When Stephanie was 12, we thought that her math could use some real applications.  Carol and Steph decided that she should put her baby-sitting money, her gift money, and her other earned money from the farm in a checking account.

 

They went to the bank branch and talked it over with the manager.  The only way she could have a checking account was to have a joint account with her mother, and the account would require two signatures on each check.

 

She ordered the cute checks she wanted and they were printed with just her name and address at the top -- wow, she was very proud when those checks arrived.

 

She took this seriously. She paid for her braces month after month, bought her new bicycle, bought clothes, and other things that were agreed on (sometimes with negotiations!).  Each month, she balanced her statements with mom at her side.  This went on for years and carried her into adulthood.