A kid-friendly guide to real estate: teach long-term thinking, spotting value, and earning from assets with a fun rental activity they’ll love
Kids are surrounded by different types of property.
Houses, blocks of flats, complexes, and even business parks. But rarely do they think of these as “investments”. For them, it’s simply home.
So when we teach our mini millionaires about real estate investing, we’re actually giving them a new lens with which to see property through. It’s a lens of ownership, growth and value over time.
Instead of talking about bonds and flipping houses, we can teach them that when you own a piece of something valuable and keep it, it often grows.
It’s especially powerful because it links the familiar (their home) to the future (value and income).
Ownership grows over time
Real estate is about holding, not hopping.
Property prices have increased nearly 100% across all major South African metros, with Cape Town leading the way at 141%, and the ‘lowest’ performing metro, Johannesburg, still seeing a 71% increase.
There’s a clear pattern: if you hold land or a home, its value tends to increase over time rather than disappear overnight. Instilling this mindset helps kids shift from “instant” to “steady” thinking.
Takeaway: Encourage children to think long-term that owning something valuable can mean growth, and not just cost.
Let them notice value changes.
Start a regular habit: pick a local property you walk or drive past frequently and then look and see if you can find a current or most recent listing price.
Then take a look again in a few months. Try and see if you can find historical data on prices on property listing sites.
These concrete examples anchor abstract ideas. Research in educational psychology shows children learn abstract concepts more effectively when they first engage with concrete, familiar things.
So when your mini millionaire actively monitors a home’s price change, they begin to internalise how value can shift.
And don't worry if you don't see a change immediately. The longer it takes, the better the lesson gets.
Takeaway: The habit builds awareness of how value evolves.
Equip your mini millionaire with a small asset they can manage. Maybe it’s a toy shelf, a craft box, or even a board games corner.
Create a “rental” system where other family members pay a small fee to borrow something.
This simulates the idea of owning an asset and earning from it.
This small action will help them understand that owning property doesn’t only mean owning a house, but that they can actually generate income from it.
Takeaway: Let kids feel the difference between owning something and earning from it.
This week’s free resource is our ‘Rent for Rands’ activity that teaches kids one of the most important investing lessons: assets can earn income.
‘Rent for Rands’ walks your mini millionaire through choosing something they already own, like a toy, a bike, or even their favourite book, and then turning it into a fun rental listing.
They set the price, decide the rental period, and design their own advert, just like a real property owner.
It’s simple, creative, and helps kids feel the difference between owning something and earning money from it. It’s the perfect first step into real estate thinking.
