Learning a sport always starts with basic skills which are built upon with practice over time. Whether you're talking about baseball, football, hockey, dance or golf, each sport involves dozens of skills which must be learned and mastered before they become habitual.

Money skills work the same way, says Nancy Phillips, mother of two and founder of DollarSmartKids Enterprises. "Personal money management is not about academic theory or complex mathematics, it's about the simple yet critical decisions we make each day and the planning and understanding behind those decisions. Learning to make good financial choices requires hands-on experience so children can learn from their successes and disappointments and apply that knowledge in the future."

Phillips comments on why teaching kids money skills should be like teaching them a sport:

*Both consist of basic skills, or building blocks that need to be practiced and should ideally be mastered before advancing

*An individual must practice the skills and gain hands-on experience themselves; no one else can do it for them

*It's easier to start learning the skills at a young age – there are no bad habits to deal with and no fear of "I can't" or "I'm not smart enough"

*A child has the opportunity to learn from their mistakes so they can improve over time and with practice. "Success breeds success."

With these concepts in mind, Phillips has created an audio program and workbook for parents to help them teach their children the most critical financial skills according to age, including a visual roadmap to simplify the steps. "Rather than feeling intimidated about all the theoretical concepts we need to teach our children about financial education, we can give a big sigh of relief knowing that what we really need to do is teach simple, age-appropriate, real life skills during daily life. Repetition, relevancy and consistency are key, not complexity. Keeping things simple and fun will lead to success through building good habits and memorable learning experiences. And the great thing with teaching money skills is that, unlike athletic lessons, teaching our kids these skills is free and they can be easily incorporated into the daily schedule - no driving required! These are life lessons that our children truly need to lead happy, fulfilling futures. We make the time to take our children to sports training; we need to be equally dedicated to creating daily conversations and practice times to learn about managing money. A few minutes a day can significantly impact their long term financial well-being and success.

Moms and dads can use the framework and information in the audio program with children right from the pre-school ages through the teen years. Phillips comments, "parents need to be aware of these universal skills and when to teach them so their children have the opportunity to get hands-on practice at key developmental times.

Some of the topics addressed on the audio include:

*The Number One Trait in Children that Predicts Future Financial Success in Adulthood and How to Enhance It

*Why It's So Important to Start Early and How to Get Started

*Damaging Mistakes All Parents Should Avoid

*The Mom Effect

*A Simple yet Powerful Wealth Building Habit that's Easy to Learn and Fun to Use

*What to Say to Your Teens During "The Talk" about Credit Cards

*How to Set SMART Goals

*Habits the Wealthy Use

The audio program and accompanying workbook How to Teach Your Children the Most Critical Financial Life Skills is now available globally at www.zelawelakids.com/store/