Accounting is a hugely important factor of life — and it’s not just important in the world of business. You see, accounting is basically the management of money, and everybody has to manage their money whether they are an accountant or not! Everybody — whether they are a student, a part time worker, a stay-at-home parent or a big business boss — has to manage their money by tracking their income and saving it when and where they can in order to cover their future expenses. And your children, as they grow, will be no different — they’ll have to do this sort of thing too. And the best way to get them prepared for doing it is to actually prepare them! For advice on how to do so, make sure to read on.
Teach them about recording and tracking
The recording and tracking of expenses is the most important thing that is done in the world of accounting, so it is apt that we begin with it. And, when it comes to teaching your children about it, no it doesn’t mean that you have to teach them how to become an accountant or a bookkeeper or send them off to do a an MBA Accounting online course as soon as they are old enough. In fact, when you teach your children about recording and tracking you don’t even have to use money to do it. You can just have them write a list of their toys and where they have been put when tidied away. You could play a shopping simulation game with them where they record what it is they have bought and how much fake money they have spent on it. Or you could provide them with a sheet that includes all their chores and pieces of homework, have them tick off what they do, and note down what their prize was for doing them.
When things are written down, they stay written down. And because they remain written down, they can be studied, summarised and analysed in the future. So, try to instil into your children the importance of writing down and recording everything that is of importance to them. By doing so, not only will they be well versed in the management of money in the future, but they will be far more organised in their general way of living.
Teach them about budgeting and the stretching of money
The biggest pitfall when it comes to the saving of money is spending it. Yes, it’s good to spend money and buy things that bring happiness. And yes, it’s good not to let money rule your life. But, in order to live a happy, care-free life, money must be saved and your financial future must be covered. And your children must know this.
Your children must know how to stretch their spend and most importantly what should be given precedence with what they spend. A simple and effective way to teach this is to give them a small amount of change to work with in a shop, and for them to buy whatever they want within the price range they have been given. They should also be taught that if they save the little money they are given in the for of pocket money, then it will eventually grow to be a big pile of money. To do this, you could inform that instead of buying a few sweets every week, they could save up for a number of weeks or months and instead buy themselves a brand new Playstation or Xbox game.
When money is spent wisely it can be the centre of one’s happiness rather than being the root of all evil. And it is imperative that your children know this as they grow. For more advice on how to prepare your children for the world of accounting when they reach adulthood, make sure to check out this guide.
