Each year VCNB offices participate in Teach Children To Save, a nationwide effort to, well, to teach children to save money. Staff members go into classrooms in local communities to talk with youngsters about why it is important to save money and the difference between needs and wants. We think it is important to give kids practical tips that will help them become money smart adults.

Would you like to teach your kids good spending and saving habits? Here are a few tips!

Feed the Piggy – Little kids like to get money and they think it’s fun to drop change into a piggy bank. Periodically help them count the contents of the bank so they can see how much their savings have grown.

Needs Versus Wants – Teaching kids the difference between needs and wants will help them make wise decisions today and in the future.

Set Savings Goals – If your child wants a new video game, offer to pay half if they can save the rest of the money. Having a goal in mind, especially if it is something they really want, will help them stay on track.

Make Saving Easy – If your child receives an allowance, break it down so saving is easy. If they receive $5 and the rule is they must save a dollar a week, give it to them in dollar denominations so there is no excuse for not dropping the dollar in the bank. It may even be fun to help them count their savings every week and talk about how good it feels to save.

Open an Account – Regardless of their age, open a savings account for your child. When they have birthday money or when their piggy bank gets full, you can bring them to the bank to deposit funds, have their passbook stamped and watch their account grow. At VCNB, we have savings accounts for minors that require no minimum balance to open. We also have coin counters at several locations to help adding up all that change easy.

Teach in Every Day Life – Embrace opportunities to talk with your kids about money and spending and how things work. If you pay for a restaurant meal with a credit card, explain how credit cards work and why you are using one. When you swipe your VCNB debit card at the grocery, talk with them about how your debit card is tied directly to your checking account and that a swipe is the same as handing over cash. Teach them to comparison shop at the store and how to understand the unit price listed on the store shelf. These are skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

Lead by Example – Talk with your kids about your savings goals for retirement or even how you are saving a few dollars each paycheck for the family vacation this year. Your kids will follow your lead so find ways to be a good role model