Planning a trip as a family
Your child will learn to:
- plan a cooperative family project
- become familiar with the idea of a budget
- understand the benefits of saving
- make smart choices based on his or her wants
Activity summary
For children ages 8 and 9
Thinking of taking a family trip? Take this opportunity to teach your child about saving, budgets and the value of a dollar.
With your help, your child will be able to make decisions based on the pre-determined budget.
Teaching your child to make decisions
For a child, helping to choose a family trip destination according to the budget is a chance to understand the importance of saving in order to finance an activity.
- Quick tips
Talking to your child about money - Suggested link
Finance your trip
Reconciling wants and the budget
Selecting the destination depends on the reality of the family budget and the amount allocated to vacation and leisure (day trips, camping, international travel, etc.). By participating in the planning, your child will realize how much time goes into organizing vacations and become familiar with some budget-related concepts.
Talking to your child about money
Set clear limits on the choice of destination and raise questions about budgeting and money. Discussing these issues with a child can be tricky. Read the Talking to your child about money quick tip for assistance
At each stage, you can include your child in decisions or give him or her responsibilities. As a parent, you know your child's strengths and how to showcase them. Why not use this opportunity to work on or develop new skills? Here is a list of tasks your child can take care of with your help.
Before the trip
1. Find destination ideasHave a brainstorming session where each family member suggests a destination or activity.
Examples of questions to ask:
- Where? Possible destinations
- When? Dates and number of days
- How? Mode of transportation, accommodation (e.g., camping, hotel), etc.
Talk to friends and other family members or surf the web to get inspired.
By involving your child in the planning process, you teach your child not only to take responsibility, but also to manage the wait between expressing a desire and its fulfilment.
Travel planning is a long-term project, and it's important to learn how to manage the time leading up to the departure date. If your child has difficulty understanding the concept or seems unmotivated, using a calendar to count the number of sleeps until departure may be a good strategy.
2. Consider the cost of different activities and modes of transportationThis step will give you a good idea of upcoming expenses so you can determine if the trip realistically fits into your budget. Limit your list of destinations to just a few choices.
It is best to do this exercise alone, without your child's participation.
- Quick tips
Financing methods - Suggested links
A weekly allowance: a money-management lesson
Weigh the pros and cons of each destination and activity chosen. It is best to plan for more than one destination and have your child participate in the final decision.
4. Ask everyone to contributeEach family member can set aside a certain amount of money for a special activity or as pocket money during the trip. Set a realistic financial goal for each person.
By doing this, you will teach your child responsibility. If you do not already give your child a weekly allowance, you can start doing so (e.g., $1 per week), so your child has something to put aside for the trip.
If it looks like your child will not meet the savings goal he or she set, you can set up other financing solutions. This way, your child will develop self-esteem, pride and self-reliance.
During the trip
At this age, your child is able to express and explain preferences to the family while taking into account the trip plan and the preferences of others. Your child is also learning to compromise and re-examine certain preferences.
1. Discuss the itinerary and time managementOrganization is essential when travelling, but it's equally important to reserve blocks of time where nothing is planned. Over the course of the trip, everyone must be able to express their needs and wants. Set aside some time for a break, a nap or an unplanned activity.
- Quick tips
Cooperative Values
(PDF, 1.7 MB)
Why not use your family trip as an opportunity to put cooperative values into practice?
Here are a few examples:
- Leadership and personal and mutual responsibility: Your child suggests activities and gathers information to share with the whole family.
- Democracy: Your child helps choose the destination, which is selected by a majority vote.
- Equality: Each person has a say in choosing an activity, regardless of age.
- Equity: Each person helps complete an activity (e.g., preparing a meal).
- Solidarity: Everyone actively supports the group consensus to complete the activity.
Remember to fully enjoy this family time!
After the trip
Discuss the outcome of the tripExamples of questions to ask:
- Did everything go according to plan during the trip?
- Did we plan the activities well? The schedule? The transportation? The money saved?
- Did we stick with the budget?
- Did we give ourselves enough time to prepare for the trip?
Examples of questions to ask:
- Did you have a good time?
- Would you do anything differently?
- Were most of the family's wants and needs met?
Examples of questions to ask:
- Did you spend all your pocket money?
- Are you happy with the decisions you made about your personal spending?
- Did you have enough money? How much more would you have liked?
- How much money do you have left?
- If you could do things over again, would you make different choices? Why?
Financing methods
There are many methods a child can use to make money to finance an activity or a purchase. Whether you're a parent or teacher, here are a few ideas you can discuss with your child, depending on his or her talents and interests.
Group financing
To finance a school activity, children can sell calendars, coffee, or pens, collect empty cans, etc.
Individual financing
To make money for personal purposes, your child can sell homemade cookies or cakes, handmade scarves, hats or mittens, lemonade, jewelry, toys he or she no longer plays with, etc.
Your child can also sell services:
- child or animal care
- washing windows
- shoveling snow
- mowing grass
- washing cars
- running errands for elderly people
- household tasks
- gardening
- newspaper delivery
Talking to your child about money
Games: a great introduction to money management
Teaching children the ins and outs of money management is no mean feat regardless of age. In fact, imparting a solid financial education takes lots of determination and patience. So what's the “right way” to talk to your child about money? It turns out playing games can be a good way to start.
In addition to acting as a conversation starter, games can be a fun and natural way to learn new things. They encourage the development of new skills, allow for the expression of feelings and give a taste of what adulthood holds in store.
Try games that use play money, such as Monopoly, and do your best to let things unfold naturally. Sit back and watch how your child acts with small and large sums in hand—and be sure to ask lots of questions as you go. For example, ask how it feels to pay rent on a property owned by another player, or about your child's strategy for purchasing properties as the game progresses. You're sure to spark discussion on the role of money in day-to-day life—and you'll likely be surprised by what you hear.