Money conversations at home are not a single sit-down talk. They evolve as children grow up.

For Maiki Oreta, business broadcast journalist at Bilyonaryo News Channel and founder of Kiddo-preneur, financial literacy—and even entrepreneurship—is not reserved for adulthood. This begins in childhood, in everyday moments that most families tend to overlook.

“They’re growing up fast, and our money conversations are different at every age,” the mother-of-four tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “Teaching value, discipline, responsibility, and consistency isn’t a one-time thing. It is an ongoing dynamic family conversation.”

In many Filipino homes, children receive generous cash gifts during birthdays, Christmas, and the Lunar New Year. Because it’s not earned, they are often seen as temporary and easy. But this is why Maiki believes they matter. “The amounts may be small, but the lessons can be huge and lifelong.” For her, gift money is often a child’s first exposure not just to spending and saving, but to creating, building, and understanding how money can grow through effort.

“Who gave this? Did you say thank you?” Maiki starts with these questions whenever her children receive money as presents. “I teach my kids to express appreciation, not just out of politeness but out of understanding that money represents someone’s effort and intention.”

When children understand that money represents someone’s work, time, and generosity, they treat it differently. They become more thoughtful about how they use it. Gratitude prevents entitlement. It reminds children that money is not a required form of gift-giving. It is given with meaning. “Entitlement grows when money feels automatic. Gratitude grows when money has direction, meaning, and purpose.”

Maiki keeps the system simple enough for young children to comprehend and structured enough to build habits. Her family breaks gift money into clear percentages—30 percent to enjoy, 30 percent to save, 20 percent to grow through a small business or investment, and 20 percent to give or set aside for something meaningful.

“When kids participate in the decision-making process, they don’t feel restricted. They feel empowered.” Saving builds security. Spending allows enjoyment. Giving teaches empathy. Growing introduces the idea that money can multiply when handled wisely. It also opens the door to early entrepreneurship—helping children see that money can be created through ideas, effort, and initiative.

She encourages parents to treat a portion of gift money as seed capital for the child’s first introduction to entrepreneurship. A child might try selling cookies, making bracelets, or offering a simple service. The lesson is not profit alone. It is effort.

“The goal is simple. To plant the seeds early. To help them understand effort, discipline, and responsibility, so they nurture a healthy relationship with money and a love for creating value, not just consuming it.”

For Maiki, financial literacy is not only about wealth. It is about character. She teaches her children that just because they can spend everything at once does not mean they should. This builds restraint and delayed gratification. “It teaches responsibility because once that money is gone, it is really gone. No top-ups.”

Financial discipline builds integrity. When children learn that decisions have consequences, they carry that awareness into other areas of life. They learn that commitments matter, resources are finite, and actions cannot be outsourced to someone else.

Eventually, they begin to understand that money represents time, effort, and value creation. That realization influences how they work, lead, and participate in society.

She ends with this money mindset, “That money is seed capital. It’s not just something that passes through your hands. It’s something you can multiply, direct, and use to create opportunities.”

An envelope may seem small or fleeting, but if handled with intention, it can shape how a child views money, work, and responsibility for life.