What is a good amount for a child's allowance? Types of chores?

Question

Parents, at what age did you start giving your child an allowance? How much was it and what types of chores did your kids have to do to earn that allowance? My daughter is 7 and she does have to clean her room and help with setting the table and such, but seems to be getting less and less helpful. Want to encourage her to help more, thought maybe it's time to start allowance. What are your suggestions?

Answer 1

My 6 year old daughter gets $4 per week. My 4yr old daughter gets $3 per week. They make their beds, and keep their room clean. If they forget to make their bed twice per week, they lose $1 dollar of allowance. Show your child it is a reward for doing chores, not a gift.

Answer 2

I suggest that allowance be seperate from chores. That tends to lead to wanting rewards for things that should be done regardless.
Instead, give allowance for good behavior. Make some rules, be consistent. I suggest that the allowance covers any extras you buy them now. For example if you buy your child a toy that's about $10 a week, then give them $10 a week. Don't buy them the toy any longer. That way if they want someting that's $20, they have to learn to manage their money and wait an extra week for that special toy. As they get older include their lunch money in their allowance. So they can either make a sandwich at home and have money for clothes, or they can go out and spend the money on food. It's a great way to learn how to budget.
Really, I wouldn't take away the allowance unless they did somthing REALLY bad. It really teaches them how to budget for the future which is so important as many of us live beyond our means.
Good question and good luck!

Answer 3

I started with allowance when my oldest two were about 7 and 5 ~ I was a single mother with very little income...$1.00 a week..but that meant clearing or setting the table and on Saturdays..we would make a list of the entire house and each was given a certain number of chorse in each room..and ONE had the unfortunate chore of dumping the cat box and changing the litter...I even had to do it once every 3 weeks... Now they are 16 and 14...I ask them...Do you want to eat?! THen set the table...do you want laundry done? then go get the clean clothes out of the dryer...My younger two 5.5 yrs and 2.5 yrs have small chorse to help me daily...they don't get anything..but tv time or computer use...OR a special treat after dinner....When they get older ...maybe $5 weekly...BUT chores get done...or I'll subtract money and they will get docked the following week if it goes over their $5...teaches them a good work ethic~ my father did this to us..and we all work very hard

Answer 4

It is their obligation to clean their rooms, be part of a family...not get rewarded for it. I have a 8 year old daughter and a 8 month old son and i do not have a set amount i give my daughter a week. However, if she is being expectionally good on a week, hardly no whinning, getting me things for the baby without whining that it the worst thing in the world, playing with the baby expectionally well, clean the bathroom when not asked, etc...I will give her a few bucks here and there or a small toy but she knows, it is her job to be a productive part of the family, she does not expect it every week! That is how i was raised as well and it works. My sister, however has a 7 yr old son and he gets $10.00 a week for taking out he garbage and recycling, which i think is crazy. You can tell he does not appreciate it and expects it!!! My dad told me, he is going to be a *hit when he grows up...He even gets a few more dollars for doing his breathing treatments, as he has asthma. That's his job to do that, not to get paid for helping his health and Yes, my daughter asks why he gets a steady allowance and i tell her, i am a different mother and she leaves it at that!!!

Answer 5

I was just going to say, usually parents start giving an allowance because the kids aren't helping and there you said it at the end. I would give them 5.00 at that age. Then give her the opportunity to earn more money by doing more chores separate from the allowance. That will encourage her to not be lazy and set good patterns for the rest of her life.

Answer 6

I didn't start receiving an allowance until i was a freshman in high school. And I got 20 dollars a week. I fed: horses, cows, dogs, cats, chickens, gathered eggs, did the dishes, vacuumed, cooked supper after school. Cooked all meals on the weekends. And mowed the yard during the summer. I felt ripped off. However, we were poor folk and thats honestly all my mom could afford.

The biggest reward I got was when we went shopping for clothes at the first of the new school year.

Answer 7

i think it really depends on how much work you really expect her do do, however i would not give an allowance for nothing, id make her do a good ammount of work for the allowance $$ for example... i would give $.50 or $.25 depending on exactly how much u want to give to a 7yro for every chore that was done. depending on the chore of course...physical chores, like mowing lawn & outside work should be considered 4 chores, gross chores like cleaning the bathroom 3 chores, teadious chores like vacuming, & dusting 2 chores, daily chores like dishwashing, taking out the trash cleaning room daily 1 chore that of course was just an example ...but set up a chore chart & put the value of each chore on it, and then decide between the 3 (im assuming) of you who does what, and what its value & work factor it is. but be sure to tailor the work to what your child is able to do. i am only giving suggestions as to what type of work could be done.

Answer 8

I was around ten when I started getting an allowance. I took out the trash, vaccumed, dusted even though I am allergic to it. I swept the floors and mopped them, I cleaned my room, got the mail, but I did this when I was told which was not everyday. I had two other siblings that never did anything, and I am the youngest. I got paid 10 dollars a week

Answer 9

Never gave my children an allowance.

They did always have ways to earn money.

They always (still do) have chores they are required to do to sleep in the house and eat the food.

When my son was younger, he wanted cats, we ended up with 3 of them. His chores are cleaning his room and taking care of the cats. Now days he is our "lawn care service" which he gets $20 a week for but our lawn must be up to the standards of the neighbors lawns (who pay $300/month so we're getting a good deal out of this one). My daughter who is now 11, doesn't do chores for money, there is a list; she can unload the dishwasher for $.50, fold clothes for $1.00, etc. , but chooses not to do any of them. She must keep her room clean and take care of the dog and her hermit crab, for which we feed her and seem to buy shoes for her every two weeks.

In my son's case, we did have problems, some of his friends got money for existing. We told him that he got our love for existing, but for money he had to earn it.

In my daughters case.... her friends are in the exact same boat. All her friends have to work for their money, some are richer then others at the end of the week but its because they worked harder not because they 'existed' more.

Answer 10

My daugher is 6 and has been doing chores since she was 4 with a $5/week allowance . We have her feed the animals, vacuum once a week(we usually go over it when she is done-- and she loves to do it), cleans her room, and she helps with laundy on Saturday (folding washrags, putting socks together, etc)