Stewardship starts at home.
Everything we have, our time, talents and treasures, come from God. One way we should honor God is by sharing our gifts with others. Kids may not always listen, but they see everything you do. We need to let others see us being joyful and generous with our God-given gifts.
So where do we start?
Read the Bible together!
Give
…regularly
(I Corinthians 16:2)
…secretly
(Matthew 6:1-2)
…sacrificially
(Luke 21:1-4)
…based
on your earnings (I Corinthians 16:2)
…purposefully
(II Corinthians 9:7)
…cheerfully
(II Corinthians 9:7)
…with
God’s priorities in mind (Matthew 6:19-21)
…generously
(Luke 6:38, II Corinthians 9:6)
One simple and effective hands-on approach to teaching kids about financial giving is by using three jars.
Create three containers to hold money. You can use jars, cans, envelopes, coin purses, boxes, anything really. Let your kids decorate and label them. Each should be labeled as follows:
- Jar 1: Save. The save jar is to put money away for the future. Talk about saving for college and saving for rainy days.
- Jar 2: Give. This jar is for giving to others. Give to church, community projects, or your own project that helps someone. The important thing is for this jar to be used to give back to others in ways that make a difference.
- Jar 3: Spend. This spend jar is for buying things you want. Encourage kids to work hard and earn what they want. Also, encourage thinking before you spend. Is that really what you want or need? Is this item worth it?
Each time your child receives money (allowance, extra chores, gifts, etc)
they divide their money into these three jars. You decide what ratio to teach.
At our house we like Save 20%, Give 10% (tithing), and Spend the rest.
You will be teaching the responsibility of saving, that hard work pays off, and the joy of giving and helping others!
