Fun with Finances: A Summer Series for Kids
Summer May be Ending, but Financial Learning Doesn’t Have to.
Summer is winding down, backpacks are coming out, and another school year is just around the corner.
Over the past few months, we’ve been encouraging Birch families to make financial literacy part of summer through everyday conversations, hands-on experiences, and Financial Literacy Bingo. Kids have had opportunities to set goals, make thoughtful choices, learn about saving, and practice skills they can carry with them as they grow.
But financial learning doesn’t have to end when summer does.
In fact, heading back to school brings a whole new set of opportunities for kids to practice what they’ve learned.
Turn Back-to-School Shopping Into a Learning Opportunity
School supplies, new clothes, and other back-to-school needs can provide simple, real-world opportunities to talk about money.
Depending on your child’s age, invite them to help make the shopping list, compare prices, or decide how to use a set amount of money. Talk together about what’s needed, what might be nice to have, and where there may be opportunities to save.
These everyday decisions give kids a chance to practice planning and making thoughtful choices while seeing how those skills apply in real life.
Keep Talking About Money
You don’t have to be a financial expert to help your kids learn about money.
As we shared earlier this summer, some of the best financial learning happens through ordinary family life. Kids are watching, listening, asking questions, and forming ideas about money long before they earn their first paycheck.
The school year offers plenty of opportunities to keep those conversations going. When financial decisions come up, consider inviting your kids into the conversation in age-appropriate ways. Ask what they think. Let them compare options. Give them opportunities to make some decisions themselves.
The goal isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to make money something your family can talk about and learn about together.
For parents looking for additional support, Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not) offers age-appropriate ideas for talking with kids about money from preschool through college. Birch families can request a copy through their Financial Literacy Counselor.
Think About the Future Together
Back-to-school season can also be a natural time for families to think beyond this school year.
For parents thinking about future education costs, resources like 529 plans can provide one way to begin planning and saving. Birch families interested in learning more about education savings can connect with their Financial Literacy Counselor to discuss available resources and next steps.
As children get older, these conversations can grow with them. What begins with saving birthday money or comparing prices at the store can eventually become conversations about education, careers, debt, and the financial choices that come with adulthood.
Keep the Learning Going
If your family participated in Financial Literacy Bingo this summer, we hope you had fun. More importantly, we hope some of those activities sparked conversations that can continue long after the Bingo card is turned in.
Financial literacy isn’t something kids learn in a single summer. It develops over time as they practice making choices, setting goals, asking questions, and learning from experience.
As backpacks get packed and another school year begins, look for those small opportunities to keep learning together. A conversation in the store, a savings goal on the refrigerator, or a thoughtful decision about how to spend a few dollars may not feel like a financial lesson.
But those everyday moments can help build healthy money habits that last well beyond the school year.
