"But Surely They’d Know That…" – Rethinking How We Teach Children About Money
Rethinking how we teach children about money, I was at a dinner party recently when a gentleman named David leaned across the table and said, “Surely, if you just explain to a child that this water bottle is £20 and that one is £2, they’d make the logical choice to buy the cheaper one and save the rest?”
It sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn’t it?
But unfortunately, that’s not how children think.
And more importantly, that’s not how they feel.
You see, adults often make the mistake of looking at children’s financial decision-making through the lens of adult logic—assuming they’ll recognise ‘value’ in the same way we do. That they’ll instinctively compare cost, consider savings, and factor in alternative spending options. But the reality we’re discovering through our Money Wise Workshops is quite different.
When we hold up two water bottles—one branded, one not—it’s not just a comparison of price for children. It’s about identity, status, belonging.
The branded one isn’t just a bottle. It’s a symbol. It might be what their friends have. It might be what they saw on TikTok. It might just be cooler. And the concept of having “£18 left over” doesn’t carry weight unless they understand what else that £18 could mean in their world.
We assume they’ll know that. But they don’t—because nobody’s told them.
Children Are Watching… and Learning
If you want to see a child’s relationship with money in action, look at the adults around them.
I’ve had parents tell me they can’t afford packed lunches or school trips—yet they drive, what could be perceived as, expensive cars, have brand-new phones, wear designer shoes, and are perhaps regular smokers or drinkers. None of those choices are inherently “wrong”… but they are telling. They’re telling children: This is how you spend money. These are the priorities.
We’re not just teaching children about money in workshops—we’re also unteaching decades of inherited misunderstanding.
Real-Life Example - That Might Hit Close to Home
Just recently, a tradesman I’d hired said he couldn’t complete a job because he didn’t have the cash to buy the remaining materials—even though I’d already paid in full. A week later, he showed up with a brand-new tattoo.
I couldn’t help but think: A tattoo isn’t a necessity. It doesn’t keep the lights on or put food on the table. And yet, for him, in that moment, it was a priority.
That’s not a judgement. It’s just a reminder that adults, too, make emotional, value-based financial decisions all the time—even when the logical choice seems clear.
The Problem with Assumptions
When we assume that children should understand money the way adults do, we forget that many adults don’t fully understand it either.
That’s why our workshops aren’t just about budgeting and saving—they’re about choice, perception, and context. We teach children to question their impulses, understand hidden costs, and recognise the difference between needs and wants.
We do this not because we expect them to become perfect financial planners overnight, but because we know that these small, early lessons shape their lifelong relationship with money.
This piece isn’t a plea for everyone to stop getting tattoos or buying expensive water bottles.
It’s a plea to stop assuming that others—especially children—see the world the way we do. If we want them to make better financial decisions, we must show them how. We must give them tools, language, and real-life examples that help them understand the consequences of their choices.
Because if we don’t, we’re not just leaving it to chance—we’re leaving them in a cycle of confusion and comparison.
And surely… we can do better than that.
