Introducing Kids to Super
Among the many financial concepts we juggle as adults, superannuation stands out as the cornerstone of retirement planning. Yet for many people the term superannuation brings to mind a maze of rules and confusing jargon.
But super doesn’t have to be complicated. And for kids, it absolutely shouldn’t be.
This blog considers simple, engaging ways to introduce children to the world of superannuation through stories, analogies, and practical at-home activities. With small conversations started early, kids can grow into confident adults who understand how their super works and how to make smart decisions later in life.
Introducing Super Accounts
Imagine if you had a treasure chest where every coin you put inside would continue to grow and grow, until one day you could open the chest, stop working, and live happily ever after.
This is, at its heart, what a superannuation account is, a place where your money grows over many years so you have funds to live on when you stop working.
What Is a Super Account?
When you start a job, your work begins paying a portion of your earnings (called the Superannuation Guarantee) into your super account. That money doesn’t just sit there, it’s invested in things like shares, property, bonds, and cash, growing slowly and steadily across your working life.
Even though kids can’t contribute to super yet, helping them understand the idea early lays the groundwork for good habits later, like comparing fees, choosing investments, and avoiding multiple accounts.
Learning Activity: The Growing Jar
Take a clear jar and label it “Future Me Jar.”
Each time your child completes a chore, add a coin or marble.
Explain:
“This is just like how mum/dad earn money and a tiny bit goes into their super automatically. Over time it grows even if you don’t touch it.”
Every few weeks, celebrate how much it has grown to reinforce the idea of long-term saving.
The Train Stations of Super (Fees & Multiple Accounts)
Imagine your superannuation as a train travelling along a long railway line throughout your working life. Your money (the passengers) is on board, heading toward a destination called Retirement Station.
Along the way, the train needs to pass through different stations and each station charges a small toll. These tolls represent the fees that super funds charge to manage and invest your money.
Why Too Many Stations Slow Down Your Train
If you only have one super account, your money train only needs to stop at one station, paying one toll.
But if you accidentally end up with two, three, or four super accounts, your train must stop at every station, paying every toll along the way.
More stations = more tolls = less money arriving at Retirement Station.
This is why adults are encouraged to keep track of their accounts and avoid having several super funds unnecessarily.
Consolidating Your Stations
Imagine being able to redesign the railway track so your train only passes through one efficient station that charges a single toll. This is what happens when someone consolidates their super, they close extra accounts, so fees are only taken once.
This helps the money train keep more passengers (dollars) on board for the long journey ahead.
Learning Activity: Toll Tokens Train Game
What you need:
A toy train (or any object that can represent one)
1–4 pieces of paper as stations
A handful of counters, marbles, or Lego
How to play:
Lay out a path for the train (use books, blocks, or just imagination).
Begin with one station.
Give your child 10 “toll tokens.”
Each time the train reaches a station, it must give up one token.
Talk about how many tokens were lost with only one station.
Now add three or four stations and repeat the journey.
Ask:
“Which train kept more tokens?”
“If you were saving for the future, would you want one toll or four?”
This simple activity helps children see how having fewer accounts means keeping more money.
The Hunt for Super Treasures (Understanding Investment Risk)
To help kids understand investing, imagine superannuation as a treasure hunt with different adventure paths. Each path offers a different treasure, but also different levels of difficulty.
The Safe Shoreline (Low Risk, Low Return)
Near the beach, treasures are easy to find. They’re small but predictable and safe.
This is like:
Cash
Bonds
Defensive investment options
Low chance of loss, but smaller returns.
The Jungle (Medium Risk, Medium Return)
A little further inland is a jungle, more challenging, but with better treasure.
This reflects:
Balanced funds
Mix of shares and bonds
Moderate risk, moderate return.
The Mountain (High Risk, High Return)
In the distance stands a Mountain. The treasures here are the greatest of all, but reaching them requires courage and patience. Sometimes climbers slip and must try again.
This is like:
Shares
Growth investments
High-risk options
Higher ups and downs, but potentially larger long-term rewards.
Learning Activity: Throwing Marbles Into Cups
Use three cups:
Cup 1: 1 marble reward — placed 1 metre away
Cup 2: 5 marbles reward — 2 metres away
Cup 3: 10 marbles reward — 3 metres away
Let your child choose which to aim for.
Discuss:
Cup 1 is the easiest (low risk, low return).
Cup 3 is the hardest (high risk, high return).
Every choice has different rewards and challenges.
This introduces the concept of risk in a fun and tangible way.
Contributing to Super (Growing the Treasure Chest)
Explain that adults can add extra money to their super, not just what their work pays and even small extra contributions can grow into something meaningful over time.
Learning Activity: Bonus Marbles
Once a month, give your child the opportunity to add a “bonus marble” to their Future Me Jar for something positive they did.
Say:
“This is extra money going to your future self just like adults can add extra contributions to their super.”
Watching the jar grow faster helps build an understanding of how contributions work over time.
Why Do Grown-Ups Pay Fees? (Simplifying Fund Costs)
Explain that:
“Super funds look after your treasure chest. They invest the money, take care of the paperwork, and keep everything safe. To do that, they charge a small fee.”
This is like paying a caretaker to look after something precious as long as the fee is reasonable.
Learning Activity: The Helper Fee
Give your child 10 tokens for chores.
Tell them:
“I’m your helper. I take 1 token as my helper fee.”
Then compare:
A helper who charges 1 token
A helper who charges 4 tokens
Ask:
“Which helper would you choose?”
“Which one leaves you more to save?”
This is an easy way to introduce the idea of comparing fees between super funds.
Using Super to Live On When You Stop Working
Kids often wonder why adults don’t just spend their super money now.
Explain:
“Super is money saved for when you’re older and stop working. It helps pay for food, bills, travel, hobbies, and everything else you need.”
Super is like a long-term plan to look after Future You.
Learning Activity: Retirement Role Play
Create a mini “retirement shop.”
Give your child a small handful of marbles from their jar and let them buy pretend items such as:
Food
Housing
Transport
Activities
Treats
They quickly see that:
If you save more earlier, you have more to spend later.
If you don’t save enough, you run out of marbles sooner.
This ties the purpose of superannuation to real-life budgeting.
Bringing It All Together
Teaching kids about superannuation doesn’t require complex explanations or spreadsheets, just a few meaningful conversations and some simple hands-on activities.
By turning super concepts into relatable stories, kids can learn:
what a super account is
why having multiple accounts costs more
how investments work
why adults make contributions
how fees affect long-term savings
and how super helps people live when they retire
When kids feel confident about these ideas, they’re better prepared for their first job, their first payslip, and their first super fund and they’ll understand how to make smart choices that future them will thank them for.
About Us
After working as an advisor for a decade, Joel founded Unified Wealth.
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