by Amanda van der Gulik
As a homeschooling parent you have a unique opportunity to really focus on goal-setting as part of your educational curriculum. In other words, you get to spend more quality time with your kiddos! YEAH!
It's that time of year when we all get excited about the upcoming various family holidays and the approaching New Year, with all the amazing things we might get to accomplish in the new year.
So how can we make the most of this amazing feeling and really teach our homeschooled children how to enjoy delayed gratification as well as give them that wonderful sense of pride of ownership that comes with buying their own goals with their own money?
I'm going to be very blunt here, if you can't take it, then I suggest you stop reading right now. (bet you won't though, cause you're an awesome parent, I can just tell...hey you've read this far right?) ;)
Still here? Great!
Here goes....
The ONLY way to really get your kiddos to fully understand how wonderful pride of ownership is, is by making them set a goal, work hard for that goal, never give up and then....enjoy the beauty of delayed gratification!
Yup, you read that right.
DELAYED GRATIFICATION is the ONLY way for your child to truly appreciate pride of ownership! (...and I'm talking about ownership of a goal that they bought with their OWN money, that they worked hard to accrue with their OWN efforts!)
This is not about giving your child a handout. That will NEVER work! (Again, if this is too harsh for you to handle, then move on to the next article...but you won't cause you're an awesome homeschooling parent and that puts you a step above the rest! You know it's true!) :D
So how can you teach your child to have the patience to enjoy the pride of ownership that comes with delayed gratification, goal-setting, and earning their own money?
By having them first create a vision board.
So what's a vision board? Great question.
It's simply a display that shows visually your child's goal, what they are striving to achieve or buy; with actual pictures of the item or final result. You have them mount this board/display on their bedroom wall where they will be sure to see it every single day.
This vision board is what will keep them going when their faith and determination may otherwise start to fade. By seeing it right there in front of them, their mind will see it as real, achievable/attainable, theirs already! This will motivate them to continue to save their hard earned money.
And how do they get the money to save up to buy their goal? There are so many ways that I cannot possibly list them all, so here are a few quick ideas to get them started: the old fashioned lemonade stand, or get a paper route, babysitting or doing jobs around the home or for neighbours (mowing the lawn, helping unload grocery bags, etc.)
The point is not how they make their money, but what they do with that money! Let them spend some of it immediately but have them put a good portion of it aside to go toward their special goal (preferably in a clear jar so they can watch their fund grow!) Have them place it somewhere close to their vision board so they become excited each time they see it!
My son recently delighted in finally attaining his own personal goal: to buy himself a tablet to play games on. He saved for over two years! He was so proud of his accomplishment that he decided to make a short video and share it on YouTube to inspire other kiddos to do the same!
Make sure you watch his video with your child, they'll love his unique sense of humour, my dear Quinn is a regular clown! :D
"Quinn's Lesson in Delayed Gratification - I Bought My Own Tablet!!! :D"
Wishing You and Your Family Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year!
Here’s to your child achieving all of their goals this coming new year!!!
Cheers…Amanda van der Gulik…Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik, has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years. She loves to share her own experiences to help other families and is the founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of one of her amazing money tools for kids and teens, like her eBook, “Goal Setting for Families” workbook or her “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” eBook to help your child find some fun ways to make their own dreams come true!
As a homeschooling parent you have a unique opportunity to really focus on goal-setting as part of your educational curriculum. In other words, you get to spend more quality time with your kiddos! YEAH!
It's that time of year when we all get excited about the upcoming various family holidays and the approaching New Year, with all the amazing things we might get to accomplish in the new year.
So how can we make the most of this amazing feeling and really teach our homeschooled children how to enjoy delayed gratification as well as give them that wonderful sense of pride of ownership that comes with buying their own goals with their own money?
I'm going to be very blunt here, if you can't take it, then I suggest you stop reading right now. (bet you won't though, cause you're an awesome parent, I can just tell...hey you've read this far right?) ;)
Still here? Great!
Here goes....
The ONLY way to really get your kiddos to fully understand how wonderful pride of ownership is, is by making them set a goal, work hard for that goal, never give up and then....enjoy the beauty of delayed gratification!
Yup, you read that right.
DELAYED GRATIFICATION is the ONLY way for your child to truly appreciate pride of ownership! (...and I'm talking about ownership of a goal that they bought with their OWN money, that they worked hard to accrue with their OWN efforts!)
This is not about giving your child a handout. That will NEVER work! (Again, if this is too harsh for you to handle, then move on to the next article...but you won't cause you're an awesome homeschooling parent and that puts you a step above the rest! You know it's true!) :D
So how can you teach your child to have the patience to enjoy the pride of ownership that comes with delayed gratification, goal-setting, and earning their own money?
By having them first create a vision board.
So what's a vision board? Great question.
It's simply a display that shows visually your child's goal, what they are striving to achieve or buy; with actual pictures of the item or final result. You have them mount this board/display on their bedroom wall where they will be sure to see it every single day.
This vision board is what will keep them going when their faith and determination may otherwise start to fade. By seeing it right there in front of them, their mind will see it as real, achievable/attainable, theirs already! This will motivate them to continue to save their hard earned money.
And how do they get the money to save up to buy their goal? There are so many ways that I cannot possibly list them all, so here are a few quick ideas to get them started: the old fashioned lemonade stand, or get a paper route, babysitting or doing jobs around the home or for neighbours (mowing the lawn, helping unload grocery bags, etc.)
The point is not how they make their money, but what they do with that money! Let them spend some of it immediately but have them put a good portion of it aside to go toward their special goal (preferably in a clear jar so they can watch their fund grow!) Have them place it somewhere close to their vision board so they become excited each time they see it!
My son recently delighted in finally attaining his own personal goal: to buy himself a tablet to play games on. He saved for over two years! He was so proud of his accomplishment that he decided to make a short video and share it on YouTube to inspire other kiddos to do the same!
Make sure you watch his video with your child, they'll love his unique sense of humour, my dear Quinn is a regular clown! :D
"Quinn's Lesson in Delayed Gratification - I Bought My Own Tablet!!! :D"
Wishing You and Your Family Happy Holidays and a Very Happy New Year!
Here’s to your child achieving all of their goals this coming new year!!!
Cheers…Amanda van der Gulik…Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik, has been homeschooling her own two children for over 11 years. She loves to share her own experiences to help other families and is the founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of one of her amazing money tools for kids and teens, like her eBook, “Goal Setting for Families” workbook or her “50 Money Making Ideas for Kids and Teens” eBook to help your child find some fun ways to make their own dreams come true!
