Relevance is an unbelievable teaching tool. That’s because it’s much easier to learn something when it’s relevant to our lives. And, often, it’s more fun.

Consider a child studying a unit on growing plants in her third grade class. When the teacher starts talking about how healthy plants grow, her little ears perk up. This year, her dad put her in charge of he family vegetable garden, so learning about soil, watering, and weed control was meaningful to her; it had become relevant to her life.

The power with relevance is that it establishes a purpose for the learning. And when things have purpose, the learning becomes more powerful. So if we can connect the learning that kids are doing to their every day lives, in other words, if we make it relevant, then deeper learning and understanding will take place.

The Money Connection: If we want our kids to learn about and understand money – how to save it, share it, spend it, and invest it wisely – then we need to find a way to make it relevant to their everyday lives. And the best way to make it relevant? Give them the responsibility of managing their own money.

When they’re in charge, all of a sudden, learning how to effectively manage that money becomes meaningful and, by default, relevant. If they want to buy that really cool cell phone, then learning how to create a personal financial goal becomes relevant. If they want to invest in their favorite clothing company, then researching the company has now become relevant. And if they expect to save enough money to bring with them on vacation, then learning how to make good spending choices has become relevant.

When it comes to teaching kids about money, there’s no better lesson than to use the power of relevance. When it’s your money, it’s not that important. When it’s theirs, it’s a whole new story. And this story has a happy ending.