How to teach kids to think like an investor: turn everyday brands into a lesson in ownership, patience and watching their money grow
One of the earliest things children see about money is that we use it to buy or pay for stuff.
Groceries now, some airtime or even electricity later, some treats for Friday night family movie night, and then nothing left by month-end. But an investor on the other hand, looks at those same rands and sees something that can grow while they sleep.
So teaching your mini millionaire to think that way (as an owner rather than a spender) is one of the best money lessons you can give them.
And the cool thing is it doesn't need a big lump sum, just a simple change in how they see a rand.
Ownership is a mindset long before it's a transaction.
When you spend money on anything, it’s all about “what can I get right now?” Investing asks “what can I own that will be worth more later?”
So when your child buys their fav chocolate, the money is used up. But when someone buys shares, those rands become a tiny piece of a real company, one that keeps working long after the shop closes.
A great way to help them understand this is by pointing it out with brands they already know. Every time they see a Checkers Sixty60 delivery bike in traffic or drink an Oros, or even check out the clothing in Mr Price, someone actually owns a slice of that company.
Takeaway: A rand spent is gone. A rand invested keeps working.
The magic is in the repetition.
Big gestures feel impressive. A R500 birthday deposit, then nothing for a year.
But what really builds a mini investor is rhythm: a small amount going into the Sow jar on the same day each week, whether it's R5 or R50. The amount itself doesn't matter nearly as much as the frequency or regularity of putting money away to invest.
Over time, steady deposits plus the compounding that follows outpace the occasional windfall.
Pick a day, make it routine, and let your mini millionaire watch the number climb week after week. That rising line is what helps turn saving into a habit they’ll keep long after they’ve left home.
Takeaway: Small and steady beats big and rare.
The best lesson is a live one.
Nothing teaches quite like watching your own money moving.
Sit down with your mini millionaire and let them pick three JSE-listed companies they recognise, (or at the very least the products they make).
Write down each share price, then check back once a week for a month.
Some weeks it climbs, some weeks it dips, and that's the whole lesson in patience right there.
For an even richer version, the JSE runs a free virtual trading game where players build a simulated portfolio with real market prices and no real money at risk.
Takeaway: Watching a share move teaches what a lecture can't.
This week’s resource is the “Watch It Grow” free printable that turns a share price into a real lesson in patience.
Your mini millionaire picks a company they already know, from Checkers to Spur to Roblox, then tracks its share price once a month for six months and marks whether it’s gone up or down.
Parent hack off the sheet: use Google Finance to check prices, and you can even condense a past six-month stretch into six weeks.
Print it out, fill it in, and stick it on the fridge. And then let the stock watching begin.
