This is Abby and Leah after a recent tour of a candy factory. They are practicing for when they get to have real jobs someday...they both think it would be great to work at the candy factory But for now they just work around the house and they don't get paid for it either!I feel like we change "chore systems" frequently. We try something and it works for awhile, then it stops being effective for us and we try something else! We've been using My Job Chart for a month and a half now and I mostly like it. There are certainly some things I would change about it, but for my computer loving kids it's working pretty well. They love putting in their own password so they can check off their jobs and cash in their points for a reward. Lauren has been hoarding her points and can buy just about any of the rewards we're offering (tv time, computer time, picnic, make cookies, going to a movie, etc), while Abby spends hers much more often. Leah is somewhere in the middle. My kids still don't like doing most of their chores, but they now make their bed and brush their teeth without complaining or being asked. Baby steps, right? What do you do about chores (you know, in case this online thing stops motivating them...)
I am also wondering what you guys all think about allowances. The only source of money my girls have is the occasional dollars that my grandma gives them. Before we went to Disneyland a year and a half ago we let the girls earn money by doing chores around the house so they could have their own spending money for the trip, but we haven't done anything since then. My girls see toys at the store and want to buy them...but they have no money! What do you guys do about allowance? Do you give your kids allowances? Is it tied to doing their chores or not?
12 comments:
Once again I think it is a trial and error thing just like your chore charts. Different kids respond differently. I liked giving my kids an allowance. I like that they get the opportunity to build a savings (just like Lauren and Abbys habits with the chore rewards) or not. I think I ended up liking it best when it wasnt tied to chores. Everyone in the family is part of the family and gets an allowance for our "needs" (obviously they dont have real "needs" yet)but it gives them a chance to pay tithing, and to spend or save. I remember so well you kids making impulse buys with your money and then returning them. I didnt want chores tied to them because I wanted (in theory) for chores to be done because we all are part of the family and work together as a family. I think of course the chore chart could still be used and seems to be doing what you wee hoping it would.
We used job chores through much of our kids' growing up lives. Our household was total chaos when we didn't have one. We tried all different kinds -- wheel charts where the jobs would change daily -or other kinds where the kids would have one specific job for a whole week. This really eliminated a lot of arguments about who did what job last and who's turn it was.
Whether you pay an allowance for jobs done or not should be up to you. We didn't ever have enough money to pay our kids an allowance. We tried to make work opportunities available to them (farm, someone else's farm, babysitting, etc.) so they could have some money. I do think, however, that an allowance should be attached to some kind of responsibility or chore. It gives the kids an early sense of knowing that through their own effort, they are earning money for their own use. As they grow up, that's what they will be facing: you work, you get paid. Family members should also be given opportunities to volunteer service that is not attached to being paid so they understand that feelings that come without monetary rewards. Sometimes those rewards are the best.
We have finally given Ammon a small allowance. He is excited about it because he can save for new movies, etc., but he seems to be more excited that we have attached some chores to the allowance. It gives him motivation and a feeling that he is just as vaulable as any of the rest of us.
I'm sure whatever you do, it will work for your family. Kids go through stages and you will need to adapt just like you have been doing.
I love job charts! (Jim won't let me use one now because he would have to be added.) :)
We have an off and on thing with allowances. I find that I don't like the idea of paying my kids to do things I would normally require anyway, so they get a certain amount of money based upon completing chores from a list of "extras". They are always held responsible for making their beds, cleaning their rooms, cleaning the kid's bathroom, and doing one additional chore (empty dishes, sweeping, vacuuming, etc). Then I make a list of extras I'd like done (which are usually things I have a hard time getting around to myself). Those include vacumming the stairs, putting in an extra load of laundry, cleaning out the car, pulling weeds, dusting, etc. We let them choose how many of those things they want to do -- and that allows them to decide how much they want that money. A typical extra chore is usually worth 50 cents. When it's all said and done, the kids can earn anywhere between $2-10 a week, depending on their efforts. This way, they're in the driver's seat and there's no complaining about wanting to spend money they haven't earned -- especially when they had the chance to earn it during the week. They have a chart posted with a checklist so they don't all choose the same chore too.
I don't believe that giving kids an allowance without a chore attached to it is a good idea for us, because then they get something for nothing. Our kids have their normal everyday chores (brushing teeth is one of ours too), but then we have extra's like Chelsey that they'll get paid for. Plus Rylee and Dax have the added bonus of going to work with dad, which always nets them a pocketful of change. In the summer Rylee gets $2 a day to work on the ranch and that money goes towards her school clothes, she loved paying for them with a big fat $50 bill. While she mainly just fills her piggybank, she does buy a few things herself, like book fair books and special treats. We're lucky to have a situation where our kids can really truly (hopefully) learn to work.
I just left a long comment and it didn't save so maybe tomorrow....
We have jobs posted on the refrigerator on magnets. They go as follows:
Dishes
Laundry
Family room/Living Room
Sweeping
Front Area/Shoes
Bathrooms/Garbage
Then there are all 6 names on magnets. Their names are next to the jobs. They have the same job for an entire week.
For dishes, they don't have to do them all, but they do have to unload the dishwasher (then I load it) then they wash the counters. If they have a busy week then I end up with most of that job, but for the most part they do their jobs or they don't play outside, or watch TV or do anything fun. Jobs and homework are first.
As far as allowance goes. I tried that for a few years. Allowance was basically to teach them about money, not pay them to do jobs. They get $1 per year that they are old, per month. So for instance
Scott is 9 so he gets $9.00 a month
Caleb being 17 would get $17.00 a month.
I was great about paying them for a while and then I forgot, they would remind me. This year I haven't gone back to allowances. I probably need to, it was a great system that seemed to work.
I did have to remind them that they are NOT getting paid to work, they are just getting money based on if their behavior was good and if they are getting good grades and trying to be better overall.
This helped with teaching about savings and tithing.
We teach them that 40% goes in savings, and 10% to tithing and that other 50% is for whatever they want to spend.
I love the ideas! Thanks everyone!
We haven't started doing chore charts or anything, since our oldest is only 3. However, as far as allowance, I had a friend tell me about an idea that I like. They have the chores that their kids are always responsible for but then they keep a list of other jobs that need to be done around the house. They post the list on the fridge and each job has a monetary amount associated with it. If the children have the desire, they can earn the money by fulfilling one of the tasks.
I thought it was a good idea so we might do it someday.
My kids are gonna pay me to do chores.
Dave
I love Super B's idea. Thanks. I have many jobs to post on the fridge starting immediately.
I think we're gonna go with Dave's idea... -Jen
I like Dave's idea the very best of all. Why didn't I think of that when he was around?!?
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