Dear Parents and Caregivers, welcome to Dream, Save, Do!

Transcription

1 CAREGIVER GUIDE

2 Dear Parents and Caregivers, welcome to Dream, Save, Do! Every day as a parent, you do things that prepare your kids for a bright future one in which they have the power to achieve the things they dream of. Maybe you model positive values and attitudes. Maybe you help them think through their choices and the consequences of each. Maybe you encourage your kids to share with others. Maybe you let them observe the way you think through your decisions (for instance, what to buy at the grocery store). All of these things you re already doing motivate and empower them to realize their own aspirations (for both material and non-material things). You re helping them dream, plan, and do! 3

3 But reaching a goal takes practice, persistence, and patience and we all need support, whether we re adults or kids. Building on what you already do, this guide is designed to: HELP kids understand that the choices they make every day can help them reach their goals (both financial and non-financial). GIVE you specific ways to discuss decisions together and make talking about dreaming, planning and money easier for the whole family. OFFER age-appropriate strategies, tips, and activities to help kids build understanding around spending, saving, sharing, and donating. This guide has three sections: DREAM We Can Do It! Considering aspirations and setting goals. PLAN How Do We Do It? Making thoughtful choices and identifying steps in a plan to reach a goal. DO Okay, Let s Do It! Thinking flexibly and creatively when it comes to managing resources; thoughtful spending, saving, sharing, donating, and exchanging in order to achieve one s aspirations. What is Financial Empowerment? Children are financially empowered when they: Can set goals and then make choices and decisions that lead them to those goals. Feel confidence and optimism in making plans to reach a goal. Understand how money and resources relate to one another, and the value of work. Are familiar with the basic concepts of saving, spending, sharing, donating and exchanging. To connect with other resources developed for this initiative, look for these icons: DREAM CHOOSE Pick and choose the ideas and activities that feel right to you, your family, and your situation! PLAN ENVIRONMENT SAVE ACTIVIT SPEND TALK ABOUT 4 5 SHARE TIP

4 DREAM We can do it! Share your own dreams and aspirations with your child (perhaps you want to go to school, have more time to play together, learn a new language, visit a far-away loved one, or have a big family meal every week). Then ask your child to share some of his own aspirations and let him know how important they are. Ask questions that help your child express his aspirations. What is one thing you wish you could learn in school? Aspirations are things we want to do, to be, or to have. They are reflected in our dreams for ourselves, our families, and our community. It s powerful to help children define their aspirations their goals so that they can take steps to plan for success. And a positive attitude and confidence in our aspirations helps a lot when the road feels long. muito. What do you want to be able do when you get a little older? What would you like to be able to do when you are a grown-up? What kind of job might you like to have when you are a grown-up? Where is someplace you would like to go someday? What is something you might like to buy at the store? 6 7

5 ACTIVITY 1 ACTIVITY 2 The Aspiration Tree In the center of this book you ll find a tear-out poster. The whole family can do this activity together. On each leaf, everyone in the family can write (young children can dictate to you and you can write) an aspiration or dream. Use as many leaves as you like. For instance, on the leaves you might write: learn a new language, be a football player, have more family dinners, or get a new backpack. Cut out, then tape or glue, the leaves onto the tree (if you run out, you can cut more leaves from paper). Hang the tree in a place in your home where the whole family can see it, so everyone can see how family choices are contributing to those dreams or aspirations. Looking Closely Have your child draw a picture of one of her aspirations. She might choose one that she wrote on a leaf in the previous activity, The Aspiration Tree (page 2). Invite your child to draw his aspiration on a sheet of paper, then examine it together and discuss. Ask open-ended, guiding questions such as: Can you tell me about what you ve drawn here? What else can you tell me about what you ve drawn? Why do you want this? How might you feel when you ve reached your goal? 8 You ll revisit this tree as you go through different activities in this guide

6 PLANEJAR How do we do it? Once your child has set her goals and identified her aspirations, it s time to plan for success. To plan is to take steps and make choices that lead you to what you want. What materials and resources are needed? Look back at the Aspiration Tree your family created and focus on one leaf. What plans do you need to make to take a small step toward that goal? (For instance, if your child wants to be a soccer player, he can start by eating a healthy breakfast every day and practicing regularly with friends). Remember, a plan can change if a step isn t realistic or doesn t work. Being flexible is a great skill. It s okay to change the plan! 10 11

7 ACTIVITY3 Fruit Salad Demonstrate that steps are included in planning. Breaking down your path into smaller steps can help you achieve your aspiration. Elmo is hungry and wants something to eat, so together with his mom and dad, they decide to make a fruit salad. Elmo, what foods do we need for a fruit salad? We have the fruit. What is the next thing we need to do to make the fruit salad? Sometimes we need help to complete a step. Elmo, did we complete our goal of making a fruit salad? Ask your child: What was Elmo s aspiration? What does he want to achieve? What did Elmo s family need to do to help reach his goal? What materials did Elmo need to get what he wanted? What did Elmo s family help him do that he couldn t do on his own? How did Elmo s family make a fruit salad? What steps did they need to take? Did Elmo accomplish what he wanted? Did he achieve his goal? Conclude by saying, Just like Elmo and his family had a plan for making the fruit salad (thinking of an activity, buying, preparing, and eating the fruit), we also need to plan to make our dreams come true

8 CHOOSE ACTIVITY4 Supermarket Choices Decisions, Decisions Making a plan means making certain choices and decisions. Every day your child makes choices and decisions (and watches as you do so, too). Making good choices builds confidence and is a lifelong skill. Sometimes you re the one making the decisions, but they can be involved in that. You can help your child understand the financial meaning, benefit, or consequence of each choice. It s also okay to explain that you are choosing not to spend money (there are lots of fun things to do for free). Needs and Wants Explain that: Everyone NEEDS nutritious food, water, shelter, and clothing to stay healthy and safe. Our NEEDS also change depending on the situation. A child may NEED their backpack for school, but not when going to sleep. Then there are the things we WANT. Sometimes we WANT to buy an extra thing, like a new toy, but those extras are not as important as the things we NEED. It s okay if we have to wait to get things we WANT, or choose not to get them at all because there are things we NEED. Making a shopping list with your child and then going to the supermarket together is a great opportunity to model the planning and thoughtful decision-making process. Before going to the market, create a shopping list together with your child. Your child can even draw pictures next each item. You can include your child in the spending choices. For example, when you let your child choose one thing to buy at the store Point out that there are things your family needs, and things your family wants (see box on this page). What items are essential? Remind your child that sometimes we may need to cross something off the list if it is not essential. As you go through the store, narrate the choices you are making and discuss them together. For instance, you might say, I m going to choose to buy a lot of these bananas because they re on sale; that means they cost less. Or Let s start in the produce aisle because that s where the healthiest things are. Or Hmmm, now we have a decision to make. Should we buy these crackers or those crackers? Let s compare the two prices

9 DO Okay, let s do it! Often, part of our plan for reaching our aspirations involves saving, spending and donating money or other resources. SAVING SAVING lets people buy or get something in the future because they don t have enough money to buy it today. Waiting can be hard for young kids to master! It s okay to say we don t always have enough money to buy things right away. Remind your child that it takes time to save money but that you can keep doing it, sticking with it day by day. Kids may wonder where money comes from and why adults work. You can explain: I go to work as a to earn money. Some of the things I do in my job are. Jobs are how we get money to spend on things we need and want. Some of the money I earn we will spend on our needs like home and food and some of the money we will save for fun things later. Our needs and wants are part of our budget a plan for how much we will spend and what we will spend it on. You have jobs at home like sorting recycling, setting table, and picking up toys. Those jobs are important, to they help us save our money. What sort of job do you think you might want to do when you get older? 16

10 ACTIVITY5 Saving for a Special Day Saving requires patience. As a family, think of a special activity (one that requires money) that you and your child can do together, looking to the Aspiration Tree (page 8) for ideas. Together, choose an activity that fits your budget and schedule, then help your child figure out how much you need to save by considering the activities that you require you to spend money. Consider transportation, lunch, tickets, and so on, and also the wants, such as treats and souvenirs. Build a piggy bank in which all family members can put coins for a specified period of time. You can use a clean empty plastic bottle, box or envelope if you don t have a piggy bank. Periodically, help your child count the money with the help of your child so she can keep track of how much is being saved. You can group coins or bills of the same value to make counting easier. When you ve reached your goal amount, have fun with your activity! To remember that special day, take a family picture and display it where everyone can see. Use the calendar in the back of the Storybook Let s Harvest! to help plan for your special day. Saving also means saving energy and natural resources, such as light and water, in your home and community. Using energy resources wisely can help the family financially. For instance, if you remember to turn lights off when leaving the house, later you might put a few extra coins in the jar. You can also limit your family s energy and natural resources by reusing and recycling objects and materials

11 DO ACTIVITY6 My Store SPENDING SPENDING means giving money to get something in return. When your child sees you spending money, explain exactly what s going on; money is part of children s lives and talking openly about it helps them develop a positive relationship with their finances in the future. Pretend play can be a powerful way to understand larger concepts like buying and selling. If it s appropriate, let your child examine all kinds of coins of different values. Do they know the names of each? Can they read the numbers on them? How about on paper money? How do the bills look the same and how do they look different? Give your child a cardboard box as a pretend cash register. Cut apart colored paper and cardboard circles for play money. Ask, what kind of things will you sell in your store? Help her make a sign for her store, which can be set up anywhere, such as a corner of the family room. Help her gather some things to sell in her store. Or, she might draw pictures of items. Help her assign each a price. Then her playmates or family members can pretend to be customers

12 DO ACTIVITY 7 SHARE Toy Exchange Exchanging resources such as unwanted toys or outgrown clothes with others can be part of saving and not spending! Maybe this is the most valuable thing of all, since it can be based on love and friendship and desire to help others. Exchanging resources with others can help your family save money. Your child may have a toy that she no longer plays with but that another child might enjoy. Identify another family who is interested in exchanging a toy. Establish rules with the children, such as all toys must be in good condition and working. Help the child to choose what he will exchange. Set up a time and place for the exchange. Storybook Let s Harvest! This storybook will help you review messages about dreaming, planning, and saving with your child. 1. Read the story to your child. 2. Talk about the illustrations. Ask, What do you see on this page? What are the characters doing? 3. Try the activities in the book as you go. Encourage your child to share the importance of their toy and the possible ways their friend can play with it. 22 Remember you can share non-material things, too like time, love, or things you are good at! All these things have value, which means they are worth something to someone even if they do not have a price tag or cost money. Lots of good things are free, like: telling jokes and stories talking a nature walk drawing a picture giving hugs reading a book from the library playing a game outside running and jumping If you have the resources, make this into a larger event: Prepare invitations with location, date, time and guidelines; Distribute invitations among families in your community; Ask each child to sort up to 5 toys, books, DVDs, shoes, or clothing to exchange. Storybook included in this guide Read along in the storybook Let s Harvest! as Elmo and his friends plant vegetables in their home garden. Learn how Elmo and friends, along with the help of Elmo s mom and dad, figure out the steps to planting, discover what materials they need and how much time they need to wait for their delicious vegetables to grow.

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