Long story short, kids who know how to delay gratification tend to grow up to be adults with higher paying jobs, have happier relationships, are physically healthy, and are persistent in their pursuits. Let me know if you want the details to this longitudinal research.

Using money, we have an unbelievable way to help our kids learn to delay gratification. It’s all about setting personal financial goals.

There are three types of goals kids can set:

~to purchase a specific item
~to save a certain amount of money
~to reach a certain account balance

Giving kids a reason to set a financial goal is important. This gives them an incentive and a concrete reason to save. Goals, like saving for a coveted toy, are more tangible to young kids. Tweens and teens can begin to work towards saving a certain amount of money which is can then be used as their investing money. Kids LOVE the idea of doing something as grown-up as investing. And if they see how much money can grow over time due to compound interest, they’re usually quite excited to get saving.

Goal duration should be short for young 5-6 year olds, maybe a week or two. These kids need to be successful in reaching their first goal because it will encourage them to set another one. As they get older, increase the time. You may even want to consider matching them dollar for dollar. Not only is this a good motivator, but it allows them to reach “pricier” goals faster.

Another strategy for getting your kids to reach their goal is to introduce them to some Above-and-Beyond jobs. These are jobs that your kids can do around the house to earn extra money. This has the added benefit of teaching kids the value of a dollar as when they work for money, it tends to have greater meaning.

Having kids set financial goals is the foundation needed for them to be ready to set goals such as saving for a car, or for college, or (it’s baaack) saving for a down-payment on a house. That’s a lot of delayed gratification! But it’s so worth it. You’re teaching your child life skills so necessary in today’s society!

And achieving a financial goal that they set out to do gives kids such a sense of personal satisfaction. It’s a joy to watch as a parent. Let’s not deny our kids (and us!) this opportunity.