Give 5 Year Old Chores?

Make bed
empty bathroom trash can
put away non-breakable dishes that go in lower cabinets from dishwasher
fold towels and wash cloths
put his clean laundry away
sweep under the table after meals

I don't necessarily think allowance should be attached to the chores - chores need to be done for the family by the family without expecting compensation. I would, however, start giving him like $2 a week for allowance so you can start teaching him to "live within his means," budget, and learn to prioritize his own wants/needs.

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We don't do allowance. Our son is 6. He has had chores since he was three. We tell our kids that chores are just a part of being in this family. Everyone has a job. Currently he has to help clear the table after dinner. He cleans out the vacuum and skimmer baskets in our pool. And when his father mows and does the yard work he helps with parts of that (sweeping up grass, picking up toys before mowing, that sort of thing). He must also keep his room neat.

As far as teaching your son about money. We have a few tricks. First we don't buy trinkets when we are out and about town. $2 here and $3 there adds up and we explain that to our kids.

We do replace bikes when they are outgrown. And occasionally we will get a special toy, but it's not very often beyond Christmas and birthdays. We encourage our children to save and buy their own things.

My son wanted a NIntendo DS. We were not thrilled about the idea and told him he'd have to buy his own. It took him a while, but he did it. And he is very proud of that accomplishment.

He saved birthday money and Christmas money. He did some work for our neighbors. They paid him to move their trash cans and check their mail while they were out of town. When we had a garage sale, we let him keep anything he sold (which encouraged him to get rid of more toys :) ). He did ask if there were special chores he could do to earn money and when we could think of something extraordinary, we do agree to pay him for it.

Any money our kids have, they are allowed to spend it any way they see fit (although we have veto power over purchases if we need it.). They have to pay with their cash. When they say that wallet getting empty, they know they are limiting what they can buy. I think if we did an allowance and they got it in their heads that next week they "get" more money, they would not think about their purchases so carefully. And we will start an allowance when they get older and the chores become more difficult.

You can set up three systems simultaneously.

1. chores - these are jobs which fall upon your child and are his responsibility. it is his contribution to his/ the family's upkeep. at 5 these can include, walk/ feed the pets, sort/ load/ fold the laundry, clean his room (nightly - anything left out on the floor, on a counter, out of place, can be held hostage for a week), set the table, water the plants, load the dishwasher, unload the dishwasher, make a salad, empty the waste bins, clean the bathroom (mild cleansers), make breakfast for the fam on sunday (they can be trusted to toast some frozen waffles), do their home work, make their beds.

2. allowance - some small amount of money given to a child on a pre-ordained basis. this is really used to teach your child about money, and your values about money, including tithing, saving, interest, borrowing, lending, and spending as appropriate.

3. earning - big jobs, out of the ordinary list of chores etc can be assigned and have earning power attached to them. At 5, I think this would include things like sweeping sidewalks/ patios, scrubbing grout, doing windows, raking, weeding, laundering everyone's linens, washing the car, shoveling, tool down the size of the job and your expectations to your child's ability, but they should still be out of the ordinary jobs, you can get them to seek work from close friends, families and neighbors too if they are intent on earning money to get something beyond their budget.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

Some might boo me, but last week, I had off of work and was able to watch the View, I like the show, I don't care what others think. Anyway, they had one day dedicated to parenting. This guy they had on, has 7 kids and all of them were working at 5 years old selling something. He said, he wanted to instill good money management with his children at an early age, so they are responsible adults. One thing he said that really stuck, is that "no one tips mom for a great dinner, why should a kid get a tip for cleaning their room." Any time they want something, they have to come up with the money. First to see the value of their hard work, and they will appreciate and take care of their item better. There 8 year old son, sold candybars or made cookies to buy his own $300 laptop. That kid will take better care of it than a child who just gets it. The other thing this man said, is most parents (I do this a lot) will tell their kid, "wait for your birthday or Christmas" for that item. He said we are teaching our kids that if they wait long enough they will get what they want, without having to do anything.

Personally, I wouldn't pay them an allowance for making their bed. But do like this guy did, next time they want something, say, here is a jar so you can start earning money for what you want. A 5/6 year old could go outside and pick some weeds, or sticks in the yard. You don't have to make him earn all of the money, but half of it, or something.

Most definitely...and you will find some are more eager than others.

My 7 year is the eager one:
She helps with loading the dishwasher (rinses too) and unloading (only some items).
Laundry (loves to fold and put away! I will milk this as long as I can)
Counter tops in the bathroom and the floor (she again likes to mop) and the mirror (which I often have to redo)
Cleans her room
Vacuums
Helps dad in the yard (dog poo, sticks, weeds)
Wipe down the kitchen table

My four year: Not so keen on the whole chore thing but knows that good stuff comes when you get things done, and find himself talking his sister into doing a lot for him.

Helps dad in the yard
Cleans his room
Puts his own laundry away ( I do have to tell him which drawer to put each pile in)
Vacuums when sissy will let him
Wipe down the kitchen table
Folds towels and washclothes
Tries to fold blankets but gets frusterated

We do not pay our children to do these chores...however we do a lot of family outings of different varieties and they know that if these things are not done then we do not go have fun. We are big into nature walks, bike rides, playgrounds, movies, aquarium, zoo type stuff so they may not know some of it cost money but they do know that chores come first.

We also do not make them make their beds...I don't make mine so I don't "make" them make theirs. If they've shown an interest in a chore I let them try if I think they can do it...if they don't like it we find a common ground.

ETA: our daughter has been saving her Christmas money! She cannot seem to find that something(s) that she wants to spend it on. It changes often...so we (she/dad &I) discussed it and when she can go two weeks wanting the same item, we will talk about her purchasing that said item. It's been 7 months!

They both collect piggy banks and ALL are full of change. What the "washer the person finds the washer person keeps"...(same goes for the chore doer) if find change around the house and you've picked it up...it's yours! A snooze you loose attitude but I bet they've got $50 in those banks!

We have chores they should do, as part of the day to day routine. Like make your bed, put your dishes in the sink or dishwasher, put your clothes in the hamper.

Then there are chores you do to contribute - unload or load the dishes, take out the trash, feed and water the pets.

We did $1 for elementary school, $5 for middle school and either $10 or $20 per week (DH handled it so I forget which) for HS.

As they got older, they were expected to do more with their money and more to earn their money. For example, HS meant taking the trash to the bins AND taking the bins to the curb weekly - without being told to.

He is unlikely to be old enough to do something undefined like "clean your room" without assistance, but you can get him to fold laundry while watching cartoons in the livingroom with you. Then help him put it away. He can set the table. He can take dishes to the sink. He can feed the cat. Etc.

We also have options to earn - like mowing the lawn for $20 a week (ours and the neighbor). The big kids usually did that when they needed pocket money or gas money.

Before the sks graduated, DH sat down and made them learn how to balance a checkbook, make a budget, prioritize, understand interest and credit and any other money management thing they needed. Even now my DD knows to read the price per unit for groceries and we evaluate the item not just on the sale price, but how much we actually pay per unit. It's just the way we work. The kids' wants change when it is THEIR money. If SD wanted Froot Loops and it was not on the list for the week, she could buy it herself and then it was hers. Or she could decide that Cheerios was just fine and save her money. We never went so far as to make them pay for their own lunches or all their clothes, but I think they are doing OK.

We didn't specifically dock allowance per item not done, but reticence to do chores as expected could include loss of allowance (like all of it) depending on the infraction. Chores were still expected to be done. No money didn't mean "off the hook". We also fined SS $10 every time he was late and missed the bus. Money was his motivator.

By the way, in HS they were expected to pick up a summer job (or not drive - they pay their own insurance) and by graduation, allowance ended.

I'm not really sure why a 5 year old needs money, does he have a girlfriend to impress?
JK!!!
But seriously, my kids didn't really start asking for things/money until they hit their tween years, so that's when we started paying them for EXTRA work.
Prior to that, we all had chores around the house, and no allowance.
Though I must say making beds was never one of them, I HATED the way my kids did it so I just did it myself :)
But they took out trash, watered plants, put their laundry away and fed the pets, that kind of thing.
The paid/extra work includes things like pulling weeds, cleaning the garage and washing/vacuuming the cars
If he wants to EARN something (like a new toy or video game) then figure out what you think he can do well and responsibly and assign it to him, with the understanding that X number of days or hours are required for him to earn it. If he's mature enough he will follow through, otherwise you know he's still too young to understand the concept :)

My son is 6 and gets an allowance. He gets 5$ a week for keeping his room and bathroom clean which includes making his bed, picking up toys, cleaning the toilet and wiping out the tub. He recently started swiftering the bathroom floor. He also feeds his pets.

My girls are 6 and 4 right now and the only chores that we sometimes pay them for involve chores that help the family. As for their room...they don't get paid to clean that up nor if they picking up toys around the house.

However, they have in the past helped with laundry, dishes, dusting, and even cleaning the bathroom. Those are things we've given them small amounts of money for. But they do not have a regular set of chores.

One thing I do more-so now for my daughter is make her save up her own money to purchase things she wants. She gets more appreciation as to how much it costs for something this way. I also don't frivolously purchase things for them when we go to stores. I tell them they either have to save their money or wait until their birthday. (Not saying you do this....but my sister does. It is not fun going shopping with her and her kids sometimes.)

We have certain chores they have to do.... pick things up in thier room, take baths, brush teeth, sort laundry. They dont get paid for those things. But I will make up extra stuff for money. Like clean glass doors with windex wipes (they only get half way up) dust furniture, help pick up leaves outside, organize the garage. I will give pay them and encourage them to negotiate on the extra stuff.

My friend had the chores divided up by age. The 3 year old was supervised by a big kid, ages 12 and up, and the 3 yr. old sorted the silverware out of the dishwasher and put it in the right slot in the drawer. It teaches the basics needed for later critical thinking. They also got to start out sorting laundry. Even a little child knows a pair of jeans from a towel.

There are all sorts of jobs a 3, 4, 5, and even a 6 yr. old can do that would be a teaching opportunity. Like going and picking up all the items in the house that are not in their place that are round or green or similar, all sorts of things can be done with this age group that is not like work.

Well my daughter will be 5 in September and I'm sort of wondering this myself. I don't know how much to add on to what she already does (which isn't that much) but I was thinking I wasn't going to pay her. At some point I guess I want her to have her own money, but I sorta feel like paying for chores sets the wrong precedent, like she should get paid to help out around the house. But, I don't know, I'm new at this too! I'll be interested to see what other responses are!

Right now my daughter's one main chore is to take the recycling from the kitchen into the garage and put it in the bin. I'm not even sure she knows that is her chore b/c she likes doing it and usually volunteers before I even ask her! ;) She usually does this once a day, but not always, depends on what we have to recycle I guess! She also has to clear her dishes from the table and I usually have her help me with a few more dishes too. Sometimes I ask her to help me set the table but not regularly. I don't have her make her own bed, mostly because I just don't care, but that's me.

Cheryl B and AV have excellent ideas.

We started our kids doing chores when they turned 5. They did the ones they were capable of doing. They washed the breakfast dishes (plastic and almost unbreakable) and silverware. He fed the dog and made sure there was water in his dish. He fed the chickens and told us if there were eggs.

We paid him, not because he "earned the money", but so we could teach him about tithing and living within his means. How to live within your means, paying tithing and to save for the future are three of the most important things you can teach your kids.

Good luck to you and yours.

we have chores that he is expected to do (mine will be 6 at the end of september) such as feeding the animals, clearing his plate after dinner, etc. Harder, "extra" stuff, is what his allowance ($3 per week) is based on. if he goes all week doing as he is asked without (too much) complaining or fussing, then at the end of the week he gets his allowance. those things are usually emptying the dishwasher (a few times per week so that's a good one - if he can't reach something he leaves it on the table. i will check after and either finish or help him to put away those things), moving laundry, vacuuming, cleaning his room (i'm not one to force them to clean their room just for the sake of it...my house isn't spotless and their room is their space, imo, so i figure i can't be throwing stones, and it's his space. BUT if he wants to go visit grandma, or we go on vacation, then i usually have him do it before that) just some examples. good luck - mine has been doing SOME kind of chores since he was about 2 1/2-3. then it was getting himself dressed for daycare, and feeding his fish. we even made a checklist. he didn't start doing more chores, for allowance, until he was 5.

"Should you really give money to a child for making their beds? Shouldn't they HAVE to do that?"

I'm right there with you, K1. This is why I keep allowance and chores as two separate entities for my five year old. I think we get into some weird motivation and power struggles if we are paying kids for what they are *supposed to* be doing.

In regard to allowance, we give our five year old son one dollar a week on Fridays. Only if he had damaged something and needed to pay back the cost would we withhold his allowance (if he's paying financially to make amends for something broken due to carelessness or purposefully. We haven't had to cross that bridge yet.). With this dollar a week, he is learning 'how much' things really cost, esp. when he asks to go to the toy store with five dollars and starts saying "I want to get this." My answer "Well, how much do you think it is?" He is learning that some toys cost far and away more than he has in his pocket, and he's actually made some good choices.

In regard to tasks he needs to help with, here's our list of daily responsibilities: (in relative order of our day)
Get dressed
Dirty clothes to laundry OR pjs under pillow
Brush teeth/go potty (before leaving house for school or outings)
Hang up his coat/tote (upon return)
Unpack lunchbox (if a school day)
Put clean clothes away (on laundry days)
Quiet playtime (yes, I do consider it a 'chore' for him)
Clean up bedroom/play areas
Set table for dinner
Put on pjs/ day clothes to laundry
Go Potty/brush teeth/wash face (bedtime)
hair wash (self care)
baths/shower
Recycling (on that day)
Put away groceries
Watch for crosswalk lights (because he needs practice)
Put away toys outside/cover sandbox (when finished outdoors)
(And there are above+beyond extra tasks to do if he wants to earn extra money. Today, he put away all the folded kitchen linens where they belonged, properly (correcting mistakes) and earned a dime. He gets a penny per flower for picking our dandelions before they puff out. etc.)

There is no financial consequence for not completing his responsibilities and to be honest, I really assess the day. If he'd been trucking along with me outside on a hot day (because we do a lot of walking), I might just set the table myself because he's tired. However, on most days, that consequence would be natural "Oh, we can't eat dinner because there's no silverware!Oops! Go make it right!"

Sometimes, the consequence would be time out (not cooperating with self-care tasks, for example); sometimes, if he refused to put his toy away, the toy would go away for a week. A couple times he fussed and whined so much about taking care of his toys outside/sandbox that they simply 'weren't available' the next time he went outside. And some things-- well, let's say he's not finished with his bedtime self-care tasks at the time we start stories.... then that extra time spent in the bathroom comes out of the 20 minute storytime we've allotted. Dragging your feet getting dressed in the morning might mean that the next few days there's no breakfast until you are dressed.

I should also add that he generally helps out a lot, and gets lots of thank yous for that. He's great at helping prep food for dinner, too.

This might seem a bit complex, but it is in this way that we keep the money (an allowance-- because he is a person with desires and so we let him learn how to use money wisely) separate from being a beloved and integral member of the family. The help and contribution that comes with his tasks makes our time as a family more pleasant, and *that's* the reward.:)

PS- we don't do dishes because I have old, antique dishes that I really like AND we don't have a dishwasher. However, he is selling some toys at our garage sale. Also, because his allowance is smaller, if there's a toy we think would be great for him ( like Capla blocks) we'd fund part of it; however, he's saving for a bow and arrow-- and we don't subsidize weapons, nor junk toys.

I just read something a few days ago (Parent's magazine, maybe?) that was saying children as young as 2 can do simple chores like cleaning their place at the table and putting the dishes on the counter, throwing away trash, watering small plants, etc. My guy is 3 and picks up his toys, tosses trash, puts his dirty clothing in the hamper, and takes his dishes to the sink. And like the article said every year I'll add some things to the list of what he does. If you have a pet he can be responsible for feeding and watering it, etc.

Chores are an everyday thing, and I don't pay, which the article also pointed out not to do, you're teaching your child responsibility, and that he has a place in the family.