Teaching Kids About Money, pt. 1

Sometimes, the most important things to teach our kids are also the hardest. This is often true when it comes to teaching our kids about money. Maybe we’ve made some mistakes and don’t feel qualified to lead our kids financially. Maybe our parents didn’t teach us about money, so we’re not sure how to go about it. Or maybe we just think “it’s none of their business how we manage our money.”

The thing is, our kids are learning about money. They’re learning from marketers, from their friends, from culture in general. And none of these sources are teaching stewardship principles. Instead, they’re promoting materialism, greed, and a sense of entitlement. If we want our children to become faithful stewards of God’s resources, it’s up to us to model and teach that.

Jesus teaches us that we have to choose between serving God and serving money. That sounds simple, but it’s not always easy. And if it’s not easy for us, it won’t be easy for our kids.

In this first installment of our three-part series on teaching kids about money, host James Lenhoff shows us the importance of teaching and modeling stewardship principles, exposing them to those who have less, and sharing our own mistakes (even as we make them!) as key elements of discipling our kids in this critical area.