Chores and allowance.

Julie - posted on 11/18/2011

Um, I think that is a bit much - $2./week possibly, is more realistic.
Have her do things with you at first then she can due you as to when she is ready to take over chores. Make a list of all necessary chores and divide it in two and do your part and then trade lists every month to break the boredom.

Angie - posted on 05/24/2010

My 14 yr old recently got a cell phone. and part of his "payment" for the phone is that he does the dishes and counters and floors twice a week. But that is outside what his normal chores include. when he complains about it i take the phone away. I want him to know that the phone is a privaledge and not a nessecity. especially to a 14 yr old that is always home or i know where he is. he really has no need for a phone but as long as he does what is expected of him( chores, attitude in check, and decent grades) he keeps his phone.

Dorothy - posted on 05/24/2010

I think keeping her room clean is start and start working from there.

Kelly - posted on 05/24/2010

My son's allowance is not directly linked to his chores, but if he is uncooperative or refuses to do them, he looses the allowance.

He has always been responsible for cleaning his room, making his bed, and keeping his toys picked up in the living room. When we decided to start teaching him about money, I let him feed & water the dog up to twice a day and he got 50cents a trip, which came to around $5-$7 a week. But that got hard for me to keep up with so I instated a "salary."

He now gets $5 a week (he is 5yrs old) for general cooperation. He is still responsible for the same tasks as always (including the dog) and is expected to do any extra chores I ask him to. On Wednesday, if he has met expectations, he gets $5, if he has not, he gets nothing.





I do have a red light on the fridge that I use if he is getting close to loosing his allowance. It's just a folder with a hole in it, and I put a Green piece of paper in it when he is doing great, Yellow means he is close to loosing allowance if he doesn't straighten up, and red means it is gone. I never turn it to red until Tuesday though b/c he knows once it's red there is no allowance and he will stop trying for the rest of the week. I used this thingy well before allowance and still, just the fact that he is proud when it is green makes him cooperative....odd thing about kids.

Deborah - posted on 05/23/2010

I don't give my kids an allowance. My husband is the only one working so money is tight also I don't get paid to clean the house we live in and neither should they. We have a list of chores and they have to do them or privilages get taken away. I know thats seems harse but its my way. I tell my kids unless they wanna live like pigs they'll pick up.

Rica - posted on 05/12/2010

Well I have a 7 and 5 year old and they both have chores. Now My husband and I didn't come up with the idea to give money as a reward for things that they need to do. Since there Nana(husband's mother) has started them with an allowance they have to do their chores and take a picture everyday of their work and call it in so to say. For everyday they follow the rules they get $2 if they only do part of what needs to be done they get part of the allowance. They follow through and most of the times they get a full $14 at the end of the week.

Misty - posted on 05/03/2010

My daughter is now 7yrs old,when she was six she started to vaccum,sure sometimes I had to redo it but never in front of her! I would plug it in for her and let her go.I love the fact that you don't pay her to clean her room and such I never did either.I feel like it's just a part of being a family.Good job Kristen!

Karen - posted on 05/01/2010

Actually we realized we needed to do it was when DD came home from school thinking that all the food in the cafeteria was free! So, it was time for her to learn about doing a job, getting paid for it, and then budgeting for her own special stuff - not expecting the Bank of Mom and Dad to subsidize every Webkinz, Littlest Pet Shop, Polly Pocket, etc. that she decided that she wanted. Bigger things like trips, activities, birthday presents we pay for. The little things are her choice and she has to learn how to save for it. She was sooooo excited when she saved enough to buy the Webkinz she had had her eye on for a while. The pride that she felt having worked for it was worth it.

Sherri - posted on 04/30/2010

My kids would love you. Sorry no allowance here they are expected to: 13 yr old - Empty kitchen trash as soon as it is full which is daily here, bring down laundry, help with dishes, clean up dog do do in yard and take care of his room. 11yr old must empty all other trash in the house (living room, all bedrooms, bathroom), help bring down laundry, clean up dog do do's in yard, help with dishes and take care of room, 3 yr old must pick up after himself, put his dirty clothes in laundry, let dog in and out and help feed him.
Our Moto: You make the mess you clean the mess.
There reward we pay for anything they need or if they want to go somewhere we cover it. If they want to buy something with there own money it is from birthdays, holidays etc.

Karen - posted on 04/30/2010

I disagree that allowance being tied to chores is paying kids for being part of the family. The way I've explained it is we all have our jobs and we all get paid for them - Dad goes to the office, Mom stays home and takes care of the home stuff, DD goes to school and takes care of her chores. If Dad and Mom get paid, why shouldn't DD get paid, too? However, the allowance is tied to doing her chores without complaining. If Dad complained or refused to do his work he wouldn't get paid now would he? So, chores are setting the table, putting her clean clothes away, putting her clothes out for school, feeding the fish, and making her lunch. If she wants to earn extra she does things like vacuuming, dusting baseboards, cleaning Dad's workshop, helping me put away inventory, etc. I also pay her the allowance in singles so she can more easily parcel it out - saving, donations, and spending. Anything special she saves up her allowance rather than bug me in the store - she was soooo excited the first time she bought something with her own money and also when she saw the interest payment in her bank account. She gets $5 a week - $2 to saving, $2 to spending, $1 to donations (she has 3 marked envelopes). The spending stuff is pretty much hers to control. If we are somewhere like Pizza Hut where she wants a "squishy" from the machine and doesn't have funds with her she borrows it from me and then pays me back later. I've found that the allowance has been huge in teaching her the value of her work, how to delay gratification, and even borrowing / interest. I also find that I don't take her help for granted with the extra stuff if I have to pay her.

Stephanie - posted on 04/26/2010

I'm of the opinion that my son should do chores because he lives in the house with the rest of the family & we don't get paid for doing chores...however, he asked me recently if there are any chores he could do to earn money so he can save it and buy a skateboard. He already takes care of our family pets (3 dogs, 4 cats, 2 ferrets) by letting the dogs out to potty & back in, feeding & watering all of the pets, scooping out litter boxes regularly. He also keeps his bedroom cleaned up, strips & makes his own bed as necessary, unloads the dishes from the dishwasher, puts his own laundry away, helps with the dusting, vacuuming, helps with yard work (picking up debris while his dad is mowing). He's 8 years old & I don't want him thinking we get paid money for doing our chores (If I did, I wouldn't procrastinate so much!) but I want him to earn money...he needs to know that money isn't just handed to us, he has to earn it.

Michelle - posted on 04/26/2010

find something they really likes with my son it turned out to be money, and now his ds, we set a time limit for him to do something and if he doesn't do it he gets no allowance for it if it is a chore, but if it is something as simple as eating his dinner in a timely fashion we take things away first being the prized ds, second the tv and third if he is really dawdling he goes to bed early....It is different with every child you just have to find what works for him,

Cortnie - posted on 04/26/2010

wow i dont ever wanna hear my kids complain again . Thats good if they can handke that kind of work without fighting with you. thats awesome

Cortnie - posted on 04/26/2010

my son was recently daig with adhd and intergration auditory processing disorder do u have any tips on how to help him at home?

Cortnie - posted on 04/26/2010

Folding clothes

Michelle - posted on 04/25/2010

My son has to clean the Kitty litter box, and put his laundry away properly it must stay folded, depending on what is on for the weekend if we have time he gets to wash his bedroom floor as it is tile. We pay him $5 a week if he does what needs to be done, my son has ADHD and ODD so remembering to even do his chores is a chore in and of itself....he makes goals as to what he wants to buy and saves his money to buy it fully understands the value of a dollar, we have been doing this since he was 4 as money talks in my house...and with a child who has my sons learning disability you do what works. We also pay for good grades at school

Katie - posted on 04/25/2010

DD is 9 and her chores include: loading and unloading the dishwasher, cleaning her room once a week, cleaning her bathroom twice a week, feed/water dogs, and pick up dog stuff in the backyard daily. For this she gets $10 per week. If she doesnt do a chore one day (unless she is sick) she loses some of her allowance.

Now when DD was 6 her chores included feed/water dogs, put trash bag in trash can, help sort out the laundry, dusting the tables and baseboards, and help set the table for dinner. she got $5 per week. Now because she was 6 and just learning about chores I was not a stickler about taking money away. she had a board that she was to put her a smily face on the chore and day for each day she completed. It helped to show her what she did and what she needed to work on to remember to do.

Leigh - posted on 04/25/2010

My daughter is 8 and her allowance job is loading and helping to unload the dishwasher after meals. I give her about $10 a month depending on how often she does it and if I have to argue to get her to do it. She also has life responsibilities to do (such as helping with her baby brother, keeping her room clean, and helping to keep the house picked up) just because cleaning is a part of life.

I also try to encourage her to save her money for things she wants such as video games or toys. Like most kids her age she tends to be impulsive with the buck but it's her money and she can spend it how she wants within reason.

Dorrit - posted on 04/25/2010

My kids have chores that they do "for the family", meaning that they know that we all do things for the family. Then we have a list of Mom's chores that they can do to earn money. We started at 50 cents when the oldest was 6, because they were always wanting quarters for the candy machines. Now, two years later, they are saving up for things. We still talk about a weekly allowance, but don't know when to start, or how much.

Di - posted on 04/24/2010

What about setting the table? Easy and important. My youngest also enjoyed sweeping and washing up- we bought her her own broom and scrubber! My children help around the house without being paid and have their set jobs to do. If they are after extra pocket money they can vacuum, clean out the car or clean the bathroom.

Kylie - posted on 04/24/2010

I have a 6, 4 and 1 year old and my two eldest are quite happy to help out around the house, they keep their room clean, dress themselves, get changed after school, make sure to put lunch box on bench, read readers, bring washing down to laundry/bathroom and both often help out with vacuuming, they also like to recycle, crushing the cans to put into bin, they will even help to put dishes away from dishwasher, get milk out of fridge in morning for breakfast, just a few everyday things that they see us doing and they happy to help out, even if it is helping you put washing in washing machine and pressing the start button, I give them $5 a week each and if i have asked them to do some other extra chores i will either give enough for a pkt of footy cards or depending on what they have done maybe an extra $5 which would then make it $10 a week for both boys, I am not sure what my 2 boys would think if i was only offering them 25 cents for doing certain things, sorry i dont want to offend anyone but it doesnt seem quite fair, I think that if they can see that you have to work to get money as we do, they learn to appreciate it more, than just expecting things, I dont agree with kids cleaning up dog poo or cleaning out cat litter, i think this is just a disgusting job and would not recommend it for young children due to all the germs that cat and dog poo carries. We all enjoy helping each other around the house, but i feel you have to give kids an allowance that they are happy with too, even if its a $1 a day. :)

Jennifer - posted on 04/23/2010

Do you have any pets? I have my 8 year old give our dog food and water every day as one of his chores..also dusting and cleaning the glass mirrors or tables

Shantih - posted on 04/23/2010

My daughter is 7, she is "responsible" for giving the cats food and setting the table for dinner. She has to be reminded to do it and helped at times but she actually likes being able to help, especially setting the table because she usually gets to decide who sits where! We do not do a weekly allowance though. I also feel chores should be done to help each other as a family. Obviously if you are giving a child responsibility for feeding/ watering an animal an adult needs to make sure it's done.

Jessica - posted on 04/23/2010

When I was a child in upper middle class America (Vermont) my parents gave me $5.00 a week. I think that our chore (3 siblings) was cleaning the bathrooms. I think that the key to success is how well do children do saving their allowance. My brother saved his up over the years and bought a $700.00 mountain bike. I usually peddled up the road on my bicycle and bought penny candy or birthday presents in the summer for my mother (whose birthday is July 25th). When I was 18 I did not have any savings. I always regreted that.

Shelly - posted on 04/23/2010

My son has it easy really.. his sister has taken care of him since she was about 7... making sure he had breakfast in the morning and was on schedule for getting to school on time. He is now turning 9 next week and almost expects that someone is going to do everything for him! So that is in the works of being changed.. BAD MOM! He now cleans out the dishwasher and she fills it. She does the big vacuum and he gets the little one and vacuums the foyer, kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. She dusts the important things and he helps me with the baseboards and cleaning fingerprints off the walls and doors. Dad does the weedeatting and he does the mowing. We also planted a garden that he now is responsible for.



As far as compensation... we can't afford new clothes, three day school field trips, movies and popcorn on the weekends, little league, our ONE vacation a year and little trips to the beach now and then AND pay an allowance! So the kids had a choice... the little things in life where we play as a family or an allowance? They chose the little things in life! wheeew i was quite happy with that one!



Of course when we have a little jingle in our pockets if someone has been wanting or saving for something with birthday/christmas money we will help them buy the things they want but nothing comes for free in this world they may as well learn that early!

Sueann - posted on 04/23/2010

I have a seven year old and i have her and her five year old sister clean the living room. Also my seven year old cleans the bathroom to the point were the big stuff needs to be done like bath tub and toilet.

Melissa - posted on 04/23/2010

There are so many different opinions on this subject. Mostly you just have to do what is right for your family. My son is 7 and his chores include making his bed, cleaning his room, putting his own laundry away, dishes twice a week, feeding pets, cleaning the bathroom sink once a week and picking up toys outside. My belief is that it is okay to link chores and allowance because I am not going to reward my children ( I have 3) for not doing the things that I consider their responsibility. When they get older and get a job, they will get paid for doing that job and I believe this is how they start learning that. If you don't work, you don't get paid. My kids do not ask to be paid for everything they do when it is above and beyond their chores list. My husband lost his job a few months ago also so we were not able to pay the kids with money. They did not stop doing their chores because of this. Kids need to know that they earn what they get. It is not just handed to them. Good luck with whatever you decide. :)

JESSICA - posted on 04/23/2010

My three oldest sons have a problem with claeaning there rooms. I tell them constantly to clean but they don't. The allowance worked for about two times. I guess they think cleaning up is too much on them because they will be there forever cleaning. I don't know what else to do with that.

Heidi - posted on 04/23/2010

My 2 younger boys each get an allowance, my oldest is 19 and works full time so he has his own money, but he did get allowance when he was younger. All 3 of my boys have chores to help out and to give them responsibilty. The allowance they get is for them for spending money. They can save it for something special, or just to for a bit of cash for when my 11 year old goes to the mall with friends. So my 2 younger boys each get $10 a week.

Kelly - posted on 04/23/2010

Concerning the allowance, I agree with not paying directly for a task. We use a sticker kite I made, where 4 different sections of the kite are a different color and represent a different behavior needing improved/maintained or chore. They get stickers at the end of the day on the kite. At the end of the month we count them and they get anywhere from 10 to 25 cents (depends how attainable the stickers are, my oldest doesn't have many behavior issues & is responsible so her stickers are worth more since she doesn't get tons.) I'm talking $2.50 - $4 by end of month. We make a special day sometimes where they can spend a little piggy bank money - but it's not set in stone lately. We don't have many assigned chores from my 7 yr old, but expect cooperation when I could use a hand & pick up after baby sister, fold wash cloths & kitchen towels. Main chore is finding their own socks & underwear while I'm folding a pile of laundry (for 3 kids) & the summer brings picking up sticks in the yard before daddy mows the grass, etc. Sometimes the stickers are also for reading & homework - at times when it's a struggle or she wants to play instead of have quiet time to read. Anyway, we'll use stickers for awhile because I don't think they'll outgrow the big kite we make out of construction paper on their bedroom door (with their name spelled out on hearts going down the hanging string - it's like a fun name plate on their door, too.)

Stacia - posted on 04/22/2010

Hmm, our son is 6. We have a sticker form...he gets stickers for being helpful, getting the mail, putting his shoes/clothes/toys away...for going to sleep on his own, for helping put the dishes away out of the dishwasher....I always keep it safe, but try to give him kudos for the little things. He collects a whole board of stickers, he gets to trade it in for a game or a toy.

Laney - posted on 04/22/2010

I have four boys and we start allowance at 7. I have a a five, seven, nine and eleven year old. The ones who get allowance are responsible for their rooms and their laundry. The two older ones clean a bathroom as well. They also have to pick an extra chore that is not on their list. They have to have their chores by noon on Saturday to get their allowance. If it is not done then I take out a dollar for every half hour that they take to finish their chores. Once their allowance is gone, then they still have to do their chores. I make it clear to them that they are getting paid for their management of time, their attitude when they do their chores and how well they do their chores. They each get paid $5 a week and our youngest gets paid "fake money" that he can use to buy things in a treasure box I created. There are toys that he wanted at the store in the treasure box and some assorted candy that he can purchase. The older kids wanted items from the treasure box too so I told them that they could earn fake money if they completed chores that I did not ask them to do and I caught them cleaning. They were all over that. Within two days, my whole house was clean and all for a few tootsie rolls. I think what they really craved was being caught cleaning up and being rewarded for it.

Nichole - posted on 04/22/2010

Kristen, my son is six and along with the keeping his room clean and getting himself dressed, he is responisble for feeding the dog in the morning and taking the trash out. I would suggest helping take care of an animal if you have one or have her help with dinner dishes. If you do your cleaning on the weekend she could help by doing the dusting or something along those lines. But, like your daughter my son gets a dollar per age year.
GOOD LUCK

Teresa - posted on 04/22/2010

My son is 18 and my daughter is 12 I started teaching them to pick up there toys and cleaning there room around age2. At about age 5 I wouldnt give them an allowence, I would buy them a special treat or toy at the end of the week if they did what they were suppose to do. At age 10 we started an allowence. They received a $1 or $2 each week. Then the chores and allowence raised each year as they got older. My daughter now receives $10 a week. She saves her money. My son, still has no concept of money, he spends as fast as he can get it.

Denise - posted on 04/22/2010

We have things our kids have to do as being a part of a member of the family that do not get paid (pick up their room, make their beds & help with Saturday morning cleaning), then we have things they get paid for. My 6 year old sets the table every night for the week, takes out & sorts the recyclables when needed & either feeds the dogs, etc. For these he gets a "commission" of $1 per chore per week if he does it when asked and without nagging. If he doesn't do it, he doesn't get paid.

Kathleen - posted on 04/22/2010

I think chores/allowance are a good way to teach about money. Mom & Dad have to work for their money, and this shows them the value of hard work and compensation. My kids are responsible for certain things like rooms and getting dressed and picking up after themselves. That's part of being a member of the family. They don't get "paid" for that. Allowance is for extra chores. My 6 year olds (twins) and 9 year old pick from a chore jar every week and they have 3 jobs to do that week. It may change each week depending on what they draw from the jar. Chores include: dusting, wiping bathroom sinks with wipes, wiping outside of toilets with wipes, emptying wastebaskets, dumping hampers into laundry baskets, folding towels, setting the dinner table, feeding the cat. Giving them an allowance they have to work for helps them spend their money more wisely. If they want something extra at a store, it comes from their allowance. The six year olds don't get it as much as the nine year old, but it'll come. My 9 year old is saving for a Nintendo DS.

Marie Eleanor - posted on 04/21/2010

I didn't read the comments/replies before I posted mine and they are all commendable suggestions. Why not try whichever you like the most and see if that works with your child? :-)

Marie Eleanor - posted on 04/21/2010

How about setting the table for dinner?

Angie - posted on 04/21/2010

I have to agree with Kristy, chores and allowance shouldn't be linked, unless you are also being paid with money for the chores you do around the house. Since I'm sure that's not the case, let her be a productive part of your family by allowing her to help care for herself and her family. If she'd like spending money, make a list of extra chores she can do (cleaning up after family pets, etc).

Elizabeth - posted on 04/21/2010

I was washing dishes, clothes, windows, and much more at that age. So don't be afraid to give her chores that you think she may not be ready for, help her for a little while until she gets the jist and then let her go. Most kids like to help mom anyway. Goodluck!

Jakki - posted on 04/20/2010

Yes I'm with Kristy too!

If you're paying them to help with the family's work it's a bad precedent because they start to think everything they do should be paid. I get the kids to do a few things around the house before they get something nice like watching a DVD or afternoon tea or we sit down to read a book together. Also just before going off to school in the morning I make everybody tidy up their belongings.

I suppose you could link the chores to the allowance by saying "OK we're all going to work around the house for 20 minutes then I'll work out how much allowance I owe you", so you're not exactly paying them for the chore, but it has to happen first before they get the allowance. If they complain at all, the allowance is delayed.

Theresa - posted on 04/20/2010

I'm totally with Kristy about not linking chores and allowance.

Kristy - posted on 04/20/2010

Chores should not be linked to allowance. Chores are done because one is part of a family and everyone works together. A dollar per year is correct, and it should not be taken away from the chlild either. We have learned this being Foster parents. All our kids get allowance and they are all responsible for helping around the house. As the child gets older then the chores are given based on their abilities.

Theresa - posted on 04/20/2010

My son, also 6, is responsible for the bathroom. I use a dry erase marker and write each step on the mirror (that way I don't have to stand over him to tell him what to do next and he thinks its cool that I wrote on the mirror). He also has the job of putting all his and his brother's shirts on hangers when I do laundry. He's getting better with vacuuming too.

The little one, age 3, has to put away his and his brother's underclothes since he can reach that dresser drawer. I slip a sock over his hand and have him help me dust.

Both boys have to clear the table after a meal.

Delta - posted on 04/20/2010

We have our daughter picking up dog poop in the yard, recycle, dishes, trash, sweep floors, and changing the liter box. She gets 1 star for each one she does a day, 1 star is worth 25 cents, 2 stars is worth 50 cents, 3 stars is worth 75 cents and 4 stars is worth 1 dollar. My daughter is 9 years old will be 10 this fall. At the end of each week (starts on Sunday mornings and end Saturday night) we tally up the total of stars she got for the week. If she got 9 stars she would get $2.25 for the week. We pay her at the end of each week.

Candace - posted on 04/20/2010

Kristen!



However my child is only 2 I was once 6 and I remember mom would make me dry the dishes after she washed them but we have dishwasher's now don't we? lol Think of little things that you do everyday like putting away her own clothes or helping put away dishes or laundry. Those always seemed like chores to me cause I hated them but I loved the candy I got to buy : )