Children understand the value of money by age of 10, survey finds

Nearly a third of parents wish their own parents had taught them the importance of saving when they were young

Majority of parents believe it is up to them to teach their children about the importance of saving (Rex)

Parents believe their children understand the value of money at 10 years old on average, a survey has found.

This is the age they stop believing money is infinite, that it must be earned, and it is important to save, according to the research from Santander.

While the average age across the survey for parents thinking their child had grasped how money works was 10, one in 14 (7 per cent) parents believed their child had understood the concept of money by the age of five.

The survey, which included the views of five to 15-year-olds as well as parents, found nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) boys said they like to save money for the future, compared with just over three-quarters (77 per cent) of girls.

When children were asked why they like to save money, nearly half (47 per cent) want to buy sweets or entertainment products, while days out (40 per cent) and holiday spending money (39 per cent) were also found to be key drivers to children’s motivation to save.

A third (34 per cent) of children save to buy gifts for their family and one in five (20 per cent) are thinking ahead about university, the research found.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of parents said they were not taught the value of financial planning by their parents when they were young.

A smaller proportion (13 per cent) of parents said they were not teaching this to their own children.

Nearly a third (32 per cent) of parents wish their parents had taught them the importance of saving when they were young – suggesting a determination to teach their own offspring about money.

The majority (85 per cent) of parents believe they have responsibility for teaching their children about the importance of saving, while 10 per cent believe this responsibility sits with schools, the survey found.

Hetal Parmar, head of savings at Santander, said: “Saving and budgeting are important life skills so it’s encouraging that so many parents take this seriously.”

More than 500 parents and children were surveyed.

PA