“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” — Proverbs 22:6
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Match money lessons to a child's age and stage
- Explain approaches to allowance and chores
- Teach giving, saving, and spending with jars or envelopes
- Plan ways to teach children from a distance or alongside caregivers
Lesson Notes
Teaching Is Talking Along the Way
Deuteronomy 6:7 says to teach God's words when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way. Children learn money mostly by watching and by small, everyday conversations: at the store, while paying a bill, while counting coins. Your example teaches more than any lesson.
Every family is different. These are general ideas; adjust them to each child and household.
Lessons by Age
- Ages 3–5: Name coins and bills. Play store. Practice waiting for something. Use a clear jar so they can see savings grow.
- Ages 6–10: Introduce give, save, spend jars. Let them make small choices and small mistakes. Compare prices at the store.
- Ages 11–14: Give a budget for something real, such as school clothes. Talk about needs versus wants and how advertising works. Consider a savings account with a parent.
- Ages 15–18: Help with a first job and paycheck, a simple monthly budget, saving for a goal, and the dangers of debt. Explain how credit works before the credit offers arrive.
Allowance and Chores
Families handle this in different ways. Some expect basic chores because everyone in a family helps, and give a separate allowance as a teaching tool. Others pay for extra jobs beyond basic chores so children learn that work earns income (Proverbs 14:23: In all labour there is profit). Either approach can work if it is consistent and explained.
Whatever the approach, the goal is practice: children need some money of their own to manage, decide about, and sometimes mismanage while the stakes are small.
Give, Save, Spend Jars
Three labeled jars or envelopes make stewardship visible. When money comes in, the child divides it: some to Give (church, a neighbor in need), some to Save (a goal), and some to Spend. Let the child help decide the portions. Second Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that God loveth a cheerful giver; avoid forcing giving in a way that feels like punishment.
Teaching from a distance: Mothers who are separated from their children can still teach. With permission from caregivers and within facility rules, use letters, approved calls, and visits to ask about a child's jars, share a short Bible verse, or draw a savings chart together. Support the caregiver's household rules rather than competing with them.
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Give-save-spend jars | Three containers that teach children to divide money among giving, saving, and spending |
| Allowance | A regular amount given to a child to practice managing money |
| Needs vs. wants | Things required to live versus things we would like to have |
| Caregiver | The adult currently raising a child day to day |
In-Class Activities
Age-Stage Match
Your instructor will read twelve money lessons (for example, play store with coins, read a pay stub, compare two cereal prices). Write each under the right age group: 3–5, 6–10, 11–14, or 15–18. Explain one choice.
Make a Jar Lesson
Draw three jars and label them Give, Save, and Spend. Write a five-minute lesson for a seven-year-old who just received five dollars: what you will say, the Scripture you will use (KJV), and how the child will decide how to divide the money.
Assignment: Family Money Teaching Plan
Choose a child or teen in your life (or a composite child if you prefer). Write a plan:
- The child's age and one money lesson right for that age.
- How you will teach it (in person, by letter, by call, or through a caregiver), within facility rules.
- One Scripture (KJV) you will share.
- How you will handle allowance or earning in this family.
- One way you will model the lesson yourself.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
Proverbs 22:6 speaks of training a child in the way he should go. What money lessons did you learn as a child, spoken or unspoken? What do you want the children in your life to learn differently?
Prayer focus: Pray for the children in your life by name, and ask God for wisdom to teach them well, near or far.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
When Thou Walkest by the Way
Deuteronomy 6:7 pictures teaching that happens everywhere: sitting in the house, walking by the way, lying down, rising up. Children learn money the same way, by watching what we do at the store, how we talk about bills, and whether we give with joy.
Each age is ready for different lessons. Little ones can name coins and practice waiting. School-age children can use give, save, and spend jars. Preteens can handle a small budget for school clothes. Teens can learn about paychecks and the dangers of debt before the credit offers arrive.
Allowance and chores work differently in different homes. What matters most is that children have a little money of their own to manage, and that the adults explain the plan and stay consistent. Small mistakes at age eight cost far less than big mistakes at twenty-five.
If you are apart from your children, you can still teach. With caregivers' blessing and within facility rules, a letter can ask how a child's savings jar is growing or share a verse about giving. Supporting a caregiver's household rules is a gift to your child.
Think About It
- What did you learn about money as a child? ______________________
- Which child in your life could you teach, and what lesson fits her age? ______________________
- How can you support the adults currently caring for children you love? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 3
Train Up a Child
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.— Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Early lessons last a lifetime.
Reflect: What do you want the children in your life to remember?
Pray: Lord, help me train children well.
Do: Pray for one child by name.
Teach Them Diligently
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.— Deuteronomy 6:7 (KJV)
Everyday moments are teaching moments.
Reflect: What ordinary moment could become a money lesson?
Pray: Lord, open my eyes to teaching moments.
Do: Plan one short lesson for a child.
A Cheerful Giver
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.— 2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJV)
Giving should be taught with joy, not pressure.
Reflect: How can you make giving joyful for a child?
Pray: Lord, make me a cheerful giver.
Do: Draw a give-save-spend jar chart.
Consider the Ant
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:— Proverbs 6:6 (KJV)
Even small creatures save ahead. Children can learn saving through simple examples.
Reflect: What simple example teaches saving?
Pray: Lord, teach me to save wisely.
Do: Set aside a small amount today, even on paper.
From a Child
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.— 2 Timothy 3:15 (KJV)
Timothy learned Scripture from childhood through his mother and grandmother.
Reflect: Which verse would you share with a child?
Pray: Lord, let Your Word live in our families.
Do: Write a verse to share in a letter or visit.
Module Quiz
- 1.
Which money lesson best fits ages 3–5?
- 2.
Give-save-spend jars help children:
- 3.
When teaching a child from a distance, you should:
- 4.
There is only one correct way for a family to handle allowance and chores.
- 5.
Give one money lesson for teens ages 15–18.