Understanding Importance and Value - A Newsletter for Parents of Third Grade Children
Topics: Middle Years (5-9), Third Grade, Teaching Money Management, Parenting, Communicating with Children, more...
What Do You Think?Ashley is eating supper with her family. Dad says, "It's been a good week. We've paid our bills, put some money in savings, and have $25 left." "Well good," says Ashley, "I want to go shopping." Dad says, "Wait a minute, that's not just your money to spend." Ashley answers, "Well then, whose is it?" (See end of newsletter for a possible answer.) |
Learning More About Yourself
Before you can teach basic money concepts to your child, you need to look at your own values and attitudes related to money.
Values are those very basic things that are important to you. Attitudes are your reactions, positive and negative, to an idea.
Values are strongly influenced by what we experienced and learned as a child. But this can change over time and as we grow.
Choosing What is Important to You
Ask the adults in your home to rank these choices in order of importance to them. Then discuss your answers. The choices you make are a clue to some of your values. These are the values you will teach your children.
| Adult #1 | Adult #2 | Choices |
| To have people like me | ||
| To do things for my family and others | ||
| To have friends | ||
| To do what is right | ||
| To be able to do what I want to do | ||
| To do new and different things | ||
| To have a lot of nice things | ||
| To be able to do things well | ||
| To know what will happen tomorrow | ||
| To be secure and healthy |
Deciding What You Value
Have your child fill in this chart about things he or she likes to do. Then talk about the answers and see if your child can identify the values associated with his or her choices. Values indicated by the choices are money, family, people, or self.
What Do You Value?
List five things you really love to do. Place a check in the column under the right sign for each of these activities.
- $ for things that cost money
- P for things you do with people
- F for things you do with your family
- A for things you do alone
| $ | P | F | A | |
| 1. | ||||
| 2. | ||||
| 3. | ||||
| 4. | ||||
| 5. |
Talking it Over
Family meetings or councils are a good way to talk over lots of issues, including money. Each family member has a chance to tell about his or her wants and needs. As a unit the family can decide how to allocate their money.
-
1
- 2
Reprinted with the permission of the Iowa State University Extension. © 2008 Iowa State University Extension.
Take Action
- this article with friends and family.
- Have a question about Middle Years (5-9)? Ask it here.
- Publish your work on education.com.
