Money can be a difficult topic among adults, so it's no surprise that many parents feel a little lost teaching money handling to their kids. Even if you have great financial planning abilities, teaching an age-appropriate version to children or teenagers can be a daunting task.
The
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Sault Ste. Marie is aiming to tackle that problem with two workshops coming up in March.
"The goal is to educate parents and kids, 6 to 14 years old, about how God wants us to use money. The premise is give, save, spend," says Karen Kucharczyk, a parent at the school and the director of congregational advocates for
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in the eastern Upper Peninsula.
The first one is at 12:30 p.m. on March 22, at the church, and is designed for parents and children ages 6 to 10. Parents and kids will have the chance to learn together about money and how values inform money choices, with plenty of practical tools to help the lessons along and make them fun. Registration deadline is March 12.
Kucharczyk says the workshops will address many questions kids might have about money, and help parents answer them.
"If you get an allowance, birthday or Christmas money, how are you going to spend that money? Are you saving for something special? How much should I give? Why do I want to save money? What is investing about? Should I be spending all my money at once or saving for something big?" she lists as a few of the questions kids and their parents will think about during the workshops.
Parents with preteens and teens, ages 11 to 14, can attend a workshop earlier in the day, at 10:30 a.m. The session will be more focused on good stewardship of money, including giving, saving and spending, and making well-thought-out choices. Teens will get a free personal finance organizer as part of the workshop.
Both workshops are about an hour long, and are presented by Tom Evans and Donald Rosenberg, representatives from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
To reserve seats,
email Kucharczyk, call her at 906-635-9561 or visit the church office.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Karen Kucharczyk, Immanuel Lutheran Church and School
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