Question: I just made a chore chart. Is it wise to pay my kids for doing chores, or is that just the price of their room and board?
Answer: A visible reminder is in fact a great way to encourage children to do their chores. If they are still young, it allows them to see their progress and better remember what they are supposed to do and when.
Parents can even turn the chart into a game-like experience so that children actually have fun doing chores – even if they are not rewarded with a chore chart allowance.
"Today, there are three kinds of people:
the have's, the have-not's,
and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have's.”
- Earl Wilson |
Many parents have different feelings when it comes to household chores for their children. Some parents feel that chores are natural things that children should do simply because they are part of the family.
Some parents believe that because they provide their children with food, clothing and shelter - their kids should not expect payment for doing any of their household chores.
However, children are simply too young to fully grasp the sheer scale of what their parents do for them. As parents, we need to prepare our children for the real world, and in that world, they will work to afford the things they need.
By utilizing positive reinforcement, such as the creation of a chore chart that allows children to get, at the very least, some fun small monetary gain out of doing chores, everybody can win. Parents can teach their children responsibility and children can receive praise and, if you are so inclined, an allowance for their daily work.
While some parents are opposed to having their child earn an allowance, we believe it is actually a great way to start teaching children how to handle money responsibly. When they finish all their work on the chore chart for the week, they can receive whatever sum you deem appropriate. Ideas for doing chores can included doing the dishes, vacuuming, sweeping the porch, folding clothes, cleaning their room, dusting, and even doing their homework.
From there, you can teach them another life lesson. Chore charts for kids teaches them to do their assigned work, get paid for their efforts, and then use the money they've earned to either purchase a fun item or to save and watch their money grow. To create a chore chart, you can use your own weekly planner as a basic chore template. Just list each child's name down the left side of the page, then assign tasks under each day of the week, Monday through Friday.
As adults we use planners, iPhones, and other high tech devices to keep ourselves on track with our own chores, work, free time, appointments, etc. - so why should we expect our children to memorize every little task we set for them?
Create a chore chart for your children and help them follow it in order to reap the maximum rewards for their efforts.
"Running into debt isn't so bad.
It's running into creditors that hurts.”
- Unknown |
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Debt is NOT your friend. It's not a wonderful "tool" for building wealth. That's a myth.
