caregiver guide

CAREGIVER GUIDE
Dear
Parents and
Caregivers,
welcome to Dream, Save, Do!
Every day as a parent, you do things that
prepare your kids for a bright future – one
in which they have the power to achieve
the things they dream of. Maybe you model
positive values and attitudes. Maybe you
help them think through their choices and the
consequences of each. Maybe you encourage
your kids to share with others. Maybe you
let them observe the way you think through
your decisions (for instance, what to buy at
the grocery store). All of these things you’re
already doing motivate and empower them to
realize their own aspirations (for both material
and non-material things). You’re helping them
dream, plan, and do!
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This guide has
three sections:
But reaching a goal takes practice, persistence, and
patience – and we all need support, whether we’re adults
or kids. Building on what you already do, this guide is
designed to:
HELP kids understand that the choices they make every
day can help them reach their goals (both financial and
non-financial).
GIVE you specific ways to discuss decisions together–
and make talking about dreaming, planning and money
easier for the whole family.
OFFER age-appropriate strategies, tips, and activities to
help kids build understanding around spending, saving,
sharing, and donating.
Pick and choose the ideas and activities that feel right to
you, your family, and your situation!
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DREAM
We Can Do It!
Considering aspirations and setting goals.
PLAN
How Do We Do It?
Making thoughtful choices and identifying steps
in a plan to reach a goal.
DO
Okay, Let’s Do It!
Thinking flexibly and creatively when it comes
to managing resources; thoughtful spending,
saving, sharing, donating, and exchanging – in
order to achieve one’s aspirations.
What is Financial
Empowerment?
Children are financially empowered when they:
Can set goals and then make choices and decisions that lead them to those goals.
Feel confidence and optimism in making plans to reach a goal.
Understand how money and resources relate to one another, and the value of work.
Are familiar with the basic concepts of saving, spending, sharing, donating and exchanging.
To connect with other resources
developed for this initiative,
look for these icons:
DREAM
CHOOSE
PLAN
ENVIRONMENT
SAVE
ACTIVIT
SPEND
TALK ABOUT
SHARE
TIP
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DREAM
We can
do it!
Share your own dreams and aspirations with your
child (perhaps you want to go to school, have
more time to play together, learn a new language,
visit a far-away loved one, or have a big family
meal every week). Then ask your child to share
some of his own aspirations – and let him know
how important they are. Ask questions that help
your child express his aspirations.
What is one thing you wish you could learn
in school?
Aspirations are things we want
to do, to be, or to have.
They are reflected in our dreams for ourselves, our
families, and our community. It’s powerful to help
children define their aspirations – their goals – so
that they can take steps to plan for success. And a
positive attitude and confidence in our aspirations
helps a lot when the road feels long. muito.
What do you want to be able do when you
get a little older?
What would you like to be able to do when
you are a grown-up?
What kind of job might you like to have
when you are a grown-up?
Where is someplace you would like to go
someday?
What is something you might like to buy at
the store?
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ACTIVITY
1
The Aspiration Tree
In the center of this book you’ll find
a tear-out poster. The whole family
can do this activity together.
• On each leaf, everyone in the family can write (young
children can dictate to you and you can write) an
aspiration or dream. Use as many leaves as you like.
For instance, on the leaves you might write: learn a
new language, be a football player, have more family
dinners, or get a new backpack.
• Cut out, then tape or glue, the leaves onto the tree (if you
run out, you can cut more leaves from paper).
• Hang the tree in a place in your home where the whole
family can see it, so everyone can see how family
choices are contributing to those dreams or aspirations.
ACTIVITY
Looking Closely
Have your child draw a picture of
one of her aspirations. She might
choose one that she wrote on a
leaf in the previous activity, The
Aspiration Tree (page 2).
Invite your child to draw his
aspiration on a sheet of paper, then
examine it together and discuss.
Ask open-ended, guiding questions
such as:
Can you tell me about what you’ve drawn here?
What else can you tell me about what you’ve drawn?
Why do you want this?
How might you feel when you’ve reached your goal?
You’ll revisit this tree as you go through different activities in this guide
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2
PLANEJAR
How do
we do it?
Once your child has set her goals and identified her
aspirations, it’s time to plan for success.
To plan is to take steps and
make choices that lead you to
what you want.
What materials and resources are needed? Look
back at the Aspiration Tree your family created and
focus on one leaf. What plans do you need to make
to take a small step toward that goal? (For instance,
if your child wants to be a soccer player, he can
start by eating a healthy breakfast every day and
practicing regularly with friends).
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Remember, a plan can
change if a step isn’t
realistic or doesn’t
work. Being flexible is
a great skill. It’s okay
to change the plan!
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3
ACTIVITY
We have the fruit.
What is the next thing we
need to do to make the
fruit salad?
Sometimes we
need help to
complete a step.
Fruit Salad
Demonstrate that steps are included in
planning. Breaking down your path into smaller
steps can help you achieve your aspiration.
Elmo, what foods
do we need for a
fruit salad?
Elmo is hungry and wants something to eat, so
together with his mom and dad, they decide to
make a fruit salad.
Elmo, did we
complete our goal
of making a
fruit salad?
Ask your child:
What was Elmo’s aspiration? What does he want to achieve?
What did Elmo’s family need to do to help reach his goal?
What materials did Elmo need to get what he wanted?
What did Elmo’s family help him do that he couldn’t do on his own?
How did Elmo’s family make a fruit salad? What steps did they need to take?
Did Elmo accomplish what he wanted? Did he achieve his goal?
Conclude by saying, Just like Elmo and his family had a plan for making the fruit salad (thinking of an
activity, buying, preparing, and eating the fruit), we also need to plan to make our dreams come true.
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4
CHOOSE
ACTIVITY
Supermarket Choices
Making a shopping list with your child and then going to the supermarket together is a
great opportunity to model the planning and thoughtful decision-making process.
Decisions, Decisions
Making a plan means
making certain choices
and decisions.
Every day your child makes choices
and decisions (and watches as you
do so, too). Making good choices
builds confidence and is a lifelong skill.
Sometimes you’re the one making the
decisions, but they can be involved in
that. You can help your child understand
the financial meaning, benefit, or
consequence of each choice. It’s also
okay to explain that you are choosing
not to spend money (there are lots of fun
things to do for free).
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Needs and Wants
Explain that:
• Everyone NEEDS nutritious food, water,
shelter, and clothing to stay healthy and
safe. Our NEEDS also change depending
on the situation. A child may NEED their
backpack for school, but not when going
to sleep.
• Then there are the things we WANT.
Sometimes we WANT to buy an extra
thing, like a new toy, but those extras are
not as important as the things we NEED.
• It’s okay if we have to wait to get things
we WANT, or choose not to get them at all
because there are things we NEED.
• Before going to the market, create a shopping list
together with your child. Your child can even draw
pictures next each item. You can include your child
in the spending choices. For example, when you let
your child choose one thing to buy at the store
• Point out that there are things your family needs,
and things your family wants (see box on this page).
What items are essential? Remind your child that
sometimes we may need to cross something off the
list if it is not essential.
• As you go through the store, narrate the choices
you are making and discuss them together. For
instance, you might say, I’m going to choose to buy
a lot of these bananas because they’re on sale; that
means they cost less. Or Let’s start in the produce
aisle because that’s where the healthiest things
are. Or Hmmm, now we have a decision to make.
Should we buy these crackers or those crackers?
Let’s compare the two prices.
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DO
Okay, let’s
do it!
Often, part of our plan for reaching our aspirations involves
saving, spending and donating money or other resources.
SAVING
SAVING lets people buy or get something in the future
because they don’t have enough money to buy it today.
Waiting can be hard for young kids to master! It’s okay to say “we don’t
always have enough money to buy things right away.” Remind your child
that it takes time to save money but that you can keep doing it, sticking
with it day by day.
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Kids may wonder where money
comes from and why adults work.
You can explain:
I go to work as a _______________ to earn money.
Some of the things I do in my job are___________.
Jobs are how we get money to spend on things we
need and want.
Some of the money I earn we will spend on our
needs like home and food and some of the money
we will save for fun things later.
Our needs and wants are part of our budget – a
plan for how much we will spend and what we will
spend it on.
You have jobs at home like sorting recycling,
setting table, and picking up toys. Those jobs are
important, to – they help us save our money.
What sort of job do you think you might want to
do when you get older?
ACTIVITY
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• Together, choose an activity that fits your budget and schedule, then
help your child figure out how much you need to save by considering
the activities that you require you to spend money. Consider
transportation, lunch, tickets, and so on, and also the “wants,” such
as treats and souvenirs.
• Build a piggy bank in which all family members can put coins for a
specified period of time. You can use a clean empty plastic bottle, box
or envelope if you don’t have a piggy bank. Periodically, help your
child count the money with the help of your child so she can keep
track of how much is being saved. You can group coins or bills of the
same value to make counting easier.
• When you’ve reached your goal amount, have fun with your activity!
To remember that special day, take a family picture and display it
where everyone can see.
Use the calendar
in the back of the
Storybook Let’s
Harvest! to help plan
for your special day.
Saving for a
Special Day
Saving requires patience. As a family,
think of a special activity (one that
requires money) that you and your
child can do together, looking to the
Aspiration Tree (page 8) for ideas.
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Saving also means saving energy and natural resources, such as light and
water, in your home and community. Using energy resources wisely can help
the family financially. For instance, if you remember to turn lights off when
leaving the house, later you might put a few extra coins in the jar. You can
also limit your family’s energy and natural resources by reusing and recycling
objects and materials.
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DO
ACTIVITY
My Store
SPENDING
SPENDING means giving money
to get something in return.
When your child sees you spending money,
explain exactly what’s going on; money is
part of children’s lives and talking openly
about it helps them develop a positive
relationship with their finances in the future.
Pretend play can be a powerful way to
understand larger concepts like buying
and selling.
• If it’s appropriate, let your child examine all kinds of
coins of different values. Do they know the names
of each? Can they read the numbers on them? How
about on paper money? How do the bills look the
same and how do they look different?
• Give your child a cardboard box as a pretend cash
register. Cut apart colored paper and cardboard
circles for play money. Ask, what kind of things will
you sell in your store? Help her make a sign for her
store, which can be set up anywhere, such as a
corner of the family room.
• Help her gather some things to sell in her store. Or,
she might draw pictures of items. Help her assign
each a price. Then her playmates or family members
can pretend to be customers.
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DO
ACTIVITY
Toy Exchange
SHARE
Exchanging resources with others can help
your family save money. Your child may
have a toy that she no longer plays with
but that another child might enjoy.
Exchanging resources such as unwanted toys
or outgrown clothes with others can be part of
saving and not spending! Maybe this is the most
“valuable” thing of all, since it can be based on
love and friendship and desire to help others.
• Identify another family who is interested in exchanging a toy.
• Establish rules with the children, such as all toys must be in
good condition and working.
• Help the child to choose what he will exchange.
• Set up a time and place for the exchange.
• Encourage your child to share the importance of their toy and
the possible ways their friend can play with it.
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Remember you can share non-material
things, too – like time, love, or things
you are good at! All these things have
value, which means they are worth
something to someone even if they do
not have a price tag or cost money.
Lots of good things are free, like:
• drawing a picture
• giving hugs
• reading a book from the library
• playing a game outside
• running and jumping
Storybook
Let’s Harvest!
This storybook will help you review messages
about dreaming, planning, and saving with
your child.
1. Read the story to your child.
2. Talk about the illustrations. Ask, What
do you see on this page? What are the
characters doing?
3. Try the activities in the book as you go.
Storybook included
in this guide
• telling jokes and stories
• talking a nature walk
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If you have the resources, make this into a
larger event:
• Prepare invitations with location, date, time and guidelines;
• Distribute invitations among families in your community;
• Ask each child to sort up to 5 toys, books, DVDs, shoes, or
clothing to exchange.
Read along in the storybook Let’s Harvest! as
Elmo and his friends plant vegetables in their
home garden. Learn how Elmo and friends, along
with the help of Elmo’s mom and dad, figure out
the steps to planting, discover what materials they
need and how much time they need to wait for
their delicious vegetables to grow.
http://cmais.com.br/vilasesamo
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