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.

“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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