Healthy Allowance
Working with your child towards a ‘healthy allowence‘ requires pacience and organization. I will tell you a few ways to simplify your methods, and have your child gain responsabilities and a lasting appreciation of good daily routines. Children, I feel, are ready to be given chores and allowence as early as age three. The sooner the child is introduced to earning a ‘healthy alowence’, the more embeded these routines will embed.
The first step is getting the necessary tools. Usually a chore chart can be easily found at craft stores, school supply islles, and even dollar stores. Most charts use erasable markers, so once the week is done, a new week can be erased and restarted. Another way to this is by making a chart by using paper, ruler, and marker; makin a chart that has the seven days going asross, and chore requirements going vertically (much like the multiplication chart). Making a star in the outlined grid or putting a sticker on for achieved behavior is the goal.
There are seven days a week, and I recommend five chores to be done on a daily rotine. Having the chores be the same each day allows child to become acustumed with good daily routines. Some of the topics that I find important are; listen to mom & dad, clean up messes, arts and crafts/ homework, play with pet, bed on time, etc. Once youe establish the five that are most important to you for your child, you then get the chart filled in. Days across, and chores going down. I keep the same chores on a long term basis to ensure they are well-established. Threfore, it is very important that you think about what your top five expectations on a daily routine are for your child.
Completing every chore successfully every day allows for a maximum of 35 stickers or stars on the chars for the entire week. At the bottom of the chart, try implementin the idea of boing consistent by paying out less money if chores are missed. My chart allows 30-35 stars/stickers to grt the full weekly allowence of 10 dollars. For 25-30 achieved tasks, I only pay out seven dollars (small consequence). For anything lower, no money is dispenced. This way, your child is motivated to be successful and earn top dollar by doing chores in a consitent fashion.
A ‘healthy allowence’ routine is easy to put together, easy for children to follow, and it really works. It not only helps us as parents on a daily basis, but it also helps our children be well-guided and organized further in life. Once child gets the routine down, you may choose to change your chore list and add on other expectations you may have for your child. Enjy the results!
