Help make your kids ‘MoneySmart’ this Global Money Week

It’s Global Money Week, a worldwide celebration of money awareness that’s held on the second week of March every year (14th-20th March in 2016). The aim of the week is to instill good money habits and this year ASIC is honing in on Aussie children.  

ASIC has released a series of practical tips and resources to help both parents and teachers give young Australians the tools and motivation to make informed money decisions across all of financial literacy, including planning, spending, saving,donating and investing.

"As the Australian Government agency responsible for financial literacy, ASIC is keen for young Australians to develop sound financial habits and behaviours from an early age so they can better navigate financial decisions and challenges in adult life,” said ASIC Deputy Chairman, Peter Kell.

RELATED: How to give your kids the love of saving

The approach calls for parents to incorporate financial lessons into everyday life, for example, at the ATM explaining that the money must be earned, or budgeting and shopping around in the supermarket.

Kell said that ASIC data showed about 90% of 14-27 year olds owned a mobile phone, and suggested that discussing options for phone plans, including price comparisons and budget management, might be a good place for parents to start.

"In a rapidly changing world, with money increasingly invisible in many financial transactions, teaching children and young people about money matters will give them essential skills for life," he added.

Developing good saving habits is a great start to kids’ financial education, so here are Mozo’s top tips for motivating your kids to save:

• Set a goal - small, achievable savings goals can keep kids focused by giving them a tangible outcome to strive toward.

• Track their progress - lots of kids savings accounts come equipped with colourful graphs and fun tracking features to help kids watch their money grow. Not only will this let little savers see all their hard work paying off, but it will also give them a sense of responsibility for managing their own finances.

• Reward good habits - hoarded pocketmoney may not amount to all that much, and it can be discouraging for kids to think they’re not getting anywhere when they save. A few well-timed parental contributions to reward consistent saving could boost your child’s bank balance and motivation.

Looking to start your kids on the road to financial responsibility? Check out our kids savings account comparison table to find the best place to start. For the bigger kids, head over to the Mozo student money section, and take a look at the anatomy of a student wallet.