ISLAMIC FINANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION AND POCKET MONEY MANAGEMENT UNDERSTANDING AMONG INDONESIAN MIGRANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Managing pocket money from the elementary school years is one of the first steps in introducing financial literacy to children. This community service activity aimed to introduce wise pocket money management, based on Islamic financial principles, to Indonesian migrant children in Malaysia. The activity was held on 24 August 2026 at a community learning centre (Sanggar Bimbingan) in Kuala Lumpur and involved 35 students. It used a service-learning approach with a one-group pre-test and post-test design. The activity consisted of an interactive presentation, a question-and-answer session, a pocket money allocation simulation, and an evaluation using ten multiple-choice questions before and after the education session. When asked what they used their pocket money for, most students answered that they bought food and drinks (43%), while saving was the least common answer. The number of students scoring 100 increased from 13 in the pre-test to 19 in the post-test. A preliminary calculation based on the score distribution in the chart shows that the mean score rose from 85.14 to 91.14. These results indicate better test performance after the activity, although they do not show that the children's financial habits changed in the long term. Education through explanation and simulation can be a useful way to introduce pocket money management, together with the values of responsibility and social concern in Islamic finance.