Financial education cannot be taught from a worksheet. At their age, money only becomes real once it passes through their hands and once a decision made today shows its effect tomorrow.
That is why our after school runs its own financial education and personal development programme, built around PlusKids money. Every child has the chance to earn it by completing tasks that help them grow: from finishing their homework to taking responsibility at the table. These are not rewards handed out at random — they are tied to concrete things the child can do alone and repeats day after day.
With the virtual coins they gather, the children can choose from the toys we make available. This is where the most interesting part begins. Some spend everything at once, then discover that the thing they really wanted cost more. Others save for several days in a row and get exactly where they meant to. It is precisely the lesson no explanation can deliver: saving is not about not spending, it is about choosing when you do.
While they learn to manage money, the children also build responsibility, and the effect shows in other parts of the day. A child who understands that their effort has a visible result takes on more readily tasks that have nothing to do with money at all — because they have grasped the link between what you do and what you get.
We are proud to watch each child gradually take responsibility and gain, along with the coins, a measure of confidence. And habits formed at seven or nine years old stay long after the toy has been forgotten.