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About a month ago, my daughter found some coins and eagerly shared she was going to save them to buy a movie she has been wanting.  At the time, I thought this was a great idea!  It provided a perfect opportunity to teach and reinforce saving towards a goal.  Now, one month later, she has only about $1.50 saved and she is still focused on saving for this movie.  

The issue is there isn't anything in place that allows her to earn money.  We don't pay her to clean up her toys and do other small jobs to help out around the house.  Since she is only 3 1/2, there really aren't many tasks she can do above and beyond what's expected.  The bottom line though is I want her to help out around the house because it's her contribution as a member of the family or because she is showing generosity to others.  I also want her to learn that you can't automatically have everything you want, but sometimes you can save over time to get the item you desire.  I'm struggling with how to accomplish both. Right now I'm leaning towards discussing with her the option of taking over one of mommy's jobs to earn money until she has enough to buy her movie.  This idea means I would most likely have to go behind her when she isn't around to ensure the job was fully completed because most of the things I have come up with really aren't jobs she is able to do well independently.

Do you give your kids an allowance?  If so, do they have to earn it or is it a flat sum of money you give them each week?  Can you share some creative ways to help younger children earn money?  I'd love to hear all suggestions!




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