Metaverse Money: Rethinking Children's Piggy Banks for a Digital Generation
The Past: From Earthtenware to "Pygg Jars"al Age
In today's Metaverse, where kids immerse themselves in virtual worlds like Fortnite and Roblox, piggy banks are soon to be taking on a whole new form. With digital currencies, prepaid debit cards, and even cryptocurrencies becoming part of their financial landscape, the traditional piggy bank has to undergo a digital makeover.
The Past: From Earthenware to "Pygg Jars"
The history of piggy banks is a tale of mystery and evolution. While theories about their origin abound, one popular account traces them back to the Middle Ages when people crafted dishes and pots from a clay called "pygg." These containers, initially not shaped like pigs, eventually took on the porcine form, giving birth to the "piggy bank." However, some etymologists dispute this claim, suggesting that "pig" was a term used broadly for earthenware products. Regardless of their origin, piggy banks have been a global phenomenon for centuries, with one of the earliest examples dating back to 15th-century Indonesia, now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Present: Are Piggy Banks Still Relevant?
Research shows that children as young as three can grasp basic money concepts, and many money habits are formed by age seven. Piggy banks have served as invaluable tools for teaching kids about saving; and the tangible aspect of physical coins and currency imprint the brain and impact learning very differently than digital forms of learning. Children were often taught and used to employ multiple piggy banks—one for everyday spending, one for saving, and sometimes a third for charitable giving. Managing these distinct banks helped children differentiate between immediate expenses and long-term goals. Today, the number of children saving coins and dollars is dwindling.
The Impact of the Digital Age
"As technology advances, so must piggy banks." Business Anthropologist, Anthony Galima believes Fintech companies should begin partnering with traditional banks to create digital banking products tailored for kids. These platforms would offer tools to manage savings, spending, and giving, providing children with prepaid debit cards equipped with parental controls. These platforms and custodial wallets can teach children about emerging digital assets and decentralized environments, allowing for the best practices within the Quantum Financial System when it comes to acquiring, managing, and growing new forms of wealth. Greenlight, a popular kids banking fintech, is a good starting example that enables real-time spending notifications for parents and simplifies chores and allowances.
The Future: Family Banking, Investing, and Crypto
The evolution of kid-friendly digital banking doesn't end with prepaid debit cards; in fact that sort of thinking is already outdated and not part of the new financial system we are boldly entering into. In the realm of teaching kids about saving and wealth-building, companies should begin offering the ability for children to invest in stocks and ETFs directly. (Greenlight Max equips kids with research tools, enabling them to learn about investments with guidance from experts.) And the transformation doesn't stop there. Strive, a crypto-focused tech company, is revolutionizing the piggy bank by integrating it with cryptocurrency wallets. Their parent app facilitates crypto payments to your child's wallet, displaying the balance in both cryptocurrency and local currency.
Teaching Financial Literacy with Piggy Banks
Whether using a traditional piggy bank or a digital account, the steps to impart financial literacy to your children remain consistent:
Step 1: Establish a Source of Income Children need a reliable income source, whether it's from chores, a job, or a weekly allowance.
Step 2: Designate Savings Buckets Separate money into distinct buckets for spending and saving to teach kids the value of delayed gratification.
Step 3: Choose Contributions Decide together how much to allocate for spending and saving, adjusting based on your child's responsibilities and spending habits.
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, piggy banks should continue to play a crucial role in teaching children valuable financial skills, ensuring they grow up financially literate in the 4th Industrial Revolution and realized Metaverse Era.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: CRYPTO CHILDREN'S BOOKS
If you have children or nieces and nephews, and want to teach them about cryptocurrency and decentralized finance, check out the "Crypto Kids Collection" by Business Anthropology. Business Anthropology’s Crypto position young children to have a familiarity of the 4th Industrial Revolution and Quantum Financial System as we the grown-up population are transitioning into it.
Cryptocurrency is on the verge of being globally adopted, and there is still much to be learned, understood and conveyed to the general populations; especially the children who will benefit the most as they become young adults.
The very 1st Crypto Kids Adventure begins with “'Cryptocurrency Inspired Cars For Kids.' If Bitcoin was a car, what would it be?” This 24-page book available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback asks the questions: What type of car would Bitcoin be; what type of car would Ethereum be; XRP, Cardano, Dogecoin, BNB, XRP, XLM, Uniswap and Polygon Matic. Not only are there explanations as to why a particular crypto would be a very specific car and model, but a unique artistic rendering of such cryptocurrency inspired car. “This is certainly a kid’s book, but makes for a great coffee table or office book. What DALL-E 2 came up with when it comes to the artistic renderings is just beautiful” says Galima.
The 2nd Crypto Kids Adventure is called “If Cryptos Were Greek Gods;” and this one is a real treat. It starts much in the same style/format as the previous installment describing each crypto as a Greek god and why they would be that particular god; and it ends with a story. The journey of Odysseus the “digital wallet” through the land of #DeFi.
The 3rd is “Max and Mia Meet Bitcoin the Cat.” What type of cats would cryptos be; and what type of mischief or adventures can these cats get into? In this story, Max and Mia are dreaming and in this dream they are worried about their parent’s ability to pay bills and buy food. They want to help their mother and father; and by the end of the book they help their entire community.