12 lessons Bluey taught your kids (and you) about money & careers

Bluey is everyone’s favourite, but here’s 12 money & careers lessons the show teaches that will make you love it even more.

Aside from Bluey being an awesome TV show, Bluey teaches your kids (and you, most likely) some valuable money and career lessons! Bluey is without a doubt one of the most popular TV shows for parents with young kids, and since hitting airwaves in the US it’s grown into an international family favourite. Bandit, Chilli, Bluey & Bingo entertain kids and parents to no end, but they also outline some great things we can teach kids about money and careers! Not bad for a home-grown show. Let’s use the show to have money and career chats with our kids - here’s 12 times Bluey taught your kids (and you) some essential money and career lessons:

lesson 1: prioritise values-based spending & identify needs vs wants

In the Markets episode, Bluey receives a $5 note from the tooth fairy. Heading out to the markets with her family and friend, she has to decide what to do with the money. Should she buy a German sausage as a snack, buy a pony ride that excludes her friend or give it to the musician playing tunes up on stage? Ultimately Bluey learns that once money is spent, you can’t always get it back. She learns that $5 doesn’t cover the cost of everything, and that she can spend it in a way that includes rather than excludes her friend, Indy. She also learns how money moves, as the same $5 note makes its way around the whole market before returning to her.

Also, Bandit chokes on breakfast realising how expensive losing teeth has become! $5 a tooth?! Inflation maybe?

lesson 2: cleaning up after yourself is a crucial life skill

The Daddy Robot episode focuses on cleaning up the toy room - totally - but this episode could be turned into a chat around how we sort out any mess we make in our lives. This could include money in particular. Who hasn’t made mistakes with money and spent the next year (or more) fixing it? Maybe it’s consumer debt, buying an overpriced car that costs heaps to maintain, or simply spending money on wants over needs at the wrong time. This episode is also a great demonstration of how some chores around the house don’t come with financial reward - we do those tasks because it’s an important part of being responsible and contributing to the house we live in. Also, some responsibilities can’t be palmed off to a dad pretending to be a robot. You know, real life stuff.

lesson 3: developing communication & people skills is key for your career

The Shops episode shows Bluey and her friends setting up a “shop” and giving everyone roles to play the game effectively. It’s a brilliant demonstration of the importance of people skills and communication to manage team dynamics at work. It also shows that some people are natural leaders, and others are control freaks trying to make everyone do what they want! Exactly what no one wants in a colleague or manager. This is a great one to talk about with kids - chat about who’s trying to take over (Bluey), who’s getting frustrated (all the other kids) and what eventually works for everyone to work together (letting everyone contribute to the situation, and finding compromises).

lesson 4: dreaming up big goals is important, but you’ll need to make trade-offs

The Fruitbat episode shows how disappointed Bluey is when she realises she can’t be a fruit bat. Her dream is such a passionate one, but she simply cannot change species. Bandit highlights all the things fruit bats don’t get to do, that she can, and how great those things are! Being Bluey is already great! Bluey also learns that Bandit loves playing footy, but has taken a break so he can be around at home to look after Bluey and Bingo. Her eyes are opened to this trade-off, and she realises that some goals have to be placed to the side, even if just for the time being. This is a great story to share when talking about how some goals may not ever come to fruition, but there are a lot of great goals that can be achieved, even if they go on pause for a little while.

lesson 5: failure is a part of success & do not give up

Bike is a rock solid episode in the experience of how failure is a part of success. Over and over Bandit watches as Bluey, Bingo, Bently and Muffin attempt to achieve things that are new and feel impossible. All of them keep trying, despite failing, until eventually they achieve success! This is a great one to talk through the idea of mistakes and failure, and how most things we get good at, including managing money or our careers, take practice and will inevitably involve errors. Making a mistake doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or a failure - it means you’re new to something, but you’re on your way to success! Keep trying.

lesson 6: keep your cool when things don’t go to plan

The Taxi episode is a lesson in how to manage chaotic messes! How many times have you faced hot messes in life? There’s no smooth rides for anyone! This episode is a great example of just how out of control things can get, and the importance of putting your energy into taking the next step. Things will fall apart, you’ll be ok, even if you do need to punch a pillow to vent some frustration. Acknowledge how you feel, and focus on the next step. Also - this episode aligns with the concept of emergency funds - set one up to help manage those drama days!

Also, don’t leave a run to the airport in the hands of a 6-year-old cartoon dog.

lesson 7: boring things are important…and don’t diss old people

In the Pool episode Bandit shows what happens when you head out into achieving your goals, without preparation. Exhausted by the summer heat, Bandit, Bluey and Bingo head for a swim in their cousin's pool, but ignore Chilli’s reminder to take the bag of swim gear. They arrive and soon realise that the bag mum was talking about, the “boring stuff”, was actually a really essential thing to bring. This relates so perfectly to our finances, especially when it comes to ensuring we pay for the boring things in our life first - groceries, rent/mortgage, transportation and basic bills. They aren’t flashy, but necessary, and they need to be prioritised in your spending.

Also, old people have more sass and fire than we’re ready for. Prioritise them!

lesson 8: quit your toxic job

There is no greater episode to reference in relation to work, than the Work episode. In your average, run-of-the-mill, drainpipe factory, we witness how quickly toxic workplaces drag a whole group of people down. This has a huge impact on the effectiveness and productivity of the business! It highlights the fact that some people create unhealthy cultures that impact the whole team, and the only way a workplace like that can go, is down. Don’t hang around to watch it burn. But also, Bandit realises his true strength lies in dancing, so perhaps the drainpipe job wasn’t meant for him anyway. Build a career you love!

lesson 9: comparison sucks

Every parent has an experience with their kids that aligns with the Hammerbarn episode, and it’s a great one to chat about how comparing what you have, to what others have, just ends in tears. Bandit compares himself to his neighbour, who’s just installed a pizza oven in his backyard. So, naturally, out of jealousy, Bandit pulls the whole family to Hammerbarn to do the same. Whilst shopping around, Bluey and Bingo begin to gather their own things in the shopping trolley, but trouble ensues when they begin to compare who has what. Bickering follows, and Chilli reminds them that comparing their situations just ends in chaos. Use this episode as a lesson in turning off comparison, and focusing on your personal bests.

lesson 10: practice gratitude for what you have & encourage others around you

The Favourite Thing episode shows a great exercise to practise with your kids each night - identifying what you’re grateful for from your day. Gratitude for what you have is key to life contentment. But the episode also highlights the importance of encouraging those around you - whether your family, friends or at work. Bingo feels down when she says something wrong, and Bluey sets out on a mission to encourage and lift her up. We are all a part of this world, and if one of us does well, so do we all. Chat with your kids about the importance of identifying what you already have, and look to build others up around you.

lesson 11: setting up smart systems matters

Fancy Restaurant shows how a lack of smart systems at work (and in life generally) can lead to a brilliant mess. Bluey and Bingo host Bandit and Chilli at a fancy restaurant, but their lack of workplace structure, communication and balanced team dynamics quickly leads to an awful restaurant experience for the “romance” couple. This applies to both managing money and your career - smart systems like automating your savings and expenses, and setting up productive systems at work do a lot of the heavy lifting, and help make your life more efficient. 

lesson 12: effective communication at work involves feedback from everyone

Family Meeting is a hilarious episode where Bandit is placed on trial for committing a certain crime. In courtroom style, everyone has to contribute their thoughts on the situation at hand to come to a conclusion about what really happened. This episode also highlights that speaking the truth is important, without condemnation, to sort out situations. Chat with your kids about ensuring everyone's voices at work are heard, and that speaking the truth is top of their priorities list. Also - honesty does not need to be brutal.

Where to next?

Read our blog about how to spend less and save more money

Read our blog about how to meal prep and save big bucks

Read our blog about parenting a toddler on a budget

Read Rebecca Pritchard’s blog about the costs of having a baby in the private system