Should I Have a Rewards System for My Child's Chores?

This is a tough question. Getting a reward for chores will certainly make most children more willing to do them. But at the same time, you don't want your child to feel entitled to some sort of compensation for everything he or she does around the house. One solution is to have several mandatory, unrewarded chores, and optional chores that get a reward when done. There are still things they are expected to do, while at the same time they have the option of taking on more chores to earn rewards. Here are some tips when deciding on a reward system for your child's chores.

Have a list of basic chores

And for those chores, there should be no reward. Examples include basic things you expect your child to do on a regular basis without prodding. These chores will vary depending on your child's age and abilities. For a teen or preteen those chores may include: making his bed, taking out the garbage, and washing his own dishes after dinner. A younger child's chores could include: feeding his pet, cleaning up toys after playing, and putting any dirty clothes straight in the hamper.

Have a list of optional chores
Optional chores can be things you wouldn't normally expect your child to do, but if she chooses to do them, she'll get some kind of reward. For an older child these optional chores could include: Doing all the dishes after dinner, vacuuming, or even babysitting younger siblings for a teen. For a younger child optional chores could be: helping you fold laundry, raking leaves, or setting the table for meals.

Reward system
Decide how often your child gets rewarded and what the reward is. It can be as small as getting a sticker each time he cleans his room before bed, or as big as a day out to a special place of his choosing when he does the dishes 10 times. Or he can collect stickers and certain numbers of stickers "buy" him different rewards. A teen will most likely appreciate money as a reward. To keep track of optional chores done you can put up a chart in his room and mark off each day that he completes an optional chore. Getting a reward can also be dependent on doing his basic chores; if he misses one of his basic chores, for example, you can make him have to do another optional chore to get a reward.


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