IB Woman
Issue No. 35 - June/July 2007
Kids say show me the money
by Penelope Herbert
“Do you think money grows on trees, falls out of the sky?”
This is the battle cry of weary parents whose children know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
For ours is a world of unlimited access to information and consumerism gone wild – it’s the only world many children know.
And it’s a world Justine Thomson and Robyn Iommazzo are seeking to change; one valuable dollar at a time.
If knowledge is power and financial literacy can be learned, Justine and Robyn have hit upon an idea whose time has come – developing the money management skills of children through a financial literacy program specifically developed for children from the age of seven.
“Education and action at a young age can form good money habits that give children a head start,” says Justine Thomson, a qualified CPA with more than 14 years of experience in the finance sector.
“As a parent, and with my background, I am passionate about teaching children financial literacy from a young age,” Justine says.
This is why she has teamed up with Robyn Iommazzo, a business and life coach who helps people reach their goals, to provide a solution.
These Adelaide mums and businesswomen have developed enRICH KIDS™ which provides a series of entertaining novels revolving around a group of wacky kids using financial literacy as an underlying theme.
The novels can be used in conjunction with a workbook entitled Big Win Financial Literacy Program suitable for parents and teachers to help children as young as seven learn the value of money management.
“It is important for children to believe in themselves and understand about hard work, budgeting, saving, and how banks work,” says Robyn.
“The Big Win Financial Literacy Program is a comprehensive workbook that provides a fun environment for learning, stimulating imaginations and challenging kids to think outside the square.”
Says Justine: “Mos...
