The Best Way to Start a ‘Savings Habit’ Before Your Child Turns 10

April 22nd, 2026 Posted in goal setting for kids, kids and money
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Did you know that many of our adult money habits are formed by the age of seven? Research suggests that by the time a child reaches ten, their fundamental attitudes toward spending, saving, and delayed gratification are already well-established.

As a parent, this is your “golden window.” You don’t need a huge budget to teach your child to save; you just need a few simple, consistent habits. At The Financial Fairy Tales, we believe that starting a “savings habit” early is the best way to ensure a child grows up to “Follow their Bliss” rather than being trapped by debt.

1. Make Saving Visual (The Clear Jar)

For a child under ten, “money in the bank” is an abstract concept. They need to see their wealth growing.

•The Habit: Use a clear glass or plastic jar instead of a traditional opaque money box.

•The Lesson: Every time they add a coin, they see the level rise. This provides an immediate visual reward that a digital balance simply cannot match.

2. The “Matching” Principle

To a child, saving can sometimes feel like “losing” money they could have spent on a treat today. We need to flip that script.

•The Habit: Tell your child: “For every £1 you put in your ‘Save’ jar, I will add 10p.”

•The Lesson: This introduces the concept of employer matching or interest in a way they can see and feel. It makes saving feel like a “win.”

3. Connect Savings to a “Big Dream”

Saving “just because” is boring. Saving for a specific goal is an adventure.

•The Habit: Have your child draw a picture of what they are saving for (a new toy, a day out, or a gift for a friend). Tape that picture to their jar.

•The Lesson: This teaches purpose. It shows them that saving isn’t about “not spending”; it’s about reaching a goal. It builds the patience needed for long-term success.

4. Consistency Over Amount

It doesn’t matter if they save 10p or £10. What matters is that they do it every time they receive money.

•The Habit: Whether it’s a gift from a grandparent or pocket money for chores, ensure a portion always goes into the “Save” jar first.

•The Lesson: This builds the “money muscle” of paying yourself first—a habit that separates the wealthy from the struggling.

Starting the Journey Today

By starting these habits before age ten, you are giving your child a massive head start in life. You are moving them from a “consumer mindset” to a “wealth-creator mindset.”

Want more tools to build healthy habits? Our Financial Fairy Tales: Activity Book is filled with games and charts designed to make saving a fun and rewarding part of every day.

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5 Simple Pocket Money Games That Teach Financial Responsibility

March 31st, 2026 Posted in goal setting for kids, kids and money
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Pocket money is often a child’s first “salary.” It is the training ground where they learn the difference between a fleeting whim and a long-term goal. But simply handing over a few coins every Saturday isn’t enough; we need to turn that pocket money into a powerful teaching tool.

In The Financial Fairy Tales, we believe that learning about money should be serious fun. Here are five simple games you can play at home to turn pocket money into a lesson in financial responsibility.

5 Simple Pocket Money Games That Teach Financial Responsibility - 3 jars image

1. The Three Jars Challenge

Instead of one money box, give your child three clear jars labelled: Spend, Save, and Give.

  • The Game: Every time they receive pocket money, they must decide how to split it.
  • The Lesson: This teaches “intentionality.” It shows them that money has different purposes, and “Giving” is just as important for a heart-centred life as “Saving.”

2. The “Wait and Double” Game

This is a classic test of delayed gratification, similar to the lessons in The Last Gold Coin.

  • The Game: Tell your child, “If you don’t spend your ‘Save’ jar this week, I will add an extra 10% (or 50p) to it next Saturday.”
  • The Lesson: This is a simple introduction to interest. It shows them that patience literally pays off.

3. The Supermarket Scout

Turn the weekly shop into a treasure hunt for value.

  • The Game: Give your child £2 of their pocket money and a small list (e.g., a loaf of bread and a tin of beans). Their goal is to find the best value items and “keep the change.”
  • The Lesson: This teaches price comparison and the value of research. It turns them from a passive consumer into a “smart shopper.”

4. The “Work for a Perk” Auction

Sometimes, we want things that cost more than our weekly allowance.

  • The Game: If they want a £20 toy, create a list of “extra” chores with a set value (e.g., washing the car = £3).
  • The Lesson: This connects effort to income. It moves them away from “I want” to “How can I earn this?”—a core principle of entrepreneurship.

5. The Family Goal Poster

Visualising success is a key part of the Dreams Can Come True philosophy.

  • The Game: Create a poster of a “Big Dream” (like a trip to the zoo or a new LEGO set). Every time they put money in their “Save” jar, let them colour in a section of the goal.
  • The Lesson: This makes the abstract concept of “saving” feel tangible and exciting.

Turning Games into Habits

By making these games a regular part of your family life, you are building the “money muscles” your child will need as an adult. You are moving them from “Learning” to “Earning” and eventually to “Following their Bliss.”

Want more games and puzzles? Our Financial Fairy Tales: Activity Book is packed with interactive ways to make financial literacy a fun part of every day.

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Goal Setting for Kids and Teens

August 16th, 2012 Posted in goal setting for kids
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Children of all ages can benefit from the setting of Goals. The process alone can help clarify and focus their intentions, create a workable plan and get them started towards achievement.

This time of year is an excellent opportunity to think strategically about what you want to achieve, why you want to achieve it and how are you going to get it done. Older children can, with a little encouragement, set their own goals and plans for the future. Whilst younger kids may need a little extra support.

The step by step process explained in The Goals Workshop will allow your child or Teen to get enthusiastic about their dreams and create solid plans towards their attainment.

Some young people set major goals around rites of passage such as buying a first car, going to college or getting a job. Others can benefit from starting with smaller goals and gathering momentum and confidence from their success.

Some of the major benefits of goal setting include:

  • Providing focus on what you want
  • Considering why it is important to you
  • Working out some of the action steps necessary to get there
  • Addressing the challenges and skills needed to overcome them.
  • Providing an internal scorecard and means of celebrating success.

If you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there

If you watch children start playing an impromptu sport or game in the park, chances are the first thing they do is to put down some kind of markers for the pitch including the goals. Imagine playing basketball with no hoops. The players would just dribble around for ages till they got bored and went home.

The same can be true for many of us in life. Without clear, well defined goals, we are dribbling around with little purpose or direction.

At the start of the new school year – why not take the opportunity to talk about goals with your son or daughter and start them on the fast track to success.

The Goals Workshop is available on Kindle via Amazon here

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>Goal Setting for Kids

December 21st, 2009 Posted in goal setting for kids, goals
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>By Winsome Coutts

Ever thought about Goal Setting for Kids? Goal setting is one of the most important skills that a person can learn, and the earlier this skill is learned, the more chances there are for successful outcomes in a person’s life. Adults know that goal setting is all about planning, making progress with that plan and reaching final goals or achievements. Once a child learns how to do this, they can use this tool for more success in school and at home.

Goal setting for kids will help your children to do well on their school tests and in activities such as sports, music programs or outside academic or arts programs – even at home, and with their personal finances. Teaching your child how to be a goal setter will give them a sense that they are capable of whatever they want to do. That’s valuable!

To learn more about Goal Setting for Kids, click here:

How to help your child be a goal setting child

Goal setting for children is basically the same as for adults, with a few caveats. Because they are young, and not as emotionally or cognitively developed, goals should be smaller and more tangible. The idea with goal setting for kids is to get them started in the life-long frame of mind for thinking, planning and taking action to achieve results. The basic premises of goal setting remain the same. You can help your child learn to set goals by working through these steps with him:

Ask, “What do you want to achieve?” – Help your child describe in specific terms something he would like to do that will take some work/planning (getting an A on his next math test, earning money to purchase a certain kind of bicycle).

Ask, “How will you get there?” – Help him plan out the steps to take and the mini-goals to reach on his way to the ultimate goal.

Establish accountability – Have your child write down what he wants to achieve and what his plan for getting there is. He can read it each day to help him with personal accountability, and he can share it with you, or another trusted adult to help him stay motivated, inspired and on-track.

Achieve – Achievement is not only for the final outcome, but also for the small goals that are met along the way.

Review plan/goals/outcomes – Throughout the process and at the end as well, review with your child the plan and how it is going. Do adjustments need to be made? How does he feel about his progress and where it is leading? How was the goal setting experience for him?

If your child does not reach his ultimate goal, talk to him about what he learned on the way. He still has learned valuable lessons about planning and goal setting, and he’s probably learned about himself. Encourage him to not give up on dreams that are important to him, but that if one plan doesn’t work, he has to revise the plan and try again.

Teaching your child to be a goal-setting child is one of the best things you can do.

You will be giving him or her, a valuable gift that they will use for their entire lives, empowering them to achieve wonderful things in every area of life. Goal setting for kids is a skill that will be built on throughout an entire lifetime. For a fantastic resource about , go to Goal Setting for kids

Winsome Coutts holds a teacher’s certificate in education and has written hundreds of articles on self-development. She has studied with Bob Proctor and John Demartini, popular teachers featured on “The Secret” DVD. She is the passion behind the www.4lifehappykids.com and is a parent and grandparent.

Winsome is author of “Go for Your Goals” for kids – a set of downloadable e-books that guide your child through the joyful steps of learning visualization, goal-setting and the Law of Attraction. Simple language enhanced with beautiful illustrations and worksheets make these books appealing and motivating. To learn more, visit www.4lifehappykids.com

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