Ever wanted to get your kids to do their share of the chores around the home? It can seem like an almost impossible task at times, so here are a few tips on how to not only get them to do the chores you want done, but they will actually want to do them for you. This is not magic, although the results may seem like magic these tips are proven effective ways to motivate your kids to do chores around the home.
The first tip is to identify what your kids' personal motivation is. Not all kids have the same attitude to working at home and not all kids want the same things. So the first step is to identify what makes your kid tick. To do this all you need to do is sit down with them and discuss money. Not just any money but their money, their monetary goals, their spending requirements and their long term plans. You see we are all motivated to some extent by what money can do for us. Not so much how much we have but what we can do with the money we do have or the money we can earn. Your kids are the same.
However, before you do this it is a good idea to identify how your kids get money today. Do you give them an allowance or pocket money? Do they get money from working? Do they get their money from gifts from family members? It is important to know just what they do to get money. I will make an assumption here that like most parents you give your kids money either as an allowance or pocket money or as they need it. If so, please stop. Stop giving them money just because you can. Why, because if they grow up thinking that money comes from a hole in the wall or mum or dads wallet then when will they learn to earn it. Instead agree with them that they will receive a minimal allowance based on their needs but that they will have to earn the rest.
Once you have identified how much money they will need for their goals sit down with your kids and identifying the chores around the house that they can perform and for which they can receive a payment. This will prove to be good for you and good for them. They will learn that money is earned and not just something that is free. The more they then want to spend the more work they will need to perform to do so. This is so powerful a tool that you need to be aware of the work you want done and the rate of pay you are willing to pay for it. Remember thought that some of this payment is in lieu of their allowance or pocket money. Money you would have given them anyway. The benefit to you is not only the fact that you are empowering your kids with financial skills but you also get back the time you would normally spend doing the chores they are now going to do.
Once you have identified the chores you want done and your child has agreed to do the work for an agreed amount of payment then the next step to keep the motivation going is to set goals with them. Identify with them what they will do with the money and when they want to do it. For example, let's assume that they want to go to the movies with their friends and let's say it costs $10.00. Now they may be earning $2.00 per week in combined pocket money and payment for chores so it will take them 5 weeks to earn the $10.00 they need for the movies. If this is the case, simply put a chart on the fridge door or somewhere where they can see it and list their savings each week. If they can see the target is $10.00 and each week they are getting closer they will stay more motivated to complete their goal.
One other way they can get to their goal sooner is to do more chores or as some enterprising young people do they can start their own little business and do work for others in the family or neighbourhood. Naturally, age has a bearing on the types of chores and the amount of money paid. Teenagers can be expected to do more chores than say and 8 or 9 years old. Whatever the age, the opportunities to earn money both within the family and outside are too numerous to list here. Suffice to say that most kids can find some form of activity that they can do to earn some extra pocket money. The more they earn the less burden is placed on you to provide the simpler things they will provide for themselves. Empowering your kids financially is not about giving them money, it is about teaching them about money. There is an old saying that goes like this, "You can feed a man a fish and he will eat but for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he will eat forever".
David is an experienced financial adviser and entrepreneur with a passion for helping people realise financial independence through structured learning. As a regular contributor to http://www.MoneyToolkits.com, a site designed specifically to teach kids about money, David is able to share his knowledge and skills with people of all ages from 8 to 80.
By David H. Nolan
The first tip is to identify what your kids' personal motivation is. Not all kids have the same attitude to working at home and not all kids want the same things. So the first step is to identify what makes your kid tick. To do this all you need to do is sit down with them and discuss money. Not just any money but their money, their monetary goals, their spending requirements and their long term plans. You see we are all motivated to some extent by what money can do for us. Not so much how much we have but what we can do with the money we do have or the money we can earn. Your kids are the same.
However, before you do this it is a good idea to identify how your kids get money today. Do you give them an allowance or pocket money? Do they get money from working? Do they get their money from gifts from family members? It is important to know just what they do to get money. I will make an assumption here that like most parents you give your kids money either as an allowance or pocket money or as they need it. If so, please stop. Stop giving them money just because you can. Why, because if they grow up thinking that money comes from a hole in the wall or mum or dads wallet then when will they learn to earn it. Instead agree with them that they will receive a minimal allowance based on their needs but that they will have to earn the rest.
Once you have identified how much money they will need for their goals sit down with your kids and identifying the chores around the house that they can perform and for which they can receive a payment. This will prove to be good for you and good for them. They will learn that money is earned and not just something that is free. The more they then want to spend the more work they will need to perform to do so. This is so powerful a tool that you need to be aware of the work you want done and the rate of pay you are willing to pay for it. Remember thought that some of this payment is in lieu of their allowance or pocket money. Money you would have given them anyway. The benefit to you is not only the fact that you are empowering your kids with financial skills but you also get back the time you would normally spend doing the chores they are now going to do.
Once you have identified the chores you want done and your child has agreed to do the work for an agreed amount of payment then the next step to keep the motivation going is to set goals with them. Identify with them what they will do with the money and when they want to do it. For example, let's assume that they want to go to the movies with their friends and let's say it costs $10.00. Now they may be earning $2.00 per week in combined pocket money and payment for chores so it will take them 5 weeks to earn the $10.00 they need for the movies. If this is the case, simply put a chart on the fridge door or somewhere where they can see it and list their savings each week. If they can see the target is $10.00 and each week they are getting closer they will stay more motivated to complete their goal.
One other way they can get to their goal sooner is to do more chores or as some enterprising young people do they can start their own little business and do work for others in the family or neighbourhood. Naturally, age has a bearing on the types of chores and the amount of money paid. Teenagers can be expected to do more chores than say and 8 or 9 years old. Whatever the age, the opportunities to earn money both within the family and outside are too numerous to list here. Suffice to say that most kids can find some form of activity that they can do to earn some extra pocket money. The more they earn the less burden is placed on you to provide the simpler things they will provide for themselves. Empowering your kids financially is not about giving them money, it is about teaching them about money. There is an old saying that goes like this, "You can feed a man a fish and he will eat but for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he will eat forever".
David is an experienced financial adviser and entrepreneur with a passion for helping people realise financial independence through structured learning. As a regular contributor to http://www.MoneyToolkits.com, a site designed specifically to teach kids about money, David is able to share his knowledge and skills with people of all ages from 8 to 80.
By David H. Nolan
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