Should kids get paid for chores? Brian thought the answer was an easy yes. He repairs heating and cooling systems in Des Moines, Iowa, and his son Dylan is 7. So he set a price on everything: a dollar for making the bed, a dollar for clearing the table, a dollar for feeding the dog.
Within a month, Dylan would not lift a finger without asking “How much?” The dollars disappeared at the dollar store by the weekend. And the store trips were still hard: a request at every checkout, a no from Dad, and tears on the way to the car.
Brian meant well. He just had a payment system and no plan, and the system was teaching Dylan that helping at home is a job.
What paying for every chore really teaches
Paying kids for work sounds like a great money lesson. The trouble starts when everything has a price. Kids stop helping just because they live in the home, and they start treating family life like a shop. Add no rule for saving, and the money is gone the day it arrives. The lesson becomes “earn and spend fast,” not “earn and plan.”
A dad at work with three kids told Brian how his family handled it. That weekend Brian sat down with a money course for kids that comes with games and parent scripts.
Telling the course about Dylan
First came questions about Dylan himself. Age: 7. How he learns: through games and anything with points. Money setup now: a dollar per chore. The hardest part: he spends right away and asks for things in every store. What to work on first: waiting and saving.
The plan for Dylan
everyday family jobs that everyone does for free, and bigger extra jobs that can earn money. Plus a weekly allowance with a saving part.
wants and needs, earning, a savings goal, choices. About 10 minutes a day, built into normal routines.
a kitchen-table store, a goal chart to color and mini challenges that give points.
calm, short scripts for the checkout, for spending too fast and for a meltdown.
The new deal went on the fridge: $3 every Sunday, $1 to spend and $2 to save. Making the bed is family work. Washing the car or raking leaves earns extra.
One month, one theme a week
Week 1 · Want or need? – they cut pictures from a store flyer and sorted them into two piles. The candy went into “need” for about five seconds.
Week 2 · Real work – the bed went back to being his job, no pay. Washing the car next to Dad earned $2, and he talked about it all evening.
Week 3 · Something to save for – a $25 remote control truck. He drew it at the top of his chart and colored in one box per dollar.
Week 4 · His choice – in a store, a $4 toy caught his eye. Brian said: “Your money, your choice. If you buy it, the truck comes later.” Dylan thought, then put it back.
Brian still talks about that aisle. It was the first time the decision to wait came from Dylan.
Unpaid chores, paid extras and fewer tears
Store trips got calmer week by week. Dylan began asking “Is that a want?” before his dad could. With everyday chores back to being family jobs, the “How much?” questions stopped too.
- Free family chores, paid extra jobs
- A small allowance on the same day
- A spend part and a save part
- One goal they can see
- Real choices with real results
- A price on every task
- Money with no saving rule
- Talks that go on too long
- Giving in when they cry
- Fixing every mistake for them
It took Dylan six weeks to reach $25. He counted it twice, then they drove to the store, and he handed the money to the cashier himself.
How the choices compare
Brian looked at the common ways parents try to teach money.
| Choice | Price | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Making it up as you go | Free | Rules that keep changing |
| Picture books about money | Around $10 to $20 | Nice stories, no daily system |
| Paid money apps for kids | Every month | Tracking on a screen, less time together |
| Kids Financial Literacy Course | $19 | An age-based 4-week course, allowance rules, games, scripts and printables |
“What if my child spends everything anyway?” Let it happen once. A small mistake at 7 costs a few dollars and teaches more than a talk. The course helps you stay calm, not fix it for them, and use the next allowance day to try again.
Others who made money make sense to their kids
“At 5, I thought my daughter was too little for this. The plan used pictures and a play store with real coins. She now knows a quarter beats a dime, and she asks to play shop every day.”
Molly D. · dental assistant, Aurora CO
“All his birthday money was gone in a day, and then came the tears. The scripts kept me from rescuing him. The next birthday, he saved half without me saying a word.”
Kelsey P. · pharmacy tech, Rochester NY
Starting with a toddler or preschooler? Try Child’s First Money Guide. Every child learns in their own way, and results are different for every family.
So, should kids get paid for chores? In Brian’s house the answer became “some of them.” Family jobs are free, extra work earns money, and part of every dollar is saved. That simple split did more than a year of saying no.
*Individual results may vary.
