Let’s be real. Kids love to buy things, and sometimes they can go a little overboard when they see their favorite toys in the store. Most kids do not know the importance of having money management skills. That is why they constantly ask you to buy them things when you go to the store or want something that is out of your budget.
Kids do not understand the value of a dollar and how you cannot always buy what you want if you don’t have the money. Now is the perfect time to teach your kids money management skills. If you are looking for a fun way to teach money management skills, gardening is the answer.
Not only will they have loads of fun gardening, but they will learn valuable skills without even realizing it. Kids love to play in the dirt anyway. Before your kids lace their shoes up and grab a shovel to start gardening, here are 4 ways gardening teaches kids money management skills.
- Builds stronger delayed gratification muscles
- Teaches responsibility
- Enhances the ability to plan and organize
- Encourages appreciation
Builds Stronger Delayed Gratification Muscles
Patients is a virtue that kids do not have, especially when they start singing their favorite song, “I want it now.” When kids want something, they usually want it right away and will not stop bothering you until they get what they want. Your little ones will find ways to get it sooner, even if you say no.
Plants do not grow overnight, and gardening will not give kids the instant gratification they yearn for. Taking care of a plant takes a lot of time and effort. Money management is just like that. Your kids have to learn that they have to wait to buy certain things that are not in the budget.
The process of gardening will help your kids learn delayed gratification. Delayed gratification is a skill that can take kids far in life and help them manage their money in the long run. You have to nurture your garden in order for plants to grow, and it takes patience to see the results. Give them a head start on learning delayed gratification by letting them watch a plant slowly grow into something bigger and test their patience. They will learn that you can’t always buy what you want when you want it.
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Teaches Responsibility
Just like kids believe that their parents have an endless amount of money, they will think that a plant will magically grow overnight. Gardening teaches kids responsibility because they have to take care of their plants so they will stay alive. Simply watering the plants on a daily basis before they watch TV or play with their friends will teach them how to be responsible.
When your kids are responsible with their money, they can avoid impulse buying, and it will teach them how to be content with what they have. Gardening can teach your kids to take responsibility when something goes wrong with their money. Anything can happen to your garden. Your child may forget to water the plants or think they have other important things to do. When your kids are responsible with their money, they will know how to spend their allowance better and will sing less of the “I want it now” song.
Enhances the Ability to Plan and Organize
Planning and organizing is not a skill that kids have naturally. Their idea of planning and organizing is throwing a party or watching reruns of their favorite TV show in chronological order. When gardening, you need to know which plants to choose, how to organize them, and create a schedule for when you will work in the garden.
When you are managing money, you have to be organized and know where your money is going. You can teach your kids money management skills by planning a time for when they are going to work in the garden and helping them organize the garden.
Once they get the hang of planning and organizing when gardening, you can slowly sneak in a budget for what they want and give them an allowance. This will teach them how to plan and organize what they want to buy when they only have a specific amount of money to spend.
Encourages Appreciation
I do not know how many times we tell our kids that they need to appreciate what we give them, but it feels like we sound like a broken record. Kids can take for granted the amount of money we spend on clothes, toys, and other things they may need or want. It can be frustrating when all they are doing is asking for something without even saying thank you or being appreciative of what they already have.
Gardening can be a special bonding time with your kids, and they will appreciate growing a garden with you. There is nothing like watching a plant grow from start to finish and having your kids feel accomplished by caring for something they grew.
You can start by planting one seed and have them focus on just growing that one plant. They will appreciate the time and effort they spent on growing a tiny seed into a flower. Soon your kids will learn to appreciate the little things in life and won’t automatically think they need to buy everything.
Gardening will teach your kids valuable skills about plants, but they will also learn money management skills. We live in a day in age where kids think they can get what they want with just a click of a button.
When your kids learn money management skills, you will set them up for financial success in the future. The next time you go to your garden, bring your kids with you to create fun memories while you teach them money management skills.
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