How much should I give my 4 yr old for allowance for doing simple chores around the house?

Answer 1

Honestly, you may not want to start your 4-year old off with an allowance. He/she should be taught that he/she should be a part of the family, which means that he/she has responsibilities for keeping the house in order. Also, consider the types of chores a 4-year old should have at their age.

When my son was 4, he would ask to help around the house, and he did not get an allowance. I did not start giving him an allowance until he was 6, and only after I felt that he was ready for one. He proved to be helpful around the house, and my wife and I gave him a specific list of chores, such as keep his room neat, help with the pets, help with the dinner table, do his homework (yes, this is a chore), and get his school stuff ready the night before. At that time, we decided to base his allowance on $0.25 for each year he was old - so at 6 he got $1.50.

He is now 10, and he receives $2.50. However, from the beginning, we took deductions out of his allowance (kind of like taxes) to teach him about finances. We take a percentage of his allowance for saving for college and a percentage for saving for a charitable contribution, the rest is his. Out of the $2.50, we take $0.15 for charity and $0.60 for college. The balance of $1.75 is his.

I know that this sounds like a bit much, but he enjoys the way we do it, and he is seeing his money grow. He also has a better understanding of finances than I do. HA!

Answer 2

I have a 3 yr old, 4 yr old, and 6 yr old. I do not give my children money for doing chores. They are rewarded by me taking them to the park or out for pizza, or to the movies or something like that that my husband and I can do together with them and spend quality time together while still allowing the kids to have fun. They love it. I don't want my children to get stuck on having $, or material things. They love the activities we do together just as much or more than $.

Answer 3

I think that 4 years old is too young for an allowance... BUT its not too young for teaching a child about how much stuff costs... and what it takes to earn money... ( Like every commercial on Nick Jr I WANT THAT >>>) You do need to help your 4 year old realize that he/she needs to help out around the house... And that the child lives in a faimly unit. For a regular allowance .. I wouldnt do it .. not yet. wait till school . If your child is bugging you and you do feel the need.. Have the child reallyhelp you, like put away clothes or fold dishtowels . give them a small amount of money a quarter say .. not like 10 bucks THATS TOO MUCH . also HOLIDAY and birthday money .... ... have your child spend half save half. that way there is some learning about saving. I just wouldnt do an allowance till mabey first grade. There more mature than 4 at this point. good luck

Answer 4

50 cents to a dollar... no more then 4 or 5 dollars a week. If you are giving him an allowance, and he can write his name its also a good time to start teaching him about saving his money by opening a savings account and putting part of it in each week. My daughters are 5 and 7. They fill out their own deposit slips and give the money to the teller. Once and a while we get a little money out when they want something that costs a little more. My girls are always proud of what they were able to buy with their own money!

I would also separate chores from regular responsibilities. He shouldn't get paid for doing his laundry, cleaning his room, and that sort of stuff. I would pay for collecting house trash, sweeping, dusting, setting the table. That sort of stuff.
Good Luck

Answer 5

We keep a chart with the chores on them and what he will get for each chore. 10 cents for smaller ones and 25 cents for the bigger ones like helping with the trash or his room. He gets a sticker when he completes one and then we add up the stickers for the week. It's been pretty motivating for him and he saved up quite a bit of money in a short time - enough to buy a video game or any other smaller thing he wanted. -- he is a little older (six) but it might work on a smaller scale for a 4 year old too

Answer 6

You really shouldn't have to pay a child for doing chores around a house. An allowance should be just that: money allowed for his/her spending. If a child doesn't grow up knowing that a family is a team effort, he will have problems being part of a team later in life. Essentially, everyone in the family should work for the total good of the family, without extra benefit, as they get the major benefit of being part of a family!

Answer 7

At that age coins are still exciting. Try giving a quarter for each chore completed. Coins add up quicker and look like more, so he'll be excited to see how quickly his money grows. You could also teach him the actual value of a quarter by saying you can have 2 dimes and a nickel, 5 nickels, 25 pennies, etc. He could choose how he wants his 25 cents. In any case, I'd stick with coins for now. If you want to make it look like he's earning really quickly get a small container to keep his coins in. A baby food jar, Rubbermaid container, even a snack size Ziploc bag would make it look like he's earning quickly. The faster he earns money the more excited he's going to be to finish his chores.

Answer 8

I would give him a few dollars and teach him the importance of saving it in a piggie bank to buy the things he really wants. This can be a good learning experience for your 4yr old. Also teach him/ her that if they continue to work hard and do all their chores and what not that you can give them more money. I wouldn't start giving your child too much though because then they will start to expect it and as they get older you will have to start paying them more and more until one day your broke and now your child wont due chores at all because you started paying him/her so young!! Tell him that if he/she does good for the week that you will give him some money.

Answer 9

Nothing sounds harsh but he needs to learn helping around the house helps the whole family out. Just as you help him every day he should know that he should be helping you on his own level of course. As he gets older and can actually buy things he should be rewarded for what he does ABOVE normal little house hold chores.

Answer 10

I am sure this is not going to be a popular answer...however as a parent of teenagers I recommend that children at age 4 get only 'praise' and lots of it when they are co-operating and doing things around the house.

I think if you set kids up with too much 'expectation' of a monitary reward for everything they do, it will backfire on you. You are providing the child with food, clothing, shelter...teaching them values & how to act in this world. Children need to learn to be part of the package - contributing and of course, feeling good about contributing....Don't set them up with an expectation of $ so early in life...