6 Impactful Investments for your Child’s Future

Investing in your kids does not necessarily directly translate to financial means. One of the most profound acts you can do for your children is to pour into their character and more often than not this will not break the bank. 

1. Extracurricular Activities

Gone are the days when academic grades were all that mattered on a university application or to a potential employer. As a young person today, talents, skills and life experience are of matched, if not more value to your future. These can easily serve as the difference between you and the next candidate. Moreover, learning today goes far beyond the confines of a conventional classroom. Keeping this in mind, a great way for parents to invest in their children is by attuning to their interests and capitalizing on those. Enrol them in activities that excite them like a sport such as a football, a musical instrument and even learning a foreign language. Equipping your children with any one of these skills will arm them with an added advantage that will reap rich benefits in the future.

2. Financial Investment

When planning for your child’s future, it’s impossible to budget for too many rainy days. You never know how many days an unexpected circumstance may make rainy – so plan early and well by putting money into an education bond, savings account or insurance plan. Also, don’t make financial plans for your children in private! When they are old enough to understand the value of money, teach them how to invest by introducing them to the ways you are saving for their future. One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is financial literacy. The earlier they learn the economic worth, the quicker they will become financially independent and no longer an expense for you! Picture a situation where your children can take care of themselves early and you can take care of yourself exclusively – it’s truly a win-win!

3. Travel

Investing in travel with your children does not have to hurt your pocket. You don’t necessarily have to fly them to some snazzy, elitist resort on some tropical island. Rather, approach it from the perspective of building a learning experience for them. One of the best ways to avoid the cultivation of ignorance is exposure. When budgeting for travel, plan to make every trip as educative as possible. Believe it or not, distance is not that important. It does not matter how far you go, what’s key is that you place your child in as many situations as possible where they can step outside of themselves and their immediate bubble of exposure to see and experience the difference.  

In the age of social media and instant gratification, travel is one of the few things that still teach people how to live in the moment through the importance of human connectivity and the beauty of unplugging from technology. Truthfully, you don’t even have to leave Kenya to instill these lessons into your children. Kenya has a wealth of different cultures within its expansive and vast geography. So, be it a flight or a road trip through your home country, prioritize cultural exposure as an investment in your children – you will see returns!

4. Time

When I reflect on my childhood, I now recognize that who I am is not only a result of the schools I went to or the activities I was enrolled in but also the quality time my parents spent with me.  The daddy-daughter dates my father took me on and the meals my mother taught me how to make step-by-step are the experiences that formed the backbone of my character. Children learn more from what they see, not what you say – action is everything. From experience, a physically present parent is what a child remembers, not the material items you shower them with.

So, challenge yourself! Do you show up for your children? Are you accessible to them? I never felt alone or longed for outside validation because the active parenting style my mother and father adopted did not leave gaps where these emotions could fill lasting voids. They deliberately built a relationship with me that was founded on transparency and I am a better person because of it.

5. Dreams

Consciously or unconsciously it is easy for parents to project their interests onto their children. Making long-term investments in your children means supporting their dreams, no matter how ridiculous and outlandish they may sound to you. Over 60% of the jobs today will be extinct by the time your children start working – fact. The dreams of your children today are the future of tomorrow. Discouraging your children from the personal visions they have for themselves can deeply damage their self-esteem and confidence, especially because as a parent, your position of authority is respected and internalized. Breathe life into the dreams of your children – you may stand to learn something from them.  

6. School

Did you know that on average, children spend more time in school than they do at home? Then, why would you take the choice of school your child attends, lightly? Good schools prepare your child as best as possible for their future. They will groom them for the next stage of life by harnessing talents and nurturing academic excellence that will then place them in recognized higher educational institutions and secure profitable positions of employment. With early education being one of the first pit stops on the journey of life, it must be prioritized. 

We highly recommend looking into SABIS International School-Runda for its globally-recognized curriculum that inspires students to achieve their full potential. 

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