The Ultimate Parents Guide to Chores
In this article:
Why Kids Should Do Chores
Should Kids Get Paid for Chores?
Deciding How Much to Pay Kids for Chores
Types of Chores Kids Do for Money
Paying an Allowance vs Paying for Individual Chores
How Much to Pay Kids for Chores
Paying for Chores Made Easy
Running a household is no small feat. It's essential each member pitch in to lighten the load. Yet, it can be challenging for parents to find a chore framework that works for their family. This guide covers all the topics a parent needs to know to successfully establish chores in their home.
Chores are an important part of a child's development by teaching responsibility, discipline, and the value of hard work. Children should get paid for chores that go above and beyond everyday expectations based on the child's age and the difficulty of the chore.
Key Takeaways
- Kids should do chores because it teaches them hard work and financial responsibility.
- Routine chores shouldn’t be paid, but larger or unusual jobs should.
- Paying the right amount for chores helps kids understand the value of money.
- Pay your kids 15% - 25% of what you might pay a professional to do the same job.
- It’s ok to mix paying an allowance and paying extra for individual chores.
Why Kids Should Do Chores
"By making them do chores—taking out the garbage, doing their own laundry—they realize I have to do the work of life in order to be part of life. It’s not just about me and what I need in this moment, but that I'm part of an ecosystem. I'm part of a family. I'm part of a workplace. And I have to contribute to the betterment of all." – Julie Lythcott-Haims, Author of 'How to Raise an Adult'
Experts agree that Involving children in chores from an early age teaches them the practical skills needed for everyday life. Here are some specific areas where chores can help instill valuable life lessons children will carry into adulthood.
Responsibility
At its core, involving kids in daily chores helps instill a sense of responsibility and teamwork. As they contribute to the family’s well-being, they learn that their efforts have a direct impact on their environment, fostering a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction from seeing tasks through to completion.
Structure and Self-Esteem
Regular responsibilities like making their beds, cleaning up after meals, or taking care of a family pet, introduce structure to kids' lives. This structure helps them develop time management skills and the ability to prioritize tasks. Moreover, engaging in chores can boost a child's self-esteem and competence. As children master new tasks they build confidence in their abilities. This confidence can translate into greater independence and initiative as they grow.
Communication and Cooperation
Chores often require cooperation among siblings, which can help teach communication, negotiation, and the ability to work as part of a team. These are essential social skills that children will carry into adulthood, impacting their ability to navigate relationships and professional environments.
The value of hard work
Finally, involving children in chores is a practical approach to teaching them the value of hard work and the rewards that come from it. This introduces early financial literacy concepts, especially when chores are tied to earning money. Children learn that money is earned through effort and begin to understand the basics of saving and budgeting.
Summary
Chores teach children responsibility and the importance of contributing to their family and household. Engaging in these tasks helps them develop essential life skills, such as time management and self-discipline, which are crucial for personal development and future success.
Should Kids Get Paid for Chores?
We dive deeper into this topic in our article Should Kids Get Paid for Chores.
“Kids should be expected to do basic chores [without an allowance] because they are a member of the family, and that’s what families do — take care of their homes and each other.” – Jennifer Dunkle, Professional Counselor
Experts generally agree that kids shouldn’t get paid for doing everyday chores like making their beds or doing dishes. If parents choose to pay for chores, it should be done thoughtfully. The chores should be things that go beyond basic expectations and should consider the child's learning about responsibility and the family's values around teamwork and contribution.
See Examples of paid vs unpaid chores
The pros and cons of paying for chores
Pros:
- Encourages Work Ethic: Paying for chores can teach children the value of hard work and earning money, linking effort to financial rewards.
- Teaches Financial Literacy: It provides a practical way for kids to learn money management, budgeting, and the importance of saving.
- Increases Motivation: Financial incentives can boost a child's motivation to complete tasks they might otherwise avoid or ignore.
- Promotes Responsibility: Earning money through chores can foster a sense of responsibility and independence in children.
- Reduces Nagging: A chore-based allowance system can decrease the need for parents to constantly remind children to do their tasks, as the reward system encourages them to take initiative.
Cons:
- May Undermine Intrinsic Motivation: There's a risk that children might become motivated to help only when paid, potentially neglecting the intrinsic value of contributing to the family.
- Can Lead to Entitlement: If not managed properly, kids might begin to expect payment for all forms of help, not just extra tasks, fostering a sense of entitlement rather than cooperation.
- Could Create Dependency: Dependence on financial rewards for basic tasks could hinder the development of natural discipline and the habit of contributing to family life without direct incentives.
- Family Conflict: Disagreements over how much to pay and for what chores can lead to conflicts within the family, especially if expectations are not clearly set.
- Inequitable Impact: The effectiveness of a paid chore system may vary based on a child’s age and maturity, potentially leading to uneven benefits and challenges within a family.
Summary
Paying children for chores isn’t just about the money; it’s about teaching them the value of hard work and money management. If you pay too little, it might not sufficiently motivate them. Paying too much can distort their understanding of the value of money. How much you pay a child for chores has a profound impact on their understanding of work and shapes their relationship with earning, saving, and spending money. It’s a powerful tool for preparing children for the financial realities of adulthood.
Deciding How Much to Pay Kids for Chores
A good place to start would be considering what tasks you might pay someone else to do or those which might exceed what would be expected of a child for their age. This helps kids learn the value of hard work while allowing them to earn money. Not every household task should have a price tag, but selected chores can be effectively used to teach financial lessons and work ethic.
Routine vs. Extra Chores
Generally, basic daily tasks such as making their bed, cleaning up after meals, or keeping their room tidy should not be paid chores. These are responsibilities that fall under general family contributions, expected of every member, and are likely better suited for an allowance. Paying for such tasks might diminish their intrinsic value as part of everyday family life and responsibilities.
Paying for More Challenging Chores
These tasks are often more time-consuming or challenging and offering payment can help children learn to associate harder work with higher rewards. These might include washing the car, managing the family’s recycling, deep cleaning areas like the garage or attic, or assisting in big home projects like painting or gardening work.
Age-Appropriate Paid Chores
The type of chores for which children can earn money should be appropriate for their age and abilities. How much to pay a child for chores should differ from how much to pay a teen for chores. For younger children, simple but time-consuming tasks like matching socks from laundry or helping to sort groceries can be incentivized. As children grow older, more complex chores such as cooking meals, managing a budget for household supplies, or overseeing younger siblings can be added to the paid list.
Special Projects
Offering payment for seasonal or less frequent chores can also be beneficial. For example, setting up holiday decorations, spring cleaning, or organizing a garage sale. These are substantial tasks that often require a greater investment of time and energy and can provide excellent opportunities for children to earn money while contributing significantly to the family.
Summary
How much you pay for individual chores will vary by child and by task. When deciding how much to pay a child for chores consider smaller tasks with smaller payments. When determining how much to pay a teen for chores, their tasks will often be larger requiring a larger payment.
Types of Chores Kids Do for Money
Defining what counts as a chore can vary widely depending on family dynamics, cultural expectations, and the age of the children involved. Generally, chores are tasks that contribute to the running and maintenance of a household. These tasks can be divided into several categories.
Housekeeping Chores
These may be the most common and involve daily or weekly tasks necessary to maintain a clean home. This includes dusting, vacuuming, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, and tidying rooms. These chores keep a home clean while teaching children the importance of cleanliness and personal responsibility.
Meal-related Chores
These can range from setting the table and washing dishes to assisting with grocery shopping, meal preparation, and even cooking. These chores help children understand the work that goes into meal planning and preparation, fostering an appreciation for the food on their plates and possibly sparking an interest in cooking.
Yard Work
This is often considered a chore, especially in homes with outdoor spaces that require maintenance. Mowing the lawn, weeding gardens, raking leaves, and shoveling snow are tasks that not only contribute to the aesthetics of the home but also instill a sense of pride and stewardship of one's environment.
Pet Care
This is a significant chore for families with animals. Feeding pets, changing water bowls, walking dogs, and cleaning out cages are chores that teach children about empathy, compassion, and the commitment required to care for another living being.
Summary
Chores can encompass a broad range of tasks that are vital to the day-to-day operation and overall management of a family household. By participating in these tasks, children learn a variety of skills and values, from practical knowledge and personal responsibility to empathy and teamwork.
Paying an Allowance vs Paying for Individual Chores
We dive deeper into this topic in our article Paying an Allowance vs Paying for Individual Chores
Deciding between a weekly or monthly allowance versus paying for individual chores is a common dilemma for parents, with each method offering distinct advantages. Younger children often prefer being paid per chore for immediate rewards, while older children appreciate the consistency of an allowance, simulating a paycheck and helping them prepare for budgeting. Many parents mix both methods: providing an allowance for routine chores (like making the bed or taking out the trash) and paying per chore for more substantial tasks (such as mowing the lawn or washing the car), tailoring the approach to their family’s needs.
How Much to Pay Kids for Chores
Check out Paying an Allowance vs Paying for Individual Chores for a comparison of paying a recurring allowance vs paying for individual chores.
We talk about the methodology we use when deciding how much to pay kids for chores in Chores for Kids to Earn Money.
What’s the market rate for mopping or the value of vacuuming? All chores will have a different value based on the complexity and duration of the task, and the age of the child. Younger children should get paid less because they may not be able to complete the entire task on their own whereas an older child could complete the entire task without any help.
In our family, we like to reward children when they come to us offering to help. If they’re going to wait for us to tell them what to do, they’re going to do it for free. This helps us teach them the value of being proactive with their work and putting forth earnest effort.
Because there can be so many different ways to decide how much to pay kids for chores, we put together several lists of Chores for Kids to Earn Money. Some of our most popular are
Chores for 6-year-olds to earn money
Chores for 9-year-olds to earn money
Chores for 9-12-year-olds to earn money
100 Chores to Do Around the House for Money
Paying for Chores Made Easy
Crew is a banking app that offers free high-yield checking and savings accounts for families. These accounts are FDIC-insured, come with a debit card, and provide a modern mobile banking experience. Crew has built-in tools that make it easy to create bank accounts for kids, pay them an allowance, and monitor their money.
Parents get:
- Up to $500k FDIC insurance on joint accounts.
- Auto-transfer rules to optimize interest earned.
- Free wire transfers for families with over $50k in deposits.
- Family account oversight and controls.
- Free tools for setting up and managing allowance for your kids.
Kids get:
- Their own high-interest checking and savings accounts with account and routing numbers.
- A secure banking app on their phone to view their account balances and details.
- Their own checking and savings accounts with their own debit card.
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