Giving is an important part of our family. A few months ago, I noticed the girls were entertained by finding loose change around the house and collecting it "for the act of giving it away". I wanted The Princess to learn that, while giving is a wonderful thing, she can also save some for herself. And she should not only SAVE some for herself, but give herself some SPENDING money as well.
Some might think that our kids are too young to have a chore chart and to be getting money. I think kids are smarter than people give them credit for and learning about money from a young age is essential. Our kids don't get an allowance, they get commission. The chore chart, which is a great way for them to learn to contribute to the family by doing some tasks, is OPTIONAL. I don't hound them to do their chores. To be honest, they are way more into it than I would even like them to be! (Because when Hammie does her chores, I still have to supervise, so it makes more work for me!)
What sort of chores do they have? Well, our girls are two years and soon to be five years old. Their chores include:
- Making their beds to the best of their ability (for Hammie that means making sure her blankets and stuffed animals are tossed into her crib)
- Brushing their teeth
- Feeding the pets
- Picking up laundry on the floor
- Helping to "fold" and put laundry away on laundry days
- Cleaning up their toys at the end of the day
- For The Princess, practicing her violin
What our Chore Chart looks Like:
I found this great Printable chart at Confessions of a Homeschooler. I happened to have a Calendar Pocket Chart we weren't really utilizing so I turned it into a chore chart!
How does it work? The chore chart goes Monday through Friday. After they finish a chore they can turn their chore card around and put it behind the other cards. At the end of the day, we count how many chores they have accomplished. Then in their "Rewards" Pocket they get a ticket for each chore accomplished. Everyday is color coded (Monday=Blue, Tuesday=Yellow and so on). We also have special "Bee"havior cards that they can earn if we saw them do something kind that day. "Bee" cards get a purple ticket.
At the end of the week we count up their tickets and it's payday! Below is a picture of their money jars. Each girl has a "SAVE", "SHARE", and "SPEND" jar that I help them divide their earnings between. Right now since our girls are so little, they are only getting 5 cents a ticket, but some weeks this adds up to a couple of dollars and they are thrilled to put their coins in their jars.
Our girls may be young, but they are learning a lot from this activity!
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