Earn It, Learn It by Alisa T. Weinstein (book review) – Winner!
Earn It, Learn It is a book targeted for parents with children ages four to twelve to teach children about the value of money, associating allowance with career work. The first few lines in the book immediately grabbed my attention as it resonates with my own parenting philosophy.
We are living in an era of entitlement, a term used to describe a strange malaise gripping many of our youth…The symptoms of the “gimmies” are easy to recognize–the insatiable craving for more stuff while showing less appreciation, less interest, and less valuing for what they already have.
Hubby and I are still at crossroads of how we should give allowance, when we should give it if we give it at all. Particularly this has been an issue in the past year as our older child has figured out that money buys things, and there are a lot of things that she wants. I jumped at the chance to review this book.
We want our child to understand about savings, but the meager allowance that she would get as a 5 year old would mean that the length of time to save for even a small toy may outweigh even the most patient of her peers. Even then she still would not associate the value of money as something that is earned because she and her brother certainly don’t have a trust fund waiting for them when they become of age.
Ms. Weinstein has identified several career paths from astronaut to fashion designer to zoologist. The list is varied, and each career she has a step-by-step process that guides your child (and you) to learn about the various careers. Within each career, there are multiple task activities, and depending upon your child’s level of comprehension some or all of the tasks are completed. After completing the task (“work”) your child is paid an allowance.
The author does not tell you how much to pay your child. That is up to the parent’s discretion, but for someone who wants an “ideas” book, this is a creative way to teach that money comes from work. The book is not one that you would sit and read all the way through. After I read through the book, I would file it away as a parenting reference with ideas to help me come up with a system that best suits our budget and our philosophies. It’s certainly worth a look.
….and…. THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
For one lucky Little Austinite reader, we are giving away one copy of this book. Simply fill out your name and email in the entry form below, and a winner will be drawn randomly from the entries. All entries must be received before January 31, 2011 (Monday).
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Earn It Learn It contest