What does Income mean? (for kids)

Income means money that comes to you, again and again. For a kid, income is usually duit belanja (pocket money) from Mama or Papa. For grown-ups, it's the pay they get for their work.

The key word is again. Ang pao at Chinese New Year or duit raya at Hari Raya is lovely, but it only comes once a year. That is a gift. Income comes back on a regular day, like every school morning or every Monday.

Easy example

Mei Ling gets RM2 every school day before the van comes. That's her income. On Saturday her auntie at the kedai runcit gives her a free sweet for helping to stack the Milo tins. Nice, but that sweet is a one-time gift, not income.

Kids can also see where grown-ups' income comes from: the uncle at the mamak stall gets paid by the people who eat there, and the cikgu gets paid for teaching. Money comes in because someone did something useful.

Try it at home

Ask your child at dinner: "Where does our family's money come from?" Keep it simple: "Papa works at the office, Mama sells kuih online." Then ask: "What's your income?" Most kids will say their pocket money. That one question links home, work and money in their head.

How this word grows

Before: Value · Next word: Spend · All words: Money Words

Bilibulu is money education for families. It is not financial advice.

Keep reading

• Spend
• Saving
• Share and Gift
• Book: Meet the Money Friends with Aik Vol 1 · Back to Money Words