How to Decide When to Give Your Child an Allowance

When should you start giving your child an allowance? The subject of allowances can be a hot topic among parents. “How much money should I give? Should I give them an allowance based on chores, or good grades? Should it be weekly?” These are all excellent questions with answers that can easily be found on the internet. So when a friend of mine brought up the idea of an allowance for my 4-year-old daughter, Anne, I immediately did some web research about the hows and whys of giving children allowances. But I couldn’t find an answer about when you should start giving a child an allowance. How young is too young for an allowance?

I’ve done some soul searching, and I’ve come to a confusion that I think will be reasonable for most parents. Yes, I have decided to start giving Anne an allowance at four years old. But it’s based upon several factors that you, as a parent, will need to take into consideration. These are the factors I kept in mind when I came to my final decision about Anne’s allowance.

The maturity of the child.

When I first started thinking about giving Anne an allowance, my first thought was: “She’s just too young!” But after further reflection, I decided I hadn’t given my daughter enough credit. Yes, she’s four years old, but she can be fairly mature for her age (far more mature than I was, anyway!) and I believe that she could handle a little more responsibility. To me, the maturity of your child is more important than their actual age. I’ve known 10 year old children who are less mature than their 6 year old siblings, and I’ve known 4 year olds who, to put it nicely, act like kittens running on hyper drive. So the question to ask yourself is this: Is my child mature enough to handle having their own money?

I should point out that I have been having my daughter put her allowance money in a piggy bank, and I don’t let her keep it on her person unless we are going out and she wants to use her allowance money. While she is responsible when we’re out shopping and she knows she can spend her own money, I don’t think she’s quite ready to have a full time purse or wallet with her money inside.

Why you want to give them an allowance.

Can you answer this question: “Why do I want to give my child an allowance?” Your answers will probably range from “To give them more responsibility” to “To get them to clean their bedroom every week.” This factor isn’t necessarily about deciding whether or not you will give them an allowance, but it’s important to consider why you want to start an allowance at all.

Personally, I think that basic chores like keeping a room tidy, helping out with dishes and cleaning, etc, are all essential parts of growing up inside a home. I decided that I wanted to give Anne an allowance because it would help her, as cliché as it sounds, see the value of a dollar. I would really like Anne to grow up knowing that money doesn’t come easily and that it must be worked for.

What the child must do to earn an allowance.

As I said above, I think that basic chores are essential and not something to reward with money. However, that is just my personal preference. If you do decide an allowance is based on chores, that’s your own decision and I respect it. It certainly makes the criteria of what the child must do easier!

If you do have standards for how a child must earn their allowance, you should think of concrete criteria for the consistent doling out of that weekly cash. Do they have to do a certain amount of basic chores each say, such as washing dishes or vacuuming? Or will the allowance be based on extra assigned chores, like washing a car or taking the dog to the groomers? Or do they need to show a consistent work ethic when it comes to studying and school work? It’s important to really set solid standards, especially for older children, so that if you deny them an allowance you can point them to the clear-cut allowance rules for an explanation.

As for Anne, because she’s young I am basing her allowance around completing simple additional chores around the house. For example, she earned her allowance two weeks ago by helping me paint an old table, sorting a basket of sewing beads by color, and kneading dough for homemade tortillas one night. She knows that if I ask her to do something special, she is going “above and beyond” what’s expected of her and will earn herself some money.

How much you will give the child.

This last factor is definitely going to vary for many parents. Your personal income, the age of your child, and how much you are willing to give are all going to play a part in deciding how much you your child will receive for an allowance. Some people go by the age of their child and give them a dollar for each year in their age. So, for example, a 10-year-old would receive $10.00 each week, while a 15-year-old would receive $15.00. Other parents choose to factor in their personal income or the needs of their child and give them more or less each week. For example, a parent who decides not to pay for any hot school lunches for a teenager may factor in extra money so they can purchase food at school. Whatever you decide, always be sure you can afford giving that amount per week in your personal budget. It won’t do you any good to be out $100 each month for allowance when you can’t pay all your bills!

As for me? I decided to use the About.com Pediatrics Allowance Calculator to help me make my choice. I decided to give Anne $4.00 in allowance each week, provided she helps me with special chores when I ask. I think that this is more than enough for my 4 year old, who has just informed me she is going to keep her money in her piggy bank until she has enough for a Barbie car.

At least Barbie won’t need insurance!


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