Teaching children about materialism is so important as the messages they receive on social media can be overwhelming and intimidating. Also, children need to recognise what materialism actually is and how it doesn't serve us well.

Here are tangible suggestions to teach your child to manage materialism in their life:

This blog provides suggestions to teach your child to manage materialism in their life.

Value Experiences Over Things: Teach your child that memories and experiences are more important than stuff. Say, ‘Instead of buying lots of toys, let's go to the park and make fun memories together.’ Being active and engaging with others through sport etc. are very self-satisfying and take the mind off material gain.

Share with Others: Encourage sharing and giving to those in need. Explain, ‘When we have extra, we can give toys or clothes to children who don't have as much.’ Visit the op shops and get your child to gather their old toys to give away. Let them talk to op shop members about how donations work.

Gratitude for What You Have: Express gratitude for the things you already have. Say, ‘Let's take a moment to be thankful for our home, our food, and the toys we have.’ Being grateful reminds your child that what you have is amazing in its own right. This helps not to redirect the thinking that more will make you happy.

Avoid Impulse Buying: Teach your child to think before buying something new. Say, ‘Let's think if we really need this or if it's something we'll use a lot.’ Talk about its value and potential use. Don’t buy it straight away. Let time elapse so that the immediate desire for the goods reduces.

Quality Over Quantity: Emphasise the importance of quality items that last longer. Talk about how much stronger and more valuable they are in the long run. Teach them about value for money.

Set Limits: Help your child understand limits on buying things. Say, ‘We have a budget, so we can't buy everything we want. Let's choose what's most important.’ Talking about budgets and discussing products and costs raises their awareness of what is expensive.

Keep Busy: Keep your child active and busy. Involvement in sports, outdoor life and various activities is a wonderful and healthy distraction from wanting extra material goods to satisfy their needs. Keep them happily stimulated by life experiences and engagement with others.

These simple messages and examples can help children develop a more balanced and mindful approach to material possessions, fostering gratitude and a healthier perspective on consumerism.

Demonstrate how you maintain and control the urge to buy more on occasion. What satisfies you will be a question on the mind of your child.

‘Too much materialism only clouds a child’s capacity to see life.’
Gail J Smith