How it works
Dev was new, so his page at the Record House was blank. A blank book is not a bad book: it is no news yet. But credit needs a record, and a record needs credit.
The way in is a starter account, a small account for people with no book yet. Its limit was only three coins, which keeps first steps safe.
Dev bought one small thing each month with one coin and paid it back in full before the due day. Each month a gold tick landed.
A record cannot be hurried. After six months there were six ticks, and Mrs. Hale handed him the key. Credit is built like a wall, one brick at a time.
Worked examples
An empty page
- Dev is new, so nothing is written on his page.
- No lender has lent him coins yet, so there are no ticks or clocks.
- That is no news, not bad news.
Counting ticks
- Dev gets one tick for each month he pays in full.
- After 3 months he has 3 ticks.
- After 6 months he has 6 ticks, since 6 × 1 = 6.
The small limit
- The starter limit is 3 coins.
- Dev uses 1 coin a month.
- So 3 − 1 = 2 coins of the limit stay free, and the first steps stay safe.
The wall
- Each on-time month is one brick.
- The bricks stack up month after month.
- After six months a landlord can read a tidy start.
A taste of the worksheets
These are some of the questions on the sets. The printable sheets have more and an answer key.
- Circle every thing that helps a first book grow. Small buys, paid in full / Hiding a bill / Paying before the due day / Skipping a due day / Patience, month after month
- True or false? Dev says: with six gold ticks, every landlord must give me the key. Is he right?
- Dev says: credit needs a record, and a record needs credit! How does he get in? A starter account with a small limit / He waits until he is older / The Record House writes ticks for him
- Stretch: Dev uses 1 coin of a 3-coin limit. Then ___ coins of the limit are free.
- True or false? 🗓️ Does keeping the habit for six months fail to help a record?
Words to know
- record
- What is written in your book at the Record House.
- starter account
- A small account for people with no book yet.
- limit
- The most you can use at once.
- due day
- The day a bill must be paid by.
- gold tick
- A mark for a payment made on time.
Watch out for
- A blank book is no news, not bad news.
- There is no secret trick and no way to hurry a record.
- Using the whole limit every month looks stretched. One coin is gentler.
- A tidy start helps, but not every landlord decides the same way.
Try it
Dev gets one tick a month. How many ticks after 4 months?
4. One tick a month, so 4 months make 4 ticks.
What does a blank book mean?
No news yet, not bad news. A new book has nothing written on it.
Why does a starter account have a small limit?
It keeps first steps small and safe. Dev could not use more than three coins at once, even by accident.
Dev uses 1 coin of a 3-coin limit. How many coins of the limit are free?
2. 3 − 1 = 2.
For grown-ups
With a grown-up, talk about the first time someone trusted you, or them, with something important. How did trust grow after that?
A made-up town and pretend coins; real credit rules differ. Ask your child why a blank book is not a bad book, and how Dev's small habit built his record.