Teaching your kids to be responsible with money is the best way to start them on a path toward lifelong financial stability. That’s why chores around the house can be more than just an easy way of sharing the workload.
It’s important to teach kids that working hard and being diligent about saving money will help them get the things they want and need.
Chores for kids to earn money should be age-appropriate, introduced gradually and duly rewarded. That said, knowing what to ask of a child is a personal decision and will vary based on the family.
It’s open for debate whether or not having an allowance is better than chores to do around the house to earn money. On one hand, a set allowance teaches kids to budget their money and live within a fixed “income.” On the other, if you reward chores individually, your children may be more motivated to work to earn money around the house. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which system you’re more comfortable with and what your child responds the best to.
Most parenting experts agree that kids can start doing basic chores around the house when they’re as young as two years old. At this point, your child will start with little to no concept of money, but doing chores can help them learn about helping take care of your home.
Some easy chores young children can do include:
At a young age, of course, your kids will require supervision while doing their chores. The goal at this point is less to insist on perfection and more to simply get them into the habit of helping around the house. Be patient and encouraging, but show them the right way to do things when they make a mistake.
Starting kindergarten will expose your kids to new people and new ideas — and may increase their exposure to social pressure around having the latest toys or gadgets.
By this point, your kids should also have some idea of how money works, and you can use this to your advantage and start giving them an allowance, or small monetary rewards, when extra chores are completed. This will teach them the importance of working hard and saving up for the things they want.
Children grow a lot between the ages of five and ten, so use your judgment about which chores they can handle. Some common tasks parents will have their kids doing at this point include:
As far as how much to pay your kids for these chores, you’re at liberty to determine what each job is worth. The most important thing is to be consistent.
By age 10, your kids will be capable of taking on more responsibility around the house. If you’re ready to start giving them extra chores, make sure they’re rewarded accordingly. Older kids should be able to:
Bigger jobs should come with bigger compensation, depending on how long they take.
Chore charts not only help you keep track of what chores need to be done and who has done them, but also give kids a physical reminder and a sense of achievement. There are lots of ways to create a chore chart but here are the important parts to include:
When your kids start doing chores around the house for money, they can learn valuable lessons about the importance of saving. To begin saving, the next logical step is for them to open an account of their own. We allow kids as young as 13 years old to open a checking or savings account in their own name.
Find more money management tips and resources on our WalletWorks page.
APY denotes Annual Percentage Yield. To be eligible for the Youth Savings rate, the primary account owner must be under the age of 18. All eligible Youth Savings Share accounts earn 1.00% APY for balances of $.01 to $500.00. For balances of $500.01 and over, the Regular Savings Share APY will apply. Rates and information are subject to change at any time. Fees could reduce earnings on the account(s). The disclosed dividend rates are variable and may change after the member opens the account(s). Find our current dividend rates at psecu.com/rates. PSECU requires a $5 minimum balance to open and maintain a Regular share account. This $5 share account deposit is also required to be eligible to receive the Youth Savings rate, and the member must be in good standing as defined by PSECU’s Bylaws, Article II, Section I. PSECU will make a $5 minimum share purchase on behalf of the member.