All About Your Child

How To Teach Your Preschooler about Money

A long-time reader of my blog sent me an email today and asked me for the links to my Self-Created money lessons, which I posted when I was preparing Keatkeat for Primary School during December 2009. She said she could not find it. Maybe there are too many posts already after these years of blogging… *laugh*

Anyway, Jenny, here it is:

Money Lesson 1 for Preschooler : “Foundation”

Money Lesson 2 for Preschooler : “Creative Lesson”

Money Lesson 3 for Preschooler : “Its Time For Play”

Money Lesson 4 for Preschooler : “Good Money Habits”

Remember, NEVER SKIP the lessons, because these Self-Created Money Lessons were created with the slow-build-up concept in mind.

I always believe that a child should be taught at a pace that he/she is comfortable with. Only then, the child can learn better and absorb more.

Parents should NEVER push or force when the child is not ready.
Parents should NEVER have ‘over’-expectations of their child.
Parents should KNOW their child’s level of understanding the logic behind Mathematics first, before teaching them about Money.

Have fun! *Grin*

How To Teach Your Preschooler about Money

Page Boy Suits for Sale

My boys will be selling their suits which had only been worn ONCE during their Ah Yee’s Wedding.

Yes, that means every cent will go into their pockets. It is their suits afterall. *wink*

The suits had been dry-cleaned, so you can be sure that its free from any drop of sweat nor smell like one. *laugh*

Alright, here are the specifications:

• The original suit comes with a black bow tie.
• We preferred red, so we bought the red tie as a replacement.
• You have the option to take the black bow tie or the red long tie
• We had altered the pants’ waist area and the length.
• Nothing was ‘cut’. Merely folded.
• The length of the pants can be lengthen back to its original length of  77cm
• Currently it is 70cm
• The waist of the pants can be altered back to its original 62cm
• Currently it is 58cm
• Please arrange for your own seamstress to do the necessary alteration in order to fit your boy’s size.

They will be selling their suit for SGD$40 each, which includes, the Black Jacket, the White Shirt, the Black Pants and the Tie (either the bow tie or the red long tie)
Trying of the suit will be done at my place.
Please email me at angeline@AllAboutYourChild.com to make an appointment.

Cheers!

***Updated on 6th Jan: Selling Price reduced to $35 each set.

***Updated on 2nd March 2012: SOLD to Auntie Shirley. Thank you for making our piggy bank fatter. ~ Keatkeat & Binbin.

Page Boy Suits for Sale

Its been a loooooooooong time since I last posted about my children earning money from eBay.

Yes! Another of their toys were sold. This time the kids get to decide on the price of the toy they are selling. Before we listed the item on my eBay, I taught them how to determine how much their toy was worth.

1. Visited toy shop to look at similar toys and checked out their prices.
2. Advised them that used toys should be priced lower than new toys.
3. Highlighted scratches on their toy, thus price should be even lower.

After these points were given, I was surprised at Keatkeat’s response, “Mommy, just sell it for $8. Almost same price as new ones. Then if the person want discount then we discount for him lor.”

*Jaws Dropped*

He was definitely paying attention when he was ‘helping’ me at my retail business in the past. But that was four years ago!!! I am impressed!

In the end, the above toy was slashed from $8 to $5 before it was sold today to a first-time-Mommy.

*Kaching!*

School Holidays is a love and hate relationship for me.
Love it because I get to spend extra time with kids whom I seldom have time with and hate it because it would also mean that lots of my usual ‘work’ is being delayed due to lack of ‘me-time’.

My eldest niece wanted to learn how to do ‘proper’ beading so that she can sell her craft works at the flea mart.

Knowing that I was in this line for years in the past and doing beading for survival then in my pushcarts; my eldest niece’s parents decided to send her daughter over for a mini ‘Beading for Kids‘ session.

So she brought all her beads to my house while I provided her the finishing parts and the tools.

Its so different when you do beading yourself and when you teach. Its MORE FUN to teach beading than to do it! *laugh*

I think she did great! My eldest niece is an artistic girl by nature, so it was easy for her to pick up the tips and tricks in beading, whereby she had been ‘playing’ with for sometime. Thus I would not call it a ‘beading for beginners’ session.

So while we were having fun beading, all that she need was to master the basic finishing touches, the sell-able combination of colours and the proper way of grabbing the tools. Afterall, beading for fun and beading for sales purpose is different.

In a way, this ‘Beading for Kids’ session was funny to me. As the ‘teacher’ is trying hard to clear her 7 years of retail stuff on eBay and vowed never to go back to retail line again, yet she is promoting it indirectly. Hhhmmm….

Well, the only complain was my boys did not get a chance to play with their cousin. Lots of chatting definitely, but ‘real playtime’? Nah. *giggle*

Thank you 2nd BIL and SIL for this arrangement, it was a wonderful beading fun of 6 hours. *smile*

This happened on the 2nd week of school.

Keatkeat: “Mommy, today my friend want to take money from my wallet.”

Me: “Tell me the whole story.”

Keatkeat: “A friend said this friend lost his wallet and got no food to eat. Then before I put my wallet in my pocket after I buy food, he just take my wallet away and want to take the money. I said “Cannot! Don’t Take My Money! My Mommy will scold.” And I take it back from him. Later I don’t know why he got food to eat.”

Me: “Why did you feel that I will scold you?”

Keatkeat: “Because you always teach me that money is important. Cannot waste money. He take my money away is wasting my money.”

Me: “But don’t you think he is very pitiful? He has nothing to eat because he has no money?”

Keatkeat: “Yes. So you think I should give him the money?”

Me: “When you have a friend who lost his wallet or have no money to eat, it is best that he should approach the teachers or an adult. They will know better how to help him. You did a Great Job Keat!”

Keatkeat: “Orh.” (meaning “ok”)

*** I forsee his post may strike opposition from some parents in thinking that I am not teaching my boy to be compassionate.

But to me, my 6 year old is still unable to differentiate a liar from a honest chap. Even adults have problem with this, true? And being children, their kindness are easily taken advantage of. I am not saying that THIS friend is lying, I am just protecting my boy from being caught in a situation like this:-

Imagine this: If KK had given him the money or promise to lend it to him. If this boy is really dishonest, and refused to return the money; on top of that, if he comes again to my boy the next day for money again (furthermore, notice? He did not ask. He just took Keatkeat’s wallet as if it was his.); Keatkeat or the boy would think that this is perfectly alright, because it has become a routine.

My two boys do ‘donate‘ to blind people who sell tissue papers or handicapped on the road. In some sense, I think being compassionate is an in-born thing in all children.

Seriously, for this incident, I am VERY PROUD of Keatkeat. I love and approve the way he handled the situation. Good Job, Keat!