Chores at my house are not an option. We all do chores so that our house can stay clean and manageable. This is also a great exercise in teamwork and patience. I spent many years training my oldest child to do her chores and do them correctly. Now, she is teaching her younger brother!
It’s a win-win for everyone. I only have to teach one child, she loves being his “teacher”, and he loves feeling like a big boy by doing what his older sister does.
Let’s get in to how this works…
“How” I Pay My Children
First, let’s start with the “how.” No, I don’t use real money. Why? Because I’m not a bank. And, technically, they should do their chores without getting paid. So, I use what we call “funny money.” It’s just fake money that I bought at the Dollar Tree. It comes in a package with all sorts of denominations and paper coins. All you have to do is tear them apart.
Why I Pay My Children to do Chores
I pay them to do chores for three reasons.
1. I want them to learn the value of money.
To be specific, I want them to learn that there are four 5’s in a 20. There are ten dimes in a dollar. Four quarters will also get you a dollar. My seven-year-old went from a little confused about money to completely understanding very quickly. And I have also been surprised at how much my four-year-old has learned. He definitely won’t need any “formal” instruction about money.
I also want them to learn how to save their money. It didn’t take them long to learn that buying one day of no chores was more valuable than several cookies. Saving for that day of no chores was worth it.
2. I want them to learn that you have to work to get paid in real life.
In the real world, if you want paid then you have to work. I want them to learn that. No one is going to give you anything for free. You shouldn’t expect that. Also, you can feel great pride in yourself when you get paid for a job well done.
3. Money=Motivation
When I hand my kids their “payment” once they finish their chores, their eyes light up. They are so excited to get out their wallets so they can add up the total amount of money they have. Plus, they know that the more they have, the more they can buy from my “store.”
Here’s how it works daily
Each morning, I get the kids’ chore chart ready. I flip over the cards that have different tasks written on them that I need them to do that day. I have written about that in detail here:
Here’s the catch, to get paid, they must complete every task AND do it with a happy heart. We are a family. We live in this house together and we work in this house together. This house requires maintenance (laundry folded, bathrooms cleaned, dogs fed, etc.) and we all have to pitch in.
Once they have completed their chores for the day, they get paid $3. Yep, you’ve got it. They get $3 a day. Trust me, they can learn a lot with $3 a day.
Now it’s time for the fun part!
I have a time set aside each day when my “store” is open and they can spend their money. (My store isn’t open ALL day because I don’t have time for that!) Here’s the list of what they can purchase:
$1.00 cookie
$10.00 Day of no chores
$4.75 get 4 toys out of the “rotation” tub
$1.37 Mommy reads 4 books aloud
$5.22 tea party (with real tea)
$2.50 a cup of hot chocolate
$2.00 1 cartoon (of MY choice)
$2.00 40 minutes of playtime with the baby
$.25 2 chocolate chips
$1.25 get 1 toy out of rotation
$2.00 computer time (15 minutes)
$5.00 Mommy builds a blanket fort
$5.00 get one REAL dollar
$1.75 play bean bag toss
$1.32 draw on dry erase board
$1.50 cup of trail mix
$1.67 peanut butter and jelly in a bowl
$2.30 play a board game or a card game
$2.00 play upstairs
$1.00 play with mini pool table
As you can see, this list has a mixture of food treats, games, activities, and even a day of no chores. Notice how the “day of no chores” costs $10. It’s something special and they must save up for it. They can spend all their money buying chocolate chips here and there or they can resist the urge for instant gratification and save up for something more meaningful.
I was pleasantly surprised at how they picked up on that so fast. The first few days, my daughter was spending money like crazy. She was buying all the “cheap” things like chocolate chips, cookies, and trail mix. Then, she quickly learned that she had no money for what she really wanted…like to have me build her an awesome blanket fort or to have a day of no chores.
These days, spending $.25 on two chocolate chips is very rare. She quickly realized that it wasn’t worth it!
All of this could easily be adapted for older children as well. My kids are 7 years and under so they are motivated my blanket forts and such. You just have to think of what your kids are motivated by.
I would like to encourage you to keep the prices in your store proportional to their daily earning. Since my kids only earn $3 a day then I make it so there are things they can buy the same day and things they would have to save for several days to purchase.
What if they want to earn MORE money?
That can happen! I have a whole list of tasks they can do to earn extra money. Sometimes, they are just .50 cents or a dollar short of purchasing what they want. Instead of making them wait another day to earn their next $3, they can choose from my “Earn Extra Money” list and…well…earn extra money.
Here’s the list:
$2.00 unload dishwasher
$1.00 vacuum stairs
$1.00 dust
$.50 say “yes ma’am” and “yes sir” all day
$1.00 make living room tidy
$2.00 sweet front porch
$1.00 clean your room
$.50 clean the clubhouse
This method has worked for us for several years. I hope you find it helpful also!
All the best,
Lindsey
I’d love to chat! Leave me a comment!