Teach kids long-term thinking with simple habits, a “future you” mindset, and a fun mini-retirement challenge that makes saving real, relatable, and empowering
If retirement feels way, way, way down the line for adults, it’s practically invisible for kids.
Kids live in the right now, not six/seven (🤷) decades in the future.
But teaching them about retirement isn’t about explaining pension funds or market returns. It’s about helping them understand that planning for “future you” gives you more freedom later.
When kids learn that time is a powerful ally, they start to grasp why small choices now can open big doors, and the earlier they see long-term thinking as normal, the easier their financial life becomes.
Future You is Counting on You.
Your mini millionaire doesn’t need to understand retirement plans. They just need to understand that what they do today helps their future self.
This mindset creates a bridge between now and later. When children picture their “future me,” it becomes easier to grasp why saving, planning, and thinking ahead matter.
Psychologists call this future self-continuity, and studies show it leads to better decisions and stronger follow-through. When kids value their future selves, retirement becomes less of an age thing and more about choices.
Takeaway: Teach them to look ahead (even if it’s just a little).
Make ‘later’ part of the rhythm.
A simple weekly habit changes everything: help your child split their money into three small buckets: now, soon, and later.
“Later” becomes their retirement bucket, even if it’s tiny.
This normalises long-term saving without pressure or complexity. When “later” becomes part of their weekly money rhythm, kids grow up seeing long-term planning as something they just automatically do.
We unpack all things saving in one of our earlier editions of Mini Millionaires. Check out: How to Teach Kids to Save. We talk about the 4 Jars method and how Spending (now), Saving (soon), and Sowing (later) fall into place.
Takeaway: A tiny ‘later’ pile builds a powerful lifelong reflex.
Try a one-month “mini retirement” challenge.
For the first three weeks, your child sets aside a small slice of their pocket money into a “retirement jar.”
In the final week, they “retire” from their chores, but can only use that small slice of saved pocket money for any treats or wants.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Just like real life.
This playful experiment illustrates the very real link between saving now and freedom later, in a very real way that they can experience for themselves.
Takeaway: When they feel it, they remember it.
This week’s resource is the Retirement Rush challenge.
It’s your child’s first playful step into long-term thinking.
The template walks them through three weeks of earning and saving before they “retire” in Week 4, when they can only spend what they put away in weeks 1-3.
It’s simple, hands-on, and perfect for the holidays. See if your mini millionaire can retire from their chores for one whole week these holidays and still afford the fun they want.
It’s a brilliant way to make retirement relatable, build confidence, and spark real conversations about planning for the future.
