Children Programmes:
A Month without Parents™
is a 10 hour first level course on money matters for 12 to 15 year old teenagers . This course can fit in a school term. The course includes a handout for children with most of exercises done during the class and tips to share with their parents on how to practise money knowledge.
In this course, students act in a play role: they are left alone at home for a month, with cash and a credit card. Through various activities, students learn about :
Session 1: Spending! In this first session, teenagers are given cash and open a bank account. Then they get a credit card and a cheque book... and go shopping. Through games and hand-on activities, teenagers learn about the various forms of money, how a credit card works, the difference between wishes and needs, what value means, the power of advertising, analyse why they shop and how to deal with peer pressure.
Session 2: Bills! In this second session, teenagers receive bills. Through games and activities, they learn how to read them and the different types of expenses their parents have, how to choose a deal with different options, the main banking terms, what currencies are and how to find an exchange rate.
Session 3: Earning! In this third session, children learn how to get money as their bank balance is getting low. Children learn about earning money, what a business is and how a business generates profit. Through different activities, they also learn how bank loans work and what an interest is.
Session 4: Planning! In this fourth session, the children learn how to set goals and save for them. They then write a simple budget for their next month without parents. With a fixed sum at first, they learn how to anticipate expenses and revenues and how to save for their goals. They also learn about insurances.
Session 5: Growing! In this last session, the children learn to keep track of their expenses and compare them with their budget. They assess how a budget can help save and what to do with their saving: they learn the basics of investing. We also wrap up what children have learned for five sessions and find clever ways to apply what they have learned in their daily life. A certificate is given to those who have attended the whole course.