so this week I'm showcasing some books and products that can help you make the
small changes in your life, that may lead to larger ones! ENJOY!
I don't know about your household, but we have been fighting with Joy (aka Kiddo) having the holiday gimmees and knowing Easter/her birthday are coming, and she has to be good. So when this book came across my desk right before Christmas, I knew it could be a huge help for us!
Synopsis: Earn It, Learn It: Teach Your Child the Value of Money, Work, and Time Well Spent (being released THIS month) offers a way for parents and children to have fun learning about money, work, and the value of time well spent-by turning kids into "actual" professionals. Parents and kids choose a task from one of 50 fun careers, complete it within a set amount of time, and earn while they learn.For young kids, especially those under 12, allowance is the only opportunity they’ll have to become acquainted with the fine points of fiscal responsibility. There are added benefits of allowance, too. Self-reliance. Self-confidence. The strengthening of decision-making skills
For a kid who’s old enough to realize that money exists, the “gimmies” signify a lack of understanding that adults work very hard for the money they earn. And that the world does not give us everything we want without effort (the buzz word for this? “Entitlement.”) . This book exposes kids to art, manners, math, research, science, and more, without even realizing it. And they build a foundation for a lifelong love of learning and fiscal independence, all while having fun.
About the Author: An award-winning copywriter, Alisa T. Weinstein is the founder of Earn My Keep, LLC, a multimedia initiative that includes the book and EarnMyKeep.com. Weinstein holds a degree in Journalism/Advertising from the University of Maryland. She uses her creative background to squeeze educational and engaging experiences into her active (read: typically crazy busy) life with her husband and two children. You can find out more about her program on her webpage, Earn My Keep, as well!
Review: Alisa had been in the forward: I have been there with a 3 yr old arguing whether she needs ONE more tube of lip gloss, and her adamant she needs THIS ONE glitter gloss, no matter that I know she has at least 6 similar ones at home! I also like that her kids do NOT get allowance for doing 'family chores', like making their beds, taking out garbage-aka they are not bribed into doing what they should. Growing up my parents gave me an allowance that covered those AND the extra special things I did, like Alisa's program.
I know some of you may say your kids are too busy to do chores or more tasks, with their already packed schedules. Weinstein asserts, that many of the tasks (which are icon-coded by type, from simple to complex) can be managed in small amounts of time. And I agree with her! If your child is SO scheduled that they can not do chores and simple tasks around the house, then they are OVER-scheduled!
The Earn It plan has 3 levels, so it can be used by ALL the kids in your house:
Level 1-can be done very quickly with what you have at hand, at home. This is the level for younger children
Level 2- may require a day or 2 to finish, may involve leaving home to finish task. In theory ages 7 and up
Level 3- requires more than a few days to complete usually. May involve field trips and family/friends in order to complete. For older children
The plan uses 13 Learn It icons to illustrate different areas that the tasks educate children on. These include art, creative thinking,language, manners, money management, research, and time management. Also included are 2 Nurture icons- social responsibility and intergenerational. Making it simple for parents to see what areas can be discussed and what other areas may be needed.
The plan leaves the amount your child is paid for her tasks/salary up to you. Most financial experts recommend $1 per each year of child's age, or every year they've been in school. Also you and your child can decide how much is saved and how much can be spent. This is a great chance to sit down with your child and discuss what is important in your family and allow them to make this decision. The plan also uses 50 jobs, so that 50 weeks are covered, to keep kids form becoming bored, AND to allow for 2 weeks paid vacation, like a real job (course it's up to the parents to decide which weeks those will be!). I like that the plan has alot of parental, AND child, input in setting it up- that way everyone is more likely to stay with it!
With older children, they can pick which job they want for the week, and then you can check it off as having been completed. For younger children, you might want to pick the job for them, based on what you know is going on in your life for the week. PLUS, you can design jobs based on the ones listed, for younger children. For example, a 3 yr old and interior design may not be a great mix, with the tasks suggested in the book. BUT they can discuss why the Little People barn animals don't have to stay in designated areas, and who can live in those areas instead, and what else can be brought and used at the barn from the toy pile. By doing this it teaches cognitive and creative thinking, urges oral expression, and supply (toy) management! Who'da thought?
You can read some examples of the different jobs and see how they're coded on Alisa's website, Earn My Keep. Plus she has an example from the intro there!
Alisa includes some samples to facilitate some of the jobs, like fake money, constitution, thank you notes, letters, petitions and even a warrant! Once you read through the program, you will realize there are alot of ways that you can encourage your child with different 'jobs' and have them learn while having fun and earning money! AHA- you're creating a well rounded individual! AND isn't that what we ALL want for our kids?
So hurry out and get your family a copy of this excellent program and see how it can help your kids!
I know some of you may say your kids are too busy to do chores or more tasks, with their already packed schedules. Weinstein asserts, that many of the tasks (which are icon-coded by type, from simple to complex) can be managed in small amounts of time. And I agree with her! If your child is SO scheduled that they can not do chores and simple tasks around the house, then they are OVER-scheduled!
The Earn It plan has 3 levels, so it can be used by ALL the kids in your house:
Level 1-can be done very quickly with what you have at hand, at home. This is the level for younger children
Level 2- may require a day or 2 to finish, may involve leaving home to finish task. In theory ages 7 and up
Level 3- requires more than a few days to complete usually. May involve field trips and family/friends in order to complete. For older children
The plan uses 13 Learn It icons to illustrate different areas that the tasks educate children on. These include art, creative thinking,language, manners, money management, research, and time management. Also included are 2 Nurture icons- social responsibility and intergenerational. Making it simple for parents to see what areas can be discussed and what other areas may be needed.
The plan leaves the amount your child is paid for her tasks/salary up to you. Most financial experts recommend $1 per each year of child's age, or every year they've been in school. Also you and your child can decide how much is saved and how much can be spent. This is a great chance to sit down with your child and discuss what is important in your family and allow them to make this decision. The plan also uses 50 jobs, so that 50 weeks are covered, to keep kids form becoming bored, AND to allow for 2 weeks paid vacation, like a real job (course it's up to the parents to decide which weeks those will be!). I like that the plan has alot of parental, AND child, input in setting it up- that way everyone is more likely to stay with it!
With older children, they can pick which job they want for the week, and then you can check it off as having been completed. For younger children, you might want to pick the job for them, based on what you know is going on in your life for the week. PLUS, you can design jobs based on the ones listed, for younger children. For example, a 3 yr old and interior design may not be a great mix, with the tasks suggested in the book. BUT they can discuss why the Little People barn animals don't have to stay in designated areas, and who can live in those areas instead, and what else can be brought and used at the barn from the toy pile. By doing this it teaches cognitive and creative thinking, urges oral expression, and supply (toy) management! Who'da thought?
You can read some examples of the different jobs and see how they're coded on Alisa's website, Earn My Keep. Plus she has an example from the intro there!
Alisa includes some samples to facilitate some of the jobs, like fake money, constitution, thank you notes, letters, petitions and even a warrant! Once you read through the program, you will realize there are alot of ways that you can encourage your child with different 'jobs' and have them learn while having fun and earning money! AHA- you're creating a well rounded individual! AND isn't that what we ALL want for our kids?
So hurry out and get your family a copy of this excellent program and see how it can help your kids!
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book from Sourcebooks, for review purposes. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it either.
- ISBN-10: 1402242077
- ISBN-13: 978-1402242076
What a great resource. I am going to put this book on my list to buy.
ReplyDelete