Kids, whether they're young enough to play with toy cars or close to getting their license, need to be taught about cars. A fond memory I have of my father as a young child is him working on our family car.

I was asked to bring a bunch of tools over, and I learned a little bit about cars in the process.

And this fond memory, as simple as it might seem to many parents, is something that I will never forget. I was able to help my father, learn and actually be a part of his life at the time.

This leads to the first thing you can teach your kids about cars:

1. Basic Maintenance

YouTube is great because you can find out how to do just about anything. If you need to rebuild an engine, you can find it on YouTube. But you don't need to be a seasoned mechanic to learn the basics of car maintenance.

And this is something that every kid should learn so that they know what to do when they own their own vehicle.

A few of the basics include:

• Check the vehicle's fluids

• Add air to the tires

• Read gauges in the car

• Replace filters

• Replace headlights

• Change the oil

• Change a tire

It's basic maintenance that matters here. You'll be teaching your child a life trait, making their life as an adult easier and bonding at the same time.

2. Identifying Emergency Vehicles

Toddlers and young children need input from their parents to understand the world around them. When a cop's sirens are blaring, it's smart to tell your child that a police car drove by. You can tell them that the police protect us from "bad guys," too.

A few of the vehicles that you'll want to point out are: ambulances, armored cars (fun, especially for boys), fire trucks and police vehicles.

This can be a fun game for kids, and it also helps them understand what certain vehicles around them are.

You can also use these lessons to teach kids about emergency procedures. You can explain that you're supposed to move to the side of the road for a firetruck, call police for accidents and call the ambulance if you're hurt.

It may seem trivial, but these small lessons will stay with children.

3. Teaching Kids About Money

You can mold your child, and one thing that you'll want to teach them about is the value of money. You can use your car as an example of how money is used for:

• Insurance

• Maintenance

• Fees

• Tickets

Teens who may be spoiled will need these lessons about money. Consequences, such as speeding, will need to be taught to the child. Speeding can result in an accident, death and even higher insurance premiums and fines.

Explaining this to your children may make them more aware of the value of money as well as aware of the rules of the road.

And this lesson can also be used to encourage your kids to use personal transportation, such as walking, riding a bike or catching a bus to get around the city.