---
title: Eight Money Lessons Your Children Can Learn This Christmas, From a Present Budget to a Giving Jar
description: Eight practical ways to teach your children about money this Christmas, from a present budget and pocket money to a giving jar and saying no without guilt.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-07T19:30:47.442Z
updated: 2026-11-07T19:30:47.455Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/teaching-children-about-money-at-christmas
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/unsplash-dc2srspmak4.webp
categories: Money & Legacy, Fatherhood
content_type: Guide
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

Between the wish list, the advent calendar and the envelope from their grandparents, December puts more money in front of your children than any other month. Most of it passes them by in a blur of wrapping paper. With a little planning, the same few weeks can teach them how to budget, save, give and wait for something they want.

None of this needs a lecture. Children learn about money by handling it, making small mistakes with small sums and watching how you handle yours.

## A Christmas Present Budget for Each Child

Give each child a set amount to spend on presents for the family: £10 for a younger child, perhaps £20 or £30 for a teenager. Hand it over as cash in an envelope or on a children's debit card, and let them choose, pay and keep the change.

If your eight-year-old spends most of it on the first present, they will feel the shortfall when they reach Grandma's name on the list. That lesson costs a few pounds now and saves a far more expensive one later.

## Turn the Wish List Into a Price List

Ask your children to look up the price of everything on their wish list and write it next to each item. Then ask them to choose the three things they want most. Seeing a £300 games console next to a £15 book changes how a child reads their own list, and it starts a conversation about value without you having to say no.

## Keep Pocket Money Regular Through December

Pay pocket money on the same day as usual right through December. [MoneyHelper](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/family-and-care/talk-money/talk-learn-do/pocket-money-and-saving), the government-backed money guidance service, suggests weekly payments for younger children and a monthly allowance for older ones, so they learn to make money last over a longer stretch. Avoid topping it up when it runs out a week before Christmas.

## Let Them Earn a Little Extra

December brings plenty of extra jobs: wrapping presents for relatives, clearing the spare room before guests arrive or washing the car before the drive to see family. Pay for these, and keep them separate from the everyday help you expect from everyone at home. Your children learn that work earns money, without expecting to be paid for clearing their own plate.

## Set Up a Giving Jar

Three jars on a shelf, marked spend, save and give, turn an abstract idea into something your children can see. Let them choose where the give jar goes: a local food bank, a toy appeal or an animal shelter. Take them with you when you drop it off, so they see where the money ends up.

## Save Part of Every Christmas Gift of Money

Agree a rule before the cards arrive: half of any money from relatives goes into savings, and the other half is theirs to spend. A children's savings account lets them watch the balance grow, and a written goal, such as a new bike by the summer, gives them a reason to leave it alone.

## Say No Without Guilt

'We cannot afford that' can leave a child worried about the family's money. 'That is not what we are choosing to spend on this year' teaches something more useful: money is limited for everyone, and adults make choices about it. You can say it calmly in a toy shop, and our [tips for Christmas shopping with your children](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/christmas-shopping-with-kids-tips-for-dads) help with the rest of the trip.

## Show Them How You Plan Christmas

Older children can see the shape of the family Christmas budget: roughly what goes on food, presents, travel and days out. You do not need to show every figure. Seeing that you plan the season, and that one big present means less elsewhere, shows them how budgeting works in a real household.

The lessons that stay with children come from small sums handled often, and from watching you. As our editor's letter this month puts it, [the best gift you can give your children is your time](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/editor-s-letter-outdoor-adventures-bond-and-the-best-gift-you-can-give-your-children-is-your-time), and an afternoon spent planning presents together counts.