On April 26, 2026, the Forum on Children’s Financial Literacy and Social Character Development & Alumni Family Day, hosted by Beijing Normal University Business School (BNUBS), was held in Conference Room 6, Jingshi Building, Beijing Normal University. Sun Zhijun, Party Secretary of BNUBS, attended and delivered an opening speech. The event was presided over by Han Lili,Associate Party Secretary of the School. Su Song, Director of the Research Center for Financial Literacy Education, Cheng Li, Dean of the College of Special Education under the Faculty of Education, Shen Zijiao, Deputy Director of the Mental Health Education and Counseling Center of the Student Affairs Department, and Xie Qin, Principal of Beijing Campus of Gaotu Education Technology Group, delivered keynote speeches respectively. Centering on keynote sharing, economic popular science and parent-child activities, the event focused on the cultivation of children’s financial literacy and social character. It pooled efforts from academia and industry to precisely meet the growth needs of alumni families.

In his opening remarks, Secretary Sun Zhijun extended a warm welcome to all guests and alumni. He noted that BNUBS attaches great importance to alumni work, and this event marks a new initiative in this regard. In the era of in-depth integration of artificial intelligence and digitalization, financial literacy education serves as an important bridge for economics and management disciplines to serve society and connect with families. Leveraging its disciplinary strengths, BNUBS has actively advanced social services and alumni support through research and popularization of financial literacy. This event not only practices economic science outreach and disseminates rational financial concepts, but also serves alumni by building a communication platform for their families. It aims to empower alumni and their families with professional expertise and demonstrate the value of economics and management disciplines.

Professor Su Song shared insights on financial literacy education in the AI era, elaborating on the new definition, approaches and development paths of children’s financial literacy against this backdrop. Combined with the integration of AI into basic education in primary and secondary schools, he illustrated that financial literacy is a comprehensive system integrating knowledge, capabilities, values and personal traits. He pointed out that financial literacy in the AI era has evolved into the capability of financial decision-making based on human-machine collaboration. The core of relevant education lies not in rote knowledge teaching, but in fostering good habits, shaping sound character and promoting joint education among families, schools and society.

Professor Cheng Li delivered a speech on Diversified Companionship and Children’s Development. She explained the definition, significance and modes of parent-child companionship, and put forward scientific guidance tailored to the psychological characteristics of children at different ages. She divided parent-child companionship into three progressive levels: accompanying, being present and building mutual trust. Its essence lies in spiritual communication and emotional bond, rather than mere physical presence. It requires understanding, respect and trust for children. She also offered age-specific guidance and stressed that companionship in primary school plays a vital role in children’s social development, learning habits and character building.

Associate Researcher Shen Zijiao started with children’s emotional development, and explained from a neuroscience perspective how emotion management underpins rational decision-making and social character cultivation. She stated that recognizing emotions is the foundation of healthy growth. When children get upset, parents should soothe them first before offering guidance, helping them identify emotions, figure out underlying causes and understand inner needs. She emphasized that caring about emotions does not mean abandoning rules. Family education should follow the principle of being gentle yet firm, enabling parents to become a reliable emotional anchor for children and provide solid support for their healthy growth.

Dr. Xie Qin presented a report titled Cultivation of Children’s Comprehensive Literacy and Education Planning in the AI Era. She suggested that parents should help children build core competencies to create, utilize and collaborate with AI without being dominated by it. She illustrated how to formulate forward-looking, caring and practical growth plans covering academic performance, personal strengths, internal motivation and soft skills, so as to improve children’s financial literacy and social character through solving real-life problems.

The morning keynote session was well-received. Alumni parents and children listened attentively and engaged actively in interactions, showing great interest in the topics.

At noon, participating alumni and their families took part in fun outdoor activities of the Economics and Management Culture Festival held south of Qiu Jiduan Gymnasium. Alumni returned to campus with their children and experienced activities such as currency rubbing and economic-themed interactive games. The lively atmosphere strengthened parent-child bonds and evoked fond memories of the alma mater among alumni.

In the afternoon, with the support of Gaotu Literacy Education, a special parent-child workshop was launched for families with children aged 3 to 12, attracting over 60 families. Under the guidance of professional instructors, parents and children learned scientific principles including elasticity, simple circuits and friction, and made electric paper plane launchers together, followed by a fun flight distance competition. A special lecture on scientific literacy cultivation and growth planning was also arranged to help families guide children’s interest development in a more rational way. Through hands-on exploration and parent-child cooperation, children experienced the charm of science, while parents gained deeper understanding of character cultivation during companionship. The activities further promoted the implementation of financial literacy and social character education in family settings.

With diversified forms and scenarios for communication and practical experience, this event has offered valuable exploration for the coordinated cultivation of children’s financial literacy and social character.

Contributed by Alumni Office

Edited by Li Ani

Reviewed by Han Lili