Did you know that April is Financial Literacy for Youth Month?

“April showers bring May flowers”. Remember this saying? It means that a rainy springtime will bring abundant flowers in the coming months. So what do rain showers and flowers have to do with April being recognized as Financial Literacy for Youth Month? Lots!

Like flowers, we nurture and cultivate our children with the anticipation that they will blossom into vibrant, beautiful young adults. So, when we start teaching them about personal finance, we need to remember that learning about money is no different than any other growth process -- it takes time. We need to start talking to children about money when they are young and give them small, continuous but relevant bits of information that they can absorb. Then, we can sprinkle on more information to help them build a strong foundation.

It doesn’t have to take tons of time to do and can be a fun learning experience for the whole family. And, since April is Financial Literacy for Youth Month, now is a great time to start. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

Instill the habit of saving money. Any simple empty jar, plastic zip bags, or a piggy bank will work great. For tweens and teens, check out the cash cache. When starting, the amount isn’t overly important. Just have them put some amount in daily or weekly.

Open a savings account for your child(ren). Take them with you to the bank and explain what a savings account is and why people use them. Use everyday opportunities as teachable money life lessons. Using coupons, shopping for re-financing rates, writing out checks, on-line bill paying – these are just some of the things you can explain and share with your kids while you do them.

Schedule a family fun night and play personal finance related games. Monopoly and Monopoly Junior, Life, Pay Day, and Cash Flow for Kids are a few favorites. For younger ages, create counting and matching games with coins or play “store."

Watch movies or DVD’s about money and related life lessons. Afterwards, ask your kids what the movie was about, what the lesson was and how they can use what they learned. For pre-school/elementary ages, check out The Money Mammals. Other movies – Pay It Forward, National Treasure, Boiler Room, The Pursuit of Happiness.

Read books together. Visit Children's Book About Money for a good listing by age. Ask your child what the book’s message is and what they learned from it.

So, start sprinkling a few of these activities into your family time and you will be on your way to raising children that blossom into financial responsible adults!

Stacey Sherman is the owner of Family Life By Design, a company dedicated to coaching and training families and youth in the important life skills of Home & Family Management and Personal Finance. She is a Certified Family Manager Coach and Creative Wealth International Coach based in North Carolina.