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It seems that every parent has at least one story of how they struggle to teach their kids to save money. They say that kids don’t want to save or even spend their own money unless they’re given some incentive.
Saving money isn’t always fun for kids. It requires discipline, self-control, and sacrifice. Three things every kid struggles with at some point. And the main reason why parents struggle to get their kids to save money is because they lack the skills needed to motivate them.
That’s why it’s important to start early!
Teaching kids to earn money and helping around the home sets them up for life. By the time they reach college they will have learnt the importance of earning and saving money for the things they want in life. All thanks to your hard work!
Why it’s Important For Kids To Do Chores & Earn Money
Doing chores and earning money helps kids learn responsibility and gives them valuable work experience. It also teaches them how to budget their money and save up for things they want to buy.
If your kid wants the latest shiny toy that’s just hit the shelves, it’s a good lesson to teach them if they want something bad enough, they can earn it.
Buying something for both adults and kids when you’ve worked hard for it is a lot more rewarding than someone else buying it for you.
So if you want your kids to do some extra chores around the home for money, here are 18 simple chores for kids to earn money and become responsible individuals.
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1. Make Their Bed
Starting with something pretty simple and straightforward that kids from a young age can do, is make their bed.
Some kids just yank the blanket up to reach the top of the bed, which is a good start! Others like to spend time carefully making sure every crease, fold and cushion is exactly in place. Either way, getting kids to get into the habit of making their bed every morning will help them on their road to responsibility.
If you find your kid resisting this chore, particularly younger kids, you could try to make it fun by getting them to choose a different toy to sit on their nicely made bed every day. Or, you could offer a fun cushion for your kid to choose on the grounds that they give making their bed a go every morning.
I know that if my bed goes unmade at any time (an extremely rare event!) my day feels unorganized. It’s very similar for kids! Having them make their bed from a young age will help them feel organized as they grow.
2. Tidy Toys Away
It sounds so simple doesn’t it? But it can be a battle to get kids to tidy away their toys after they’ve used them.
As parents, it’s easy to get into the habit of tidying up after your kids because it’s faster and easier. But instead of chasing left out toys from room to room, get your child to help.
Some tips to getting your kids to tidy up after play time is to put on some fun music to get them excited about tidying up. Another way is to let them know they can get one toy or game out at a time, as a rule.
Tidying toys away from an early age will help get them into good habits about tidying up after themselves.
👉 Some kids hate doing chores period. So if you’re struggling to get your kids to help out, try getting them motivated by letting them choose a cool piggy bank for their allowance.
Check out these piggy and coin banks that kids can get excited about saving their money!
3. Pack Their School Bags
For school-aged children, it’s a good idea to teach them to pack and unpack their school bags right from the beginning. Especially given all the years of school they have ahead of them!
When you’re a busy parent trying to juggle getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for school and all the other morning chores that come with it, having your kids help by packing their own bags will be less stressful for you.
It will also teach them responsibility and independence to help them on their school journey.
4. Make Their Breakfast
Depending on the age of your child, having them make their own breakfast can help cut out time for you in the busy mornings.
For very small children they can help by getting out their plate or bowl and cutlery. And for older children they can start to make their own cereal, pour milk and juice etc.
One way of starting this is by leaving a bowl and cereal box on the kitchen counter and a small bottle of milk in the fridge ready for your child to use. When making toast, this should be done under your supervision until they are older, as is the same with any use of kitchen electricals. But they can start with spreading butter and putting spreads on their toast.
As with most of these chores, you can tailor the chore to suit your child and their age, making sure you are supervising small children at all times.
5. Set The Table For Meals
Kids love to help out and although it may not always be convenient for parents to have their “help”, it’s important to encourage and nurture this to help kids develop.
Setting the table is an easy one as they can simply place things on the table that are needed for meals. Things like condiments, cutlery, placemats and napkins are easy for children to do.
They can also put the items away after meal time has finished to.
6. Feed Their Pet
If you have a pet at home then kids can get into the habit of feeding them each day. It’s good to get them into this routine and work it in with the morning and evening routine.
Whether it’s a fish, dog, cat or other pet, show your child how to feed them and teach them the correct do’s and don’t’s of feeding pets to help them learn.
This can be a good educational lesson as it teaches kids how to look after and keep animals alive through regular feeding.
7. Water The Garden
Most kids love water and love to help water plants with watering cans and hoses. You could buy them their own little watering can and even a small plant of their own to take care of and water every day.
These simple chores are good life lessons to learn. To keep things alive and looking nice, they need to be well looked after and that includes plenty of water and sunlight to grow.
Take the time to teach your kids about plants and living things and that we must take care of them and the environment.
8. Empty / Stack The Dishwasher
For younger kids, learning to put their dirty dishes into the dishwasher when they have finished is a great habit for them to get into. It will make mom and dad’s lives easier too! If you start from a young age then hopefully that will set them up for good habits into the teenage years.
Unstacking the dishwasher will need to be done with care for smaller children, particularly with sharp objects and glassware etc. So if you have small children they could start with taking their own plates and bowls and putting them away in an area they can safely do so, under your supervision.
The earlier these chores can be done by kids, the easier it will be later on when they’re older to get them to help out around the home. In saying that, it’s never too late to teach your kids responsibility.
9. Rake Leaves
Most kids find this a fun and exciting chore. This is because it usually involves playing in the leaves, especially if there is a big mound of them in the middle of Autumn!
This chore is a good one for kids as they can play and work together to get the job done. It also creates fun memories for them, raking leaves into a pile then diving in and laughing with their family.
Kids will most likely have chores they do and don’t enjoy, and raking leaves is sure to be one that they do!
10. Wash The Car
While this particular chore can sometimes feel like more trouble than it’s worth with kids, try to be patient and give your child small jobs they can do with your car.
This might be things like giving them a small sponge they can use alongside you when the car is all soapy and sudsy. Or giving them the right cloth to help them wipe down the water. While it might not be the perfect finish you want, you’re giving your child the opportunity to spend time with you as well as teaching them how to clean.
For kids in their teenage years, this might mean they can fully wash and dry the car so long as they have been taught how. This is a good chore to have help with and can save you doing it all.
11. Take Out The Trash
For smaller children, they could start by going out with you to take the trash to see how it’s done. Then when they’re older and can lift a bag of trash safely, they can take it out themselves.
This is a great chore for older kids to do. And while no-one actually enjoys taking out the trash, it teaches kids that some jobs simply have to be done. Otherwise, you can end up with a stinky and unclean home.
It’s also a good opportunity to teach your kids about recycling and regular rubbish. It will start conversations about the environment and how we need to look after the planet.
12. Dust
I’m yet to meet a kid who doesn’t like to play with a feather duster. And while this is a simple chore to do, it’s an effective one!
Dust in the home can sneak up on us, and one day you’ll notice everything needs a good dusting. This is where your child can help out while having a bit of fun with the duster too.
While they might not be able to reach some areas, they can dust lower surfaces. Then you can get to the harder to reach places.
13. Vacuum
When I was a kid I used to love the feeling and the smell of freshly vacuumed carpet. And once I got a bit older I started to vacuum my bedroom for pocket money.
This is definitely a chore for older kids for safety reasons. And a good one to earn some extra pocket money. How often you vacuum your home will vary. And it will also depend on what sort of flooring you have throughout the house.
You could start with having your kid vacuum their bedroom and under their bed. Then add more areas as they get the hang of it.
14. Help With Groceries
This is a good chore for kids who get bored at the grocery store. You can make it more fun for them by getting them involved.
Is your child able to read? If so, you could show them your list and have them collect and put items in the trolley. Kids also love putting groceries on the conveyor belt and watching them getting scanned.
Once you’re home, have your child bring in the grocery bags with you. Making sure to give smaller kids light items to carry. They can then help you unpack the groceries and put them away.
All of these every day chores help kids grow and develop into responsible little beings.
15. Do Laundry
Something that kids need to learn before leaving home and going to college, is to do their own laundry.
It’s as easy as pie throwing clothes into the washing machine, adding detergent and pressing some buttons. You may not feel comfortable with them doing this alone. So they can always help by putting the clothes in and pressing the buttons with your instructions.
Once they get a bit older they can do it by themselves. This is a skill they’ll need for the rest of their lives. So it’s good to get them into the habit of doing their own laundry.
16. Hang Out Washing
This is the type of chore that little kids just love to help their parents with. They can help by putting small items onto clothes dryers they can reach.
If you’ve got older kids with some height who can reach a clothes line, awesome! This will save you doing the job and your child can appreciate some extra pocket money.
They can also take the washing down once it’s dry and help fold and put away.
17. Clean Out The Car
If you have a family car with little kids, unless you have strong rules in place, the car gets trashed pretty quickly!
Teach your kids that whatever they bring into the car, needs to then be taken out of the car and back into the house. Things like sweaters, food containers, toys, books can all build up in the car and make it messy. This will all depend on your family’s personal preferences.
You could also get your kid to vacuum the car every once in awhile, under your supervision. Then, when they are old enough to get their own car they will know how to look after it.
18. Help Make Dinner
This is another chore that kids love helping with. And when kids help out with the cooking, it helps them learn about different foods and how meals are put together.
With your supervision, they can learn to cut up vegetables and discover new flavors. This also helps kids become less fussy at mealtime! They are more inclined to try new things if they helped to prepare their own meals.
As kids get older, you can give them more responsibilities in the kitchen. These are valuable long life lessons to learn and is a good experience all around. It may make meal prep time a bit longer, so it doesn’t need to happen every day. But it’s good to get them helping out in the kitchen to learn how to eventually cook for themselves.
Final Words
By providing simple chores that kids can do from an early age will help set them on the road to independence. It will teach them how to be responsible for life.
Thankfully you can make doing chores a fun experience which kids appreciate.
When they see their parents get enthusiastic and have a positive attitude towards chores, they’ll want to join in. They’ll be able to see that chores don’t have to be boring and dull.
Parents get extra help around the home and kids get to learn to take responsibility for themselves. All while helping them grow and develop in healthy ways.
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