Finance 101: Get Savvy with Your Money
Create a simple budget, make a savings jar, track spending with stickers, and set savings goals to learn smart money choices.
About this activity
Create a simple budget, make a savings jar, track spending with stickers, and set savings goals to learn smart money choices.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Gather all your materials and set them on a table where you can work comfortably.
- 2
Step 2
Think of one savings goal and write it on a sticky note with the amount you want and the date you want to reach it.
- 3
Step 3
Decorate your jar using colouring materials and stickers to make it fun and special.
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Step 4
Stick your savings goal note onto the jar so everyone can see what you are saving for.
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Step 5
Draw a simple budget chart on your paper with three columns labeled "Category" "Amount" and "Notes."
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Step 6
Choose three spending categories (like Snacks Toys Save) and write each category and how much you will spend on it in the chart.
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Step 7
Decide a rule for when to put money in the jar (for example, every day place spare coins or one dollar each week).
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Step 8
Put the agreed amount of coins into the jar when it’s time to save.
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Step 9
Each time you buy something, put a sticker in the matching category column on your chart.
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Step 10
At the end of each week count the stickers and write how much you actually spent in each category on your chart.
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Step 11
Count the money in your jar and write the total on your chart to see how close you are to your goal.
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Step 12
Share your finished budget chart and savings jar on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I run the 'Finance 101: Get Savvy with Your Money' activity with my child?
Start by explaining the goal: saving for something special. Help your child list income (allowance/gifts) and simple spending categories. Create a one-week budget on a chart, assign sticker spaces to each purchase type, and give the child a savings jar labeled with a goal. Track daily spending with stickers, review progress weekly, and adjust goals together. Keep sessions short, positive, and hands-on to build enthusiasm.
What materials do I need for the savings jar, budget chart, and sticker spending tracker?
You’ll need jars or clear containers, sticky labels or masking tape, a printable budget chart or notebook, colorful stickers, play money or real coins, markers, envelopes or small bags for sorting cash, and a simple calculator or phone. Optional: printable goal images, a ruler for progress lines, and a clipboard to make tracking portable. Keep materials low-cost and kid-friendly.
What ages is the 'Finance 101' activity suitable for?
This activity can be adapted across ages: 4–6 years enjoy the savings jar, stickers, and basic counting; 7–10 years can make simple budgets and track spending categories; 11–14 years can set clearer goals, compare needs vs wants, and manage allowances; teens can use spreadsheets, bank accounts, and long-term saving plans. Supervise younger children and increase complexity as understanding grows.
What are the benefits, safety tips, and variations for teaching kids about money?
Benefits include improved math skills, delayed gratification, responsibility, and decision-making. Safety tips: supervise cash handling, teach not to share PINs or personal info, avoid pressuring kids to spend, and store larger amounts securely. Variations: family saving challenges, charity jars, themed goals (toy, outing), or using simple apps for older kids. Celebrate milestones to reinforce positive habits.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have a glass jar or sticky notes?
Use a clean yogurt tub, empty peanut butter jar, or a shoebox as your savings jar and tape small squares of paper to it as the savings goal note so you can still 'stick your savings goal note onto the jar'.
My child keeps forgetting to put money in the jar—how can we make saving more reliable?
Put the jar somewhere very visible, set a daily or weekly alarm, and write the rule on the budget chart under 'Notes' so you follow the 'Decide a rule' and 'Put the agreed amount of coins into the jar' steps consistently.
How can we adapt this activity for younger or older kids?
For younger children use a simplified paper chart with 2 picture categories and large stickers plus parent help to count weekly, while older kids should use the full three-column chart with exact amounts, longer-term goal dates, and a calculator or spreadsheet when they 'count the money' and record totals.
How can we make the jar and chart more motivating and personal?
Decorate the jar with a photo of the goal, add milestone labels or a progress line on the jar to mark amounts as you 'put the agreed amount of coins' and count weekly, and include photos and a short goal story when you 'Share your finished budget chart and savings jar on DIY.org'.