Should kids be paid for chores? There's a 3rd option!

Should allowance be tied to chores?

This is a hot topic. There are experts and strong opinions weighing in on both sides of this topic. However, there is a 3rd option!

Chores and Allowance - the two main views

Pay for Chores
Adults go to work and get paid so by extension kids should be paid for their work. It instills good work ethic as it teaches kids that earnings come from work and if you don’t work you don’t earn.

Chores as part of the family ​Others believe that kids should NOT be paid for chores. Adults don’t get paid for doing chores around the house. Kids are part of the family and thus should be part of the work.

The 3rd Option - the sweet spot
We should do both. I don't know how we ever got to this either or camp but I argue that somewhere in between is the sweet spot.

When I was first designing my chore chart for my kids I had the unlikely but fortunate opportunity to share my chore chart ideas with a leading Pediatric Neuropsychologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN, Michael Zaccariello, Ph.D, L.P.. Now to be fair he doesn't know that I went on to create it into a retail product, at the time I didn't know that was in my future either, but I want to share what he said because it was in complete support of this 3rd option. 

I shared with him what we were doing at home and I wanted to know what he thought of rewarding children for chores, not all chores but some chores. He said "I think what you are doing is perfect! Children learn with extrinsic motivation at first and the more they do it then it turns into intrinsic motivation." He went on to explain some examples such as when your child first smiles at you, you smile back, or when they say their first words or use the potty you give them an excited show of support which in-turn provides the child the extrinsic motivation. After successes of receiving positive responses of extrinsic motivation a child starts to associate the feeling of the positive rewards received with the event that caused them and thus turning it into intrinsic motivation. Essentially giving rewards now does not mean that your child will always feel a need to receive an external reward for a chore in order to have a positive association with doing chores.

Rewards are not always about money $$

Before I go on I want to be clear that paying for chores isn't always about money. In fact some kids, particular little ones, are not motivated by money at all but there may be other rewards that appeal to them. ​

One great option is to reward with tickets. For each rewarded chore you set a reward level. Maybe a basic chore is worth one ticket and a more in-depth task two, and a complicated one three. Determine the value of each chore then let your kids earn tickets which they can later redeem for rewards that are appealing to them.

I find that rewards tend to fall into three main categories, money, screen time, and then there is what I call a family store. A family store can be virtually anything that might appeal to your child such as play dough, water toys, a craft, or spending special time with mom or dad, having a friend over, or picking what's for dinner.

Chores to reward and chores not to reward

How do you determine what chores the child should do as being part of the family and household and what chores you should reward? 

This is an area that each family needs to decide for themselves but there are a factors that you will want to take into consideration; your child's age, abilities, and any specific areas that need extra motivation.

You might consider rewarding a younger child for more basic items such as putting their dirty clothes in the hamper or clearing their own dishes after a meal but as this gets to be just part of their routine you would change it from being tasks that are rewarded to tasks that are their responsibility and then let them move onto more challenging chores for rewards.

Most older children have these more simple tasks down and easily remember to put their dirty clothes in the hamper and clear their own plates. With older children you can typically expect more and reward them for going above and and beyond their standard contribution. Maybe they have the unpaid job of taking out the garbage everyday but you might choose to reward them for extra chores such as weeding the garden or doing a great job cleaning the living room or playroom.

TIP:
Only reward for chores if at the end of the day (or whenever you decide to settle up) a child has completed all their responsibility chores.

This ensures that your child will complete all their chores, not only the ones that earn them rewards.

Have you ever had that one thing that you just wish your child would do!? Maybe it was brushing teeth or getting dressed but whatever it was you thought I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING IF ONLY my child would....

Sometimes kiddos need extra motivation to get tasks done that they find particularly unpleasant. I had a family that used NEATLINGS Chore Chart to determine chores for thier 3 year old son. One of the items that this child absolutely hated doing was brushing his teeth. It was  a battle everyday that no one looked forward to. This mom decided to reward her son for brushing his teeth, as soon as they implemented their new NEATLINGS chore chart and began allowing their son to earn reward tickets that he could later redeem the struggle was over. Their little guy completely changed his attitude and loved brushing his teeth so he could flip over his brush teeth chore card and secure his reward tickets. The struggle was over :)

Being Consistent and Specific with Chores

Experts agree that it is best to be consistent and specific with your children. This sounds easy but truly determining exactly what you expect can be a real challenge. It is also best to give short and easy to follow instructions. So if your expectation for them sweeping the kitchen also includes the breakfast bar area then you need to communicate this, or maybe having them put their clean clothes away means that their tops go in the top drawer and bottoms in the bottom drawer.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Homework - Needs to be completed before dinner
• Clean Playroom - No toys on floor, all game pieces in the correct boxes
• Clear and Wipe Down Table -  Push chairs in around table
• Dust Rooms - All horizontal surfaces, lamps, and picture frames
• Get Mail - Put on Dad's desk
• Practice Instrument - Do weekly lesson, 20 minutes
• Clean Room - Nothing on floor & horizontal areas organized
• Extra Reading - 20 Minutes
• Extra Math - Flash Cards: subtraction and multiplication, 20 minutes

How do you create a chore system that manages all this?

There are many chore charts on the market and most are essentially all the same in the fact that they allow you to create a list of chores. These types of systems don't work very well; they are more like a flat file than a database. They only provide a list but give you no way of managing all the variables that are truly needed for a good chore system.

A good chore system will:

• be specific and consistent
• have a flexible responsibility and reward system
• have the ability to be set up differently for each child
• work for all kids in a family from toddlers to teens
• never get stale or boring
• be easy to manage

This is why I created my own chore system. It worked so tremendously well that it has completely changed our home life. The benefits of the system and the change in my kids attitudes was simply amazing! 

I had wished something had been on the market when I needed it which is why I decided to turn our at home chore system into a retail product, and share it with you.

I have been amazed by the response. This system has even won multiple prestigious awards and been recognized by industry leaders such as Moms' Choice Awards and Parents' Choice Awards.

NEATLINGS is a small start-up company that I run out of the basement of my home but it has received the same, and sometimes better, level of awards as larger corporations such as Crayola, Lego, American Girl, National Geographic and Fischer Price. - Which I think is just incredible!

Please check out my short video to learn more about how NEATLINGS Chore Chart System works. BTW...This system is expandable to work for any size family!

What do customers say about NEATLINGS Chore Chart
​System?

"This chore chart has been exactly what we have been looking for and has even exceeded our expectations. It's perfect for multiple children and very easy to set up and organize. 

I am really pleased that it is not time consuming to set up but it's so effective. 

Our children's attitude and independence with starting and completing chores is nothing short of a miracle. No more arguing or forgotten chores. Our kids actually look forward to completing their "main" daily chores so they can move on to the chores that earn them tickets/rewards. A win for all of us! Plus the product arrived quickly and OUTSTANDING customer service. 

​Thank you so much!"

​-J.M. Simonds

"...I have been a parent for 19 years and have tried almost every chore chart on the market. NEATLINGS is by far the best system I have used. It's exactly what I've been looking for all these years."

-L. Ghorley

"I am a stay at home to four boys ages 4-13. I found myself spending all my time cleaning up after them.  They are very capable of doing all these things and I can never get them to do anything. So I headed to Pinterest to find a DIY chore chart and stumbled across NEATLINGS! I love concepts that work and are fun both of which this is! Our chore chart came in the mail late in the day, we got it set up and I figured we could start in the morning BUT my kids were SO excited they wanted to do them ALL before bed. My kids are enjoying doing the things I get so tired of doing alone and they are happy! Thank you NEATLINGS..if you have kids you need NEATLINGS in your life!"

-Heidi

Still not sure if NEATLINGS is the right chore system for your family? Consider this...

It is scientifically proven by a Harvard Grant Study that kids that do chores when they are young are more likely to become successful adults.

Notice that the number one indicator was not a persons IQ but  whether or not they did CHORES as a child.

In fact science has also proven that the best age for kids to start doing chores is between the ages of 3-4 years old. At this early age most kids can't yet read so it is important to have an easy to manage system with pictures so that your kids can be successful knowing what is expected of them and what their chores are. If your kids are already past that age do not worry but make a plan and get them started ASAP. 

Are you ready to set your kids up for success and cultivate contributing, confident, can-do kids with NEATLINGS?

Shop NEATLINGS now!

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