Personal Finance & School children Part 7

 

In the first three parts, Ms. Anita had walked the children through the basics of money - right from understanding its value, to simple habits of saving and spending wisely. Her stories and examples made the subject come alive, and the students were beginning to see personal finance in a whole new light. 

In Parts 4, 5 & 6 we saw Ms. Deepa, who carried the discussion forward with her own unique approach, adding fresh insights and building on the foundation Ms. Anita had set. 

This is part 7 of the series & the fourth & last class by Ms Deepa.

Title: “Money Magic with Ms. Deepa – Planning for the Future”

Friday arrived again, and Class 5 was unusually quiet. The children knew this was going to be the last “money magic” lesson for the year. They were excited, but also a little sad that it was coming to an end.

Ms. Deepa entered with her usual cheerful smile. “Good morning, everyone! Today is our final session for Class 5. But don’t worry - money magic will continue in Class 6, with even bigger adventures. For now, let’s learn one last spell: planning for the future.”

The class perked up.

“Tell me,” she asked, “when you plan a picnic, what do you do first?”

“Pack food!” shouted Aryan.
“Decide where to go!” added Meera.
“Ask permission from parents,” giggled Rohan.

“Exactly,” said Ms. Deepa. “A picnic becomes fun only if you plan. Money works the same way. If you don’t plan, you may spend it all too quickly. But with planning, you can save for tomorrow while enjoying today.”

She drew three boxes on the board: Today, Tomorrow, and Later.

“Let’s say you earn ten play coins,” she explained. “Two can be used Today for something fun. Four can be kept for Tomorrow - maybe next week’s treat. And the last four can be saved for Later - a big dream, like a new cycle.”

To make it practical, she divided the students into teams. Each team got a set of coins and a “future goal card.” One card said Buy a cricket bat in three months, another said Plan a class picnic, and another said Collect books for the library. The teams had to decide how to divide their coins into Today, Tomorrow, and Later jars to reach their goals.

The classroom buzzed with debates. Some wanted to spend most of their coins today, while others argued for saving more. Eventually, every team came up with a plan.

When they shared their strategies, Ms. Deepa nodded proudly. “There is no single correct answer. What matters is that you think ahead. That’s the real lesson.”

As the bell rang, she concluded, “In Class 5, you’ve learnt about borrowing, lending, earning, sharing, and planning for the future. These are strong steps on your money ladder. For now, this is enough. When you reach Class 6, we’ll explore even bigger ideas - like how businesses earn, how banks work, and how we can make money grow responsibly.”

The students sighed in relief - money magic wasn’t ending, only pausing. As they packed up, Aryan whispered, “Class 6 is going to be even more magical!”

And with that, the curtain fell on Class 5’s money magic - closing one chapter, but leaving the next one waiting to be written.

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Personal Finance & School children Part 6

 

In the first three parts, Ms. Anita had patiently walked the children through the basics of money - right from understanding its value, to simple habits of saving and spending wisely. Her stories and examples made the subject come alive, and the students were beginning to see personal finance in a whole new light. 

In Parts 4 & 5, we saw Ms. Deepa, who carried the discussion forward with her own unique approach, adding fresh insights and building on the foundation Ms. Anita had set. 

This is part 6 of the series & the third class by Ms Deepa.

Title: “Money Magic with Ms. Deepa – The Gift of Sharing”

The next Friday, Class 5 was buzzing as usual. By now, “money magic day” had become the most looked-forward-to period of the week. Some students even brought their paper coins from last time, hoping the store would open again.

Ms. Deepa smiled knowingly as she entered. “Ah, I see many of you have kept your earnings safe. That’s good. But today, we are going to learn something even more powerful than earning.”

The children leaned forward curiously.

“Tell me,” she began, “what happens if you light one candle from another?”

“It doesn’t lose its flame,” Riya replied quickly.

“Exactly!” said Ms. Deepa. “Sharing money is like sharing light - it doesn’t reduce what you have, but it can brighten someone else’s world.”

She then pulled out a small basket filled with slips of paper. Each slip had a situation written on it. “Today we’ll play the Sharing Game. Each group will pick a slip, read the situation, and decide how to help using their play coins.”

Aryan’s group went first. Their slip read: ‘A classmate forgot lunch today.’ After whispering among themselves, Aryan stood up. “We’ll share some of our coins to buy fruit from the store and give it to them.”

The class clapped.

Next, Meera’s group read: ‘A stray puppy near the school needs food.’ Meera said, “We’d pool our coins to buy biscuits.”

Finally, Rohan’s group got: ‘Your neighbour cannot afford a schoolbook.’ They decided to save up as a group and buy the book together.

Ms. Deepa nodded proudly. “See? When we share, the joy doubles. Money isn’t only for ourselves. Sometimes, using it to help others gives us a happiness no toy or chocolate can match.”

To make it even more real, she brought out a small donation jar. “This is our Class Kindness Jar. Whenever you feel like it, you can put in one paper coin. At the end of the term, we’ll use it to do something kind as a class.”

The children’s eyes sparkled. Some immediately dropped a coin into the jar, smiling as they did.

As the bell rang, Aryan whispered, “Ma’am, this was the best lesson yet.”

Ms. Deepa smiled warmly. “I’m glad. Remember, money magic isn’t complete until you learn the magic of giving. Next time, we’ll learn one more spell - how to plan for the future. That will wrap up your Class 5 journey.”

The children walked out chattering excitedly, their little hearts fuller than their pockets.

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Personal Finance & School children Part 5

 

In the first three parts, Ms. Anita had patiently walked the children through the basics of money - right from understanding its value, to simple habits of saving and spending wisely. Her stories and examples made the subject come alive, and the students were beginning to see personal finance in a whole new light. In Part 4, we welcomed Ms. Deepa, who carried the discussion forward with her own unique approach, adding fresh insights and building on the foundation Ms. Anita had set. This is part 5 of the series & the second class by Ms Deepa.

Title: “Money Magic with Ms. Deepa – The Next Lesson”

The following Friday, Class 5 students walked in with extra energy. Their first session with Ms. Deepa had been so lively - play-acting and games instead of plain lessons - that everyone was eager to know what the next chapter of “money magic” would be.

As soon as she entered, Aryan called out, “Ma’am, what are we learning today?”

Ms. Deepa laughed. “Patience, Aryan. First, tell me - what did we learn last time?”

Riya replied, “Borrowing and lending!”
Meera added, “If we borrow, we must return on time. And if we lend, we must be wise.”

“Perfect,” said Ms. Deepa. “Now let’s move one step higher on our money ladder. Today we’ll talk about earning.”

The class went quiet. Earning? Wasn’t that something only parents did?

“Let’s see,” she continued, picking up the chalk. “Suppose your parents give you pocket money - that’s money given. But if you help your neighbour water their plants and they thank you with a small coin, that’s money you’ve earned. Do you see the difference?”

Several heads nodded slowly.

To make it real, she announced, “We’ll do a little classroom experiment. I’m going to give each of you two tasks. If you complete them well, you’ll earn play coins. At the end, you can use your coins at our small ‘class store.’”

Gasps filled the room. A store?

Ms. Deepa divided the class into groups. One group made neat drawings of a budget chart, another wrote short stories about saving, and a third group prepared role-plays on needs and wants. For each effort, she handed out shiny paper coins.

At the end of the hour, she opened a box on her desk - the “store.” Inside were erasers, stickers, and colourful pencils.

“Each item has a price,” she explained. “If you’ve earned enough coins, you can buy something.”

The room buzzed with excitement as students lined up. Some had enough coins to buy pencils, others chose stickers, and a few decided to save their coins for the next round.

When the last child sat down, Ms. Deepa said, “Did you enjoy this?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the chorus rang out.

“Good. Now here’s the lesson - earning takes effort. When you work, you create value, and in return you get money or rewards. And just like today, you’ll need to decide: Do I spend right away, or do I save for something bigger?”

The bell rang, but the children lingered, proudly clutching their prizes or carefully storing their paper coins.

Ms. Deepa smiled as she gathered her books. “Next time,” she said, “we’ll explore another spell - how to use money for sharing and giving. Because true money magic is not only about what you keep, but also about what you give.”

The students left with shining eyes, eager for the next adventure in their growing financial journey.

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