Cash Is Still King: Why Kids Need to Feel Money Before They Spend It

I received an email from my kids’ school tuckshop (canteen) app provider the other day, and it stopped me in my tracks. They were promoting a Mastercard-style debit card for students to use at the canteen! Yes, a money card for primary school kids!

Now, technically, the card has to be pre-loaded with money. It’s not credit. But that’s not really the point. The bigger concern is what this teaches our kids about money.

Here’s the thing: primary school kids shouldn’t be using cards. Not yet. Unless they’re at the upper end of primary school and already understand where money comes from, how it’s earned, and what it means when it’s gone. Cards remove a vital part of the learning process.

Young children need to see, touch, and feel money. They need to hand over coins and notes, count their change, and experience the very real moment of trading something they have for something they want. That’s how they begin to understand value, choice, and consequence.

When we hand them a plastic card instead, we’re skipping that essential step. Spending becomes invisible, and that can create bad habits that are hard to undo later.

So parents, let’s not get swept up in the convenience of digital payments for our little ones. Teach them the flow of money first - earning, saving, spending - and the pride that comes with making thoughtful choices.

Because no matter how modern the world gets, for young kids learning about money... cash is still king.