As a parent, ensuring our daughter understands that we work for everything we have in life – our home, food in our bellies, clothes on our backs – is a fundamental life lesson. It is important that our girl learns that we don’t just get things handed to us – we have to work for it. Therefore we are beginning to issue a weekly allowance to our child in return for simple household chores. Here are a few tips for getting kids to do chores and teaching them the value of money.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional anything and I don’t claim to be. This post contains only my thoughts and opinions and is not intended to come off in a I’m-a-professional manner.

Why should kids do chores?

Basically (and bluntly) to show kids that they are not just gonna get what they want – when they want it! Our daughter just turned nine. Lately, she expects to get a treat (toy, clothes, game, junk) every time we go out somewhere! Albeit, we do over-indulge on her a bit (she’s an only child), we are trying to get her to understand the importance of saving and actually earning her so-called “treat”!!

Chores don’t need to be so challenging and difficult that they would be considered child labour! It’s not like your gonna make your kid clean the whole house in place of a parent! But small tasks, like washing dishes or sorting their own laundry, can teach a child responsibility and how to start taking care of themselves a little.

What is a good age to start kids on chores?

Children can start “chores” as young as two or three years-old. Something simple like getting dressed or picking up their toys can help a child become more independent and can assist in development and growth. Young kids often do “chores” on their own simply by helping mom or dad with tasks like dusting or sweeping. You can even buy little cleaning sets for toddlers, so they have their own mini version of what adults use for tidying the house!

Personally, I feel when kids begin to ask for more frivolous wants than basic necessities, that’s when chores in return for a reward (monetary or otherwise) need to be introduced. When kids reach a certain age they want $80 video games and $125 footwear – which is all well and good as long as they are willing to work and save for it!

Simple tips for getting kids to do chores!

Dive right in!

Just jump right in and give your children their own jobs that they are responsible for. Simple, right?! Have a conversation with your child(ren) and let them know your expectations, what their reward is, and what kind of “work” they are in for.

• Decide what they are working for – points or dollars – and set a value for each task.
• Give them some menial duties that take little effort and time.
• Post a list detailing their responsibilities and their reward.
• Discuss the rules and be clear on what they are accountable for.

Explain the chore compensation.

When beginning to award kids for completing chores, I don’t feel that negotiations are necessary. To put it simply, kids are given a specific list of tasks that they are responsible for and in turn they will be rewarded how their parents see fit. Once the child is older and is saving for something in particular, then the discussions can begin about adjusting their allowance.

We recently opened a bank account for our daughter. In the past, whenever she received monetary gifts, the funds were put directly into her RESP. Lately though, her cash gifts have been spent or saved up for special purchases. Opening an account specifically for her own money allows our daughter to better understand saving versus spending and will (hopefully) teach her not to blow her money on toys and treats that have little to no significance.

Related Post: We are an only child family

Our approach to rewarding our girl for her hard work is a set amount of money that we will transfer to her bank account on a weekly basis in return for her completed chores. She will not be permitted to just spend her hard-earned money on whatever she wants because she will not have access to her account! Nice, huh!! Purchases will have to be discussed, shopping decisions will have to be weighed, and big wants will have to be saved (and worked) for.

Determine a list of simple, yet appropriate, chores.

It goes without saying that you’re not gonna make your four year old sweep, vacuum, and mop the entire house! But there’s no reason a child that age can’t help put their laundry away or feather dust the living room. Obviously the assigned duties you lay out for your child(ren) need to be tasks they can complete on their own with simple instructions and without hurting themselves.

Some tasks we have outlined for our nine year-old daughter include:

• Feeding and watering the cat. Feed the fish.
• Loading/Unloading the dishwasher.
• Prepping and sorting her own laundry.
• Making her bed and keeping her room tidy.
• Cleaning up after herself! Garbage in trash can, dishes in sink, dirty clothes in hamper, putting away after whatever activity.
• Hang/Fold/Put away laundry.
• Sweep the floors.
• Water the plants indoor/outdoor.
• Empty the garbage.
• Empty backpack after school each day.

Choosing chores for kids that aren’t too difficult or frustrating to complete – and certainly nothing harmful or dangerous – is important in making the whole process more adaptable. In order for the whole procedure to be a success, a habit needs to be formed and a real sense of participation on the part of the child is crucial.

A child’s feeling and understanding of contribution is a key factor in teaching a child the value of work and thus being rewarded for said work. If a task is boring or monotonous than they may be less inclined to do it. But if their duties are something important – like washing the dinner dishes, so the family can play a board game together – then they may feel as though they are a more integral part of the family dynamic.

Set some ground rules for completing the chores.

Kids will undoubtedly be kids and will most certainly try to pull the wool over their parents’ eyes when it comes to completing their chores! So, setting a few rules of engagement regarding chore completion is kinda necessary!

• When posting each child’s chore list, be sure to have a way to show when each task is complete.
• Make the kids accountable and confirm each job is actually done.
• Follow through with rewards (or demerit points) when appropriate.
• Set comfortable (and realistic) time frames for the work to get done.

Giving individual children (if you have more than one child) is a great way to divvy up the chores and to give appropriate duties based on age, skill set, personal interests, and level of complexity. Giving the kids a chance to work together or working side-by-side as a family is a great bonding exercise. Set a timer and see who can complete their jobs first for a little friendly competition never hurts.

Be sure to show encouragement and praise when kids are doing their best. A pat on the back and a job well done goes a long way to naturally raise a kids enthusiasm and spirits! Put on some tunes and make the job less daunting! Also, don’t micromanage or be too picky when inspecting their work. I’m certainly guilty for this! A nine year-old is never gonna be able to clean a room perfectly – so don’t expect them to!

They may complain, but they’ll appreciate the lesson later in life!

My daughter often asks questions like “Why do you work?”, “Why can’t I have that?”, and “How come I have save up for that and buy it myself?”. We are very truthful in our answers and explain that us working full time pays for our house, our cars, and everything else we have! If we didn’t work, we couldn’t survive – we tell her plainly! And, we too, have to save up if we want something special. Whether we are looking at new furniture or a small renovation to the house – we have to research the cost and save our money instead of just going and buying it!

Learning about finances, good spending habits, and saving for the future is never ending. I didn’t really start understanding money and practicing smart financial decisions until well into my twenties. My husband has instilled all the good monetary skills and budgeting habits that I’ve learned and continue to grow on.

In the future, we hope that the lessons in spending, saving, and earning we’ve passed on to our daughter will be reflected in the decisions she will undoubtedly have to make.