Engaging with fellow parents in discussions about chores frequently presents a multitude of perspectives. Some parents believe children should undertake chores as part of their contribution to the household, without any financial incentive. Others see the value in tying a monetary reward to tasks completed, teaching children about the significance of hard work and money management.
Suppose you align with the latter viewpoint. In that case, the question becomes: how much should children be paid for doing chores? The decision should take into account several factors:
1. Age: Before determining a suitable payment for chores, consider the child’s age. Certain tasks may not be feasible for young children, such as washing dishes or lawn mowing. However, they may match socks from the dryer. The given task should be age-appropriate and not so time-consuming that it hinders other activities.
2. Selection of Chores: The choice of chores to pay your child for is often age-related. Daily tasks should not be tied to monetary compensation. Just as we shouldn’t pay children for personal hygiene tasks, household duties like bed-making and room cleaning should be part of their routine, not paid jobs. Some parents opt to have their child choose chores from a basket of tasks shuffled and distributed at random. Multiple methods can be employed, like assigning specific chores to specific days.
3. Volume of Chores: Keep your child’s extracurricular commitments in mind, especially for older children. Responsibilities like sports, music lessons, and homework have to be factored in. Therefore, it may not be practical to expect your child to complete chores on days with basketball games or heavy homework.
4. Payment: The amount you pay your child for chores correlates to the value you place on the task and your budgetary constraints. If a task is poorly executed or accompanied by complaints, should it warrant full or partial payment, if at all?
5. Accountability: Keeping track of the chores completed is crucial in determining a fair payment system. Will you pay weekly, or synchronize payments with your pay period? Whatever the arrangement, stick to the plan to achieve the best results.
6. Bonuses: Should children receive extra monetarily, for completing unassigned chores or tasks without being prompted? Consider this and clarify expectations.
7. Consequences: If your child continuously ignores requests to complete a task, you must enforce repercussions. This could range from withholding payment, forcing them to complete the task without pay, or depriving them of activities they are looking forward to.
Paying children for chores can instill a sense of the value of hard work and money management. The final decision about whether and how much to pay for chores, of course, rests with you. How do you feel about children receiving payment for chores? What is your payment method for chores?
