Already Teaching Your Kids About Money, Here’s How to Make it Count

Here’s the truth: kids are always learning about money — even when we’re not talking about it.

A landmark Cambridge University study found that by age seven, children have already formed core money habits — including how they perceive saving, spending, patience, and self-control.¹ By the time they can multiply fractions, they’ve already absorbed what money means in your home.

If money feels tense, scarce, or off-limits, they’ll feel that.If money feels purposeful, creative, and manageable, they’ll carry that instead.

They’re watching how you handle bills — do you sigh, avoid them, or celebrate being able to pay them?They’re noticing when you stress about groceries, or light up when you find a great deal.They’re listening to how you respond when they ask, "Can we get it?" — not just the words, but the energy behind them.

These early experiences quietly become their money mindset blueprint — shaping how they’ll save, spend, invest, and give decades later.

Think about it:

• A child who hears, "We can’t afford that," may internalize limitations — even when they grow up and can afford it.

• A child who sees Mom or Dad swipe a card but never talks about the budget may learn that money "just disappears."

• A child who watches a parent celebrate saving for a goal learns that money is something you direct, not something that directs you.

The beliefs formed in those small, everyday moments can echo well into adulthood — influencing whether someone hesitates to negotiate a salary, feels guilt around spending, or feels anxious about saving.

But here’s the good news: you can rewrite the script.

Every conversation you have, every decision you explain out loud, becomes a new data point for your child’s understanding of wealth and worth. When you bring money into the open — with transparency, gratitude, and curiosity — you remove the mystery and model mastery.

Instead of seeing money as a source of stress, they start to see it as a tool for freedom, generosity, and choice.

So next time you pay a bill, say out loud,

"I love that this helps keep our home bright and safe."

Or when you’re grocery shopping,

"Let’s see how far we can stretch $100 this week — it’s like a game."

Or when they ask for something at Target (because, of course they will),

"That’s not in today’s plan, but let’s add it to your ‘save for later’ list and talk about how you could earn it."

Those moments - small, honest, and consistent -are the ones that form future financial confidence.They show your kids that money isn’t something to fear or chase - it’s something to understand and steward.

That’s how we raise a generation who sees money as a tool, not a trigger.