Whether your child is in preschool or middle school, we have age-appropriate tips to make saving money simple, fun and rewarding.

    My top six suggestions: Start early. Start small. Keep it simple. Make it fun. Set a goal. And reward your children's efforts. Here's practical advice on how to do all those things as your children grow:

    Preschool through primary:

    The piggy-bank years

    Kids this age think about money in very concrete terms, so make saving as hands-on as possible.

    Piggy banks are great as both teaching tools and fun toys. Nowadays they come in all sizes and shapes, from traditional pigs to soccer balls to talking ATMs. For banks with a twist, especially for children in primary grades, take at look at www.moonjar.com; www.msgen.com; www.prosperity4kids.com, or www.sharesavespend.com.

    And for a fun lesson in saving, read It's a Habit, Sammy Rabbit! or listen to the book's companion CD （www.itsahabit.com）.

    Remember that kids this age don't have a long time frame. So saving for college, though a worthy goal, isn't always a realistic one when a week might as well be a lifetime.

    But they can certainly save their birthday money for a trip to the dollar store, or tape a picture of their coveted item to their piggy bank so they don't lose sight of their goal.

    Elementary through middle school: The allowance years

    Kids this age have a more mature understanding of money. They know what it can buy and can plan farther into the future.

    So they're prime candidates for getting an allowance. And requiring them to pay for certain purchases -- collectibles, entertainment, trips to the mall -- gives them an automatic incentive to save.

    They can also divvy up their allowance into pockets of money for spending, saving, giving and even investing （like the piggy banks mentioned above）.

    If you don't want to take the trouble to parcel out your kids' allowance into pots, a simple alternative is to require them to save, say, a flat 10%.

    Around age 8, kids are old enough to have a real bank account. But be careful to explain how the system works. Even at this age, banks can be a mystery to children, who are often horrified to see their money disappear.

    For a good online introduction to saving, try KidsSave, a program that includes interactive tools that let youngsters set goals, track their progress and see how their money can grow over time （$29.95 with a 35-day free trial）.

    And you can always encourage kids to save by matching what they put aside -- your very own family 401（k）.

    Once your children have achieved their goal, let them spend the money and enjoy the payoff for their efforts. Saving may be spinach and spending dessert, but as my son once told me, "Saving can be dessert, too, if you save for something you want."

    我們有一些的有趣而且有效的小辦法來教那些還處在學前或者中學年齡段的小朋友來養成節省的好習慣。

    我的六條建議是：盡早開始；從小進行；使它很容易做到；使它更有趣；制訂一個目標；回報孩子付出的努力。如何在孩子成長過程中做到這么多事呢？別急，我來給你一個實用小方法：

    幼兒園到小學：小豬存錢罐的年代

    孩子們在這個年紀對錢的認識是非常具體的，所以盡可能的讓他們親身體驗存錢的感覺。

    存錢罐就非常好的集教學工具和可愛玩具于一體。現在它們有各種型號和外形，從傳統的小豬外形到足球外形再到會講話的自動柜員機。就這樣，還是有很多不同種類的，特別是給小孩子們用的存錢罐更是豐富多樣，你可以讓孩子選一個它喜歡的存錢罐，同時你可以給孩子上一堂有趣的關于存錢和節省的課。

    你要記住這個年紀的孩子都沒有一個長期的計劃。雖然存錢上大學是一個很不錯的目標，但我們的目標絕對不局限于它必須是現實存在的東西，也不局限于要在固定的時間內完成。但是他們完全可以從過生日的錢中省出一部分，這樣就可以去一元店淘些寶貝，或者是弄一些他們夢寐以求的東西的照片貼在他們的存錢罐上，好讓他們不會忘了他們自己的目標。

    小學到中學：零用錢的年代

    孩子們通常在這個年紀對錢有了更多的認識。他們知道錢可以買到什么也知道錢可以為未來做一些什么樣的計劃。所以基本上可以給他們一些零用錢。并要求他們用于正確的用途--買小收集品，娛樂或去逛商場--讓他們有一個自覺自愿存錢的意向。他們也可以把他們的零用錢分布到花銷、存儲甚至是投資方面。如果你不想把孩子的零用錢分配錯，那么還有一個簡單的做法可供選擇，就是要求他們按零用錢的10%去存。

    在孩子8歲左右時，他已經完全可以擁有一個真正的銀行帳戶了。但你一定要仔細給他解釋怎么在銀行進行存取。因為就算是這個年紀的孩子，銀行對他們來講也是很神秘的，通常他們會看到錢在這兒忽然就不見了，并為此擔心。

    你也可以通過將他們所丟棄的東西變廢為寶來鼓勵孩子養成節省的習慣--讓他們更深的意識到這是你自己的家。

    當你的孩子實現了他的目標時，讓他們去購買他們計劃已久的東西并樂在其中吧。 孩子們的節省很可能是為了一些很無足輕重的目標，但就像我兒子曾告訴我的："我可以為吃更多甜點去節省，只要你愿意你可以為你想要的所有東西去節省。"