Paying your children to do chores around the house is a complex issue. Linking your children’s chores to pocket money might lead to bargaining about how much chores are worth. This is a battle that has been ongoing in my household. It might also interfere with the idea of doing chores just because everyone in the family has a responsibility to help.
But no single rule is right for every family. If your children feel motivated by doing chores for pocket money, go with it. You might even consider giving bonuses for extra chores if your child is saving for something special. If you decide to pay pocket money for chores, explain chores clearly so there is no confusion or bargaining about what needs to be done and when.
Questions to get your child talking
Children ask a lot of questions. Sometimes the questions repeat themselves. Most of the time we have answered them over and over. And let’s be honest, we have been known to ignore one or two here and there or do an internal eye-roll over the constant barrage of why’s and how’s. To be fair, research shows that young children ask over 300 questions each day—and so we can’t really be expected to answer all of them. (Right?)
But here’s the thing, kids should actually be encouraged to ask more questions—not fewer! But, make it a point to ask them just as many questions in return. After all, it is proven that children mimic the words, patterns, routines, and behaviour of their parents. So move beyond the basic “How was your day?” and consider questions like:
– What do you like daydreaming about?
– What makes you happy?
– What have your friends been up to?
– What do you look forward to when you wake up?
– What character makes you laugh the most?
– How do you show people you care?
– If you wrote a book, what would it be about?
– How do you best like helping others?
– What makes your friends so awesome?