OT: How do you do allowances for a 5yr old?

[DisFam95]

I'd like to start giving him some money to earn and learn about saving etc. 1 friend says you should not pay them for chores since chores are part of being a household and you need to learn to do them regardless. She says to just give it to them.

What do you all do? How much for a 5yr old. I really don;t want him to have much money. It's not like he needs to buy anything!

Thanks for any advice.

 

[1stluvispooh]

I actually pay the kids for chores. I have a list of chores posted on the refrigerator with the amount of money that they will earn if they do it. Things they should do anyway and never do or rarely do have a small value attached to them, but things that they hate to do but will if they need money (like cleaning the litter box is more) They each have magnets with the amount on them to put up on the fridge when the task is complete. Every week or so (depending on how much they have done) we pay them. I have found this to be a good motivator for my son ( the oldest). He hates it when his sister is ahead of him in the money department.

 

[TinaLala]

Sometimes I give my girls $1 to throw the laundry down the shoot, but usually the things they do we don't call chores. We just make it fun stuff to do. When it comes to their room and playroom then they have no choice, they've created the mess, they need to clean it up. If however we're going to Disney then we use Disney Dollars to entice them to do other things.

Usually my 8 yo is really good about doing stuff, it's the 5 yo that is pretty lazy. I tried to do the chores thing, but I realized that I had to give them money each week and it made more sense for it to just be stuff they needed to do and to give them a reward that wasn't always monetary, but still be enough for them to get it done.

 

[_queenie_]

We've never done allowances. Instead of giving a little money each week it's easier for us just to give our kids a lot of money at their birthday/christmas, etc. That way it feels more like a gift that they're happy to put in their bank account. When they're young it also makes it feel like since they don't get money very often that it's real special and they don't want to blow it. It may not work for a lot of kids, but it's always worked for ours.

 

[jagafen]

We're debating this question right now too! Our son will be 5 soon, and we're trying to figure out our system. I too believe that children should be expected to help out with the household chores at their level, and was thinking about only "paying" him for those chores he did without having to be reminded or asked to do......he already has things he does on a daily basis: putting his toys away, putting clothes in the hamper, bringing in his backpack and emptying his lunch bag every night. We're still working on a list though.....I like the idea of weighting the chores/jobs monetarily based on their perceived difficulty or distastefulness.....

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

We do not pay our kids for chores since that is part of their responsibilities. We give them a weekly allowance - 1/2 their age per week in dollars...so my 4 yo dd gets $2 per week. Out of the $2, she has to save 10%, and give 10% to charity/tithe and the rest, she can spend or save up for anything that she would like.

 

[rt2dz]

When we started doing allowances we were torn on all sides of the issue too. We had friends that did it every which way and I was reading you should do it this way because... things all over the place with so many different ways. DH and I started a compromise system.

They receive a certain flat fee.

Certain chores are required because they are just part of being in a household. I do not get paid to clean, my kids need to learn that they won't either. They have to keep their rooms and belongings up to par without compensation. They are in trouble if they do not do these chores, period. I don't take away their allowance, but other special privileges like staying up late on the weekend.

They can then earn extra money for their allowance by doing optional chores. These chores pay various amounts and some can be done daily, others only periodically. They include things like washing the dog, feeding the dog, routine cleaning of the bathroom, washing the baseboards, etc. Basically things that you opt to take on (you can opt to not have a pet and therefore petcare isn't required) or chores that aren't routine. We keep a chart to keep it organized.

Also, we do make them follow a teaching method with money so that they learn how to handle money. 10% goes to charity, 20% to savings (a parental account that they get when they turn 18) and the rest is their to do with what they want--save or spend willy nilly. We also don't foot the bill for things they do with their friends, unless it is our idea. It is really teaching them to budget and decide wisely.

I have found that it works really well for us.

 

[daisyduck123]

We have a DD13 & DS9...we've never given them allowances.

I feel, "Why should they be paid for doing work around the house...no one pays me & I do most of it?"

 

[kylieh]

DD5 gets AU$5 per week. We don't give her money for chores or for assiting in washing the car, and most around the house. It is part of her responsibility.

However, Money is her most favourite thing. DD5 made a sign that was placed in her Nanny's home next door - "Jobs - $1-$2". She then earns extra from extended family. For example, her Uncle pays her AU$2 for helping polishing his car. Her Pop for assisting in weed pulling. Etc.