Piggy Banks
Piggy banks are a banking tradition that has been around for centuries. Even though some people may think it strange to use piggy banks and banking as synonymous terms, children have seemingly always used piggy banks to save their money. Piggy banks provide children with a way to get used to saving money and to seeing the benefits of saving their pennies for something important. Piggy banks instill responsibility and financial intelligence in children from an early age.
Once, piggy banks came in one form – ceramic or plastic pigs with a slot cut in the top for inserting money. Nowadays a piggy bank can be purchased in a variety of forms. Of course, the classic piggy bank can still be found for a nostalgic take on the piggy bank. However, piggy banks can take on a variety of shapes, including those of other animals, but they are always referred to as piggy banks. For example, a monkey piggy bank would appear in the shape of a monkey. You would not hear people calling it a monkey bank though.
In addition to coming in a variety of different shapes and forms, piggy banks can come made of a variety of different materials. Ceramic piggy banks are perhaps the most classic type of piggy bank. While many of today’s piggy banks come with an opening of some sort where money can be taken out of, classic ceramic piggy banks had to be smashed to get money out. A plastic piggy bank would be much cheaper than their ceramic counterparts and would still serve the same purpose. Oftentimes, plastic piggy banks come in a wide variety of colors. Anchor hocking glass piggy banks are another variety of piggy banks that are very fragile. Some people may be lucky enough to find an antique piggy bank in their own home, perhaps left over from an ancestor.
Piggy banks for children make excellent gifts and instill important values. In some cases, when a piggy bank is being given as a gift it is a nice idea to give a personalized piggy bank. Personalized piggy banks can be personalized with the child’s name, sometimes in special fonts or colors. Sometimes you will be able to purchase large piggy banks, enabling children to save even more change for a rainy day.
Piggy banks have become a staple of our culture. Piggy banks are so popular that you can even find piggy bank clip art on your computer. If you are buying a gift for a child, a piggy bank is a wonderful idea.
