From Doekoe to Digi: Money Week 2022

24 March 2022

Children who learn how to manage money at an early age are less likely to run into financial problems later in life. Having them practice saving, planning and making choices from an early age teaches children skills that are desperately needed later in life.

This is year the theme of Money Week is From Doekoe to Digi: online stores are always open, more and more children are getting their pocket money digitally and paying with their smartwatch or cell phone. Cash is disappearing at more and more stores and also at sports clubs. Paying and saving are done digitally. Hup, pass through it, phone or smartwatch on it and you've paid.

Children who learn at an early age the value of money, how to save, plan and spend, have fewer payment problems later in life. Consider late payments and difficulty making ends meet. This is why a financial education from an early age is very important.

Dealing with money: tips from parents
SNS asked parents with children between the ages of 6 and 10 how they teach their children to manage money. It turns out that children develop financially in 4 steps. Step by step. It starts with discovering 'real' money, i.e. coins and bills. Only then comes understanding and learning the value. Once kids have mastered that you can start opening a bank account with a debit card. Practice together and they will be ready for the real thing! Where one child is quickly handy with money, another takes a little longer to understand the value of money. Read other parents' tips below.

Step 1: Discovering coins and paper money
Familiarize your child playfully with "real" money, that is, bills and coins. The value of money is not important at this time.

Step 2: Learning the value of money
To teach children the value of money, parents prefer to use cash as well.

Step 3: Getting to know the bank and digital money
Now the children are learning how to handle digital money. They discover that digital money is just as much money as tangible money. They learn to do math with it and they learn what a bank is. Parents provide these tips:

Step 4: Manage a checking account yourself
Eventually the time comes when a child gets his own account and his own debit card. And therefore more control over money.

Some children are ready for their own online account early, others take a little longer. "The digital world makes money less tangible, so you have to guide your child more. "*

Freedom to make mistakes
You can only spend money once. This is a painful lesson for your child, but also one of the most important. Making good choices and learning to deal with temptations is part of it. Finished = gone cannot be taught young enough.

Knowledge about money is important, and a child learns most through experience. Mis-selling and making financial blunders are part of the game. Although you would prefer to spare them this, give your child the freedom to make mistakes. The earlier certain mistakes are made, the less likely your child is to make those mistakes later as an adult.


Money Week is an initiative of the platform Wijzer in geldzaken, together with government, banks and insurers. Under the motto 'learned young is done old', the platform wants to prepare children and young people for financial literacy in the future. Money Week is an important booster for the structural stimulation of financial skills of children and young people, both at school and at home. Money Week runs from March 28 to April 1, 2022.

Sources: Research conducted by Motivaction, July 2017, ABN-Amro, SNS, Wijzer in geldzaken.

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