Chores

Right after Emily turned 4 we decided to give her chores and let her earn some money.  We did this mostly to help her learn about money.  We want her to learn about the math of money but mostly we want her to learn how to be responsible with her money.  She loves to help so she has been excited to do chores.  It is up to her how many chores she does in a day if any.  She gets a sticker for each chore that goes on a chart.  She earns 5 cents per sticker and she gets "paid" at the end of the week.  She doesn't get a sticker for cleaning her room or putting her clothes in the hamper.  Those kind of things are expected.  Here is some examples of some of her chores she can earn a sticker for: helping with the laundry, helping to clean the kitchen, packing her lunch for school, feeding the dog and cat.  Here she is putting a sticker on her chart.

Her piggy bank has four sections: Donate, Invest, Save and Spend.  When she gets her money for the week we tell her she has to put money in the "Donate" section first.  We want her to know that it is important to give to God and other people who need it first.  Next she must put money in the "Invest" section.  This is money that will go in her bank account to save for her future.  Then she can decide where to put the rest of the money.  The "Spend" section is for money that she can spend right away like for ice cream or something.  The "Save" section is for her to save for something she wants like a new toy.

   It's a really cool piggy bank.  Obviously, later in life she will learn more about earning money, paying bills etc. but for now we feel like this is a good start.