aside to do that!”
I had to remind my kiddos of times they wanted to give… raising money at VBS, to our local Christian radio station, getting their friend a birthday present…
“You’ll get to pick a toy or event to save for -and eventually get.
You’ll get to learn how to make your money make more money!
All of those reasons made my kids ALL AMPTED UP to start right away. But you may be saying “Ok… but…
How I get them on board when we’re just using pretend money?”
That’s actually how my mom taught me about money!
Let your creativity run wild!
Brainstorm some great rewards you can give your kids for “playing the game of life” each time.
Amp up the rewards for paying their bills
(earn their favorite breakfast, 1 extra hour of screentime, manicure with mom, pick out a snack to add to the grocery list)
Put price tags on beloved toys or snacks and set up a “store” to buy things.
Put a price on their favorite meal and pretend dinner is at a restaurant (set the table, light a candle, and ask for their order!) and charge them at the end - this is a great time to teach them about tipping!
Buy a new toy from a thrift or dollar store and have them save for it. (Do the math and price it so it takes them at least 4 weeks to save for it.)
You can even use this as an initiative to do more at home!
Did they do extra chores this week? They worked “overtime” and get a bigger paycheck!
Have they memorized all their verses with a good attitude all month? They earned a performance-based bonus!
I highly recommend having a set day of the month or week that is committed to playing this game consistently!
Last tip!
Don’t overthink it.
Remember this is simply a game about life. Everyones life looks different.
We’re merely utilizing this “game” to allow our kids the opportunity to learn & practice wise financial moves (and make mistakes) while they’re still in the safety of our home.
Don’t be a afraid to figure out how the game works best for your family!
It may take some trial and error, but you can’t really mess it up! ;)
