About 5 years ago a friend of mine called and asked if she could bring her children over as she needed to travel for an official assignment and her husband also had an impromptu trip to make.

Of course, it was no big deal, so I said yes, and she dropped them over a few days later.

Our children were glad to have extra play buddies of course, so there was a lot of play and jumping around, but even with that, it didn't take long for me to notice how domesticated, independent, and helpful her 8 and 10-year-olds were.

Yes, kids will be kids but they had skills and knew what to do when instructed and this made having them around a lot easy.

Our son of course was the perfect host, very polite, helpful, and willing to help them understand our routines and how things worked in our home.

Immediately , I thought of how to use this as a teachable opportunity for them all.

Quickly, I introduced exciting activities to keep the energy up and reduce screen time. So we had evening walks and collected lovely flowers, we skipped rope using an old extension cable, rolled tires (racing) outside, and also read & reviewed books.

I saw a perfect opportunity to stretch our son into being more self-sufficient and thought it will be nice to have their friends learn some financial skills and get to read books.

So I paired him up with the 8-year-old girl on one day and the boy on the next day and alternated that way for 6 out of 8 days they were with us.

They were all excited about clearing up the kitchen, washing the toilets, mopping the floor, getting into the kitchen to cook with me, and of course reviewing the stories they had read.

We also had group activities and presentations where the kids had to create something and convince us to buy from them. And there was a prize for the best team. The goal was to teach negotiation skills.

By the time they were ready to return home, our son was already used to the idea of doing these chores, so all we had to do was build on it.

Their friends had endless tales to tell their parents about all the fun activities they had, they wanted me to send videos of their presentations.

Neither my friend nor her children know how

impactful they were in those 8 days, but they were. I in turn made sure the children left with lifetime experiences and an understanding of the connection between money and work.📌

Did I have plans to introduce our son to those chores? Yes, I did, but they created the perfect opportunity to introduce them in a fun way that didn't make them seem like a chore or a burden, and that's the catch.

Did I have plans to teach my friend's kids about the system and money, nope, but hey, there was an opportunity I may never have again. So...

Dear parents,

👉🏿 Children will learn better when it is fun and easy to process.

👉🏿 They will learn better in a relaxed and loving atmosphere.

👉🏿 They will willingly commit to what they've learned when it's done without force, insults, or by force.

We will be teaching children about the Money mindset, interacting with money, how to make, manage and multiply money, and more in our Raising Financially Smart Kids Course.

Register your 7- 15 years olds and you for only N7,500 and you won't regret it for a minute.

See link

Pay N7,500 to

PTM Resources

Zenith Bank Plc

1226027006.

Or

https://selar.co/nfln

Have a great day.

©Marybeth Chima

Parenting Support Coach.