As children get older, a common question parents ask is, ‘should kids get paid for chores, and how much should they be paid for doing chores?’ There is no right or wrong answer. Every family takes a different approach. It comes down to what feels right to you and what works best for your family. Giving children or teenagers an allowance for chores works well for some parents. According to the GoHenry Youth Economy report of 2022, young people were exceptionally busy in 2021, with 60% completing chores on their GoHenry app, earning a combined $3.1 billion.
Giving your kids an allowance for doing chores might be something you're keen to try or something you want to hold off on until your child is older. Whatever your thoughts, it's a good idea to understand the benefits of an allowance to help you make up your mind.
Related: The average allowance by age, Allowance app
What are the benefits of giving kids chores?
If you’ve been thinking about giving your children more responsibility at home, setting them up with specific household tasks could be the answer. There are many benefits to asking your kids to do chores beyond just teaching them to tidy up after themselves. Encouraging your children or teenagers to take on some age-appropriate tasks is a great opportunity to help children grow. For example:
- Learning new life skills: Doing household tasks can help to teach young people life skills that they can take with them into adulthood.
- Learning to follow instructions: Encouraging your children to do chores is a great way to teach them how to follow your guidance. You can start with just some simple tasks, and then as they get the hang of it, you can progress to setting them up with more complex jobs that involve several steps.
- Taking care of things: Helping out with chores around the house can often help kids learn the value of taking responsibility for their things. They may also become more aware of the mess they create if it's their task to help with cleaning up.
- Improved self-esteem: Regularly helping around the house can often boost a young person's self-confidence. Recognizing their contribution to keeping the home clean, tidy, and organized can feel good.
- Developing a work ethic: Instilling a strong work ethic in your children at a young age is invaluable. It can help them progress through school and may even inspire your teens to get an afterschool job or develop a way to make money using their skills.
- Sense of teamwork: It's common for children who help with household tasks to feel like part of a team. Everyone working together can create a bonding experience that benefits everyone.
What are the benefits of paying kids for doing chores?
When asking yourself should kids be paid to do chores, the answer is down to you as a parent or guardian. While the decision to pay kids to do tasks varies from family to family, there are several benefits to rewarding young people for completing household tasks. For example:
Teaches money management skills
Setting a price for each completed task through GoHenry helps parents teach children valuable money management skills. Getting to grips with managing any sized income is a crucial life skill. They can begin to develop an understanding of saving money for that big-ticket item they have their eye on, alongside realizing the consequences of spending all their money in one go.
Links earning money and work
Giving children extra allowance for completing tasks can help children and teenagers learn the importance of taking greater care with the tasks they're given.
Gives kids a sense of ownership
When you put a monetary value on certain tasks, it gives young people a sense of ownership and control over their earning potential. They learn that they can earn more money by doing more tasks or completing the less desirable ones. Plus, with a GoHenry prepaid debit card, they can develop a sense of independence and responsibility when spending their money.
Related: Does an allowance teach independence
Are there any cons to paying kids to do chores?
The question, 'should parents give their child an allowance for completing chores?', will vary from household to household - it's not for everyone. The process needs to be carefully managed to avoid any potential pitfalls, for example:
Children begin expecting rewards for everything
If you decide to start paying your children or teenagers to help around the house, it's a good idea to make sure they understand that you're paying them for the set tasks you assign them. You won't be paying them for every little thing they do around the house. If this isn't discussed with your kids at the start, they might naturally think they should get paid for everything.
Extra motivation
While it might be natural to assume that money will motivate young people to do housework, that may not necessarily be the case. Talk to them about what types of rewards they'd like. Perhaps, if they aren't interested in boosting their allowance, they might want extra screen time or a later bedtime.
Should kids get paid for chores?
Some families choose to pay their children for doing chores, while others don't. It's up to the parents to decide if they want to give their children an allowance for helping out around the house.
If you do decide to pay your children for doing chores, the amount of money they get should be proportionate to the chore and age-appropriate. Paying too much for simple tasks may foster a sense of entitlement and may not be financially sustainable for you, while paying very little may make children feel unappreciated. This means that striking a balance is important, as is being consistent with what you pay.
GoHenry makes it easier to pay kids an allowance for chores
Giving your children an allowance to complete chores is entirely up to you and what works best for your family. If you decide that you want to pay your children for doing tasks, GoHenry makes it quick and easy.
When you've set up your GoHenry account, you can set up chores for them, and once they're marked complete, the money transfers straight to your children's GoHenry prepaid debit card. You can also set up separate weekly allowance payments.
What's more, with the GoHenry app, children can also learn about the basics of money, from earning to investing and responsible saving via in-app Money Missions.
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