Musings about getting little kids to understand the worth of things and saving as well as a Movember update.
As you will already know we have a helper and so pay for someone to do all the stuff around the house. You know taking out the trash or doing the washing up for example, so how do you make sure your kids learn to do stuff for themselves?
Our two are preschoolers so still little ones, but we are starting early. We make them clear their dishes and cups away from the table. Not sure how well this will work when we upgrade to non-plastic plates and cups, currently they get thrown into the sink. Well they can’t reach yet….
We also already have them earning pocket-money. So once a week they have to empty the cardboard box of recycling into the recycling wheelie bin. I think that it’s more effort for dad or mum than doing it ourselves and definitely more effort than just having it on the helpers to do list!
We setup the chairs around the bin so that they can reach, bring the recycling from the kitchen to the front garden, mediate disputes over who gets to put in what and then clear it all away again. For all this we then give the kids some coins to put into their money boxes!
So why am I bringing this up this week? Well last weekend the money boxes got full enough that it was time to count it out. Also we were heading to a toy-shop to buy a birthday present so seemed like a good time for them to treat themselves.
It was a first for the younger one but the older one had done this before. But this time we did it a bit differently, we actually counted the money rather than just going “yup it’s full you can go choose something”. The little one just had a good time emptying her money pot and putting them all back in. But the older one had good fun with daddy sorting then lining all the coins up to count them.
They both had great fun choosing their Duplo and hopefully are learning that you have to save up for things as well.
Movember
Here’s the latest photo, growth going well just need to decide on the design and start grooming!
Fund raising is going OK too, $230 dollars to me and $814 for the team so far. If you would like to donate then you can so here.
Kids really love counting coins. With the transition of new Singapore coins, my kids have been counting daily and playing with the new coins. Your fund-raising is encouraging!
Thanks, last time I did it I got over a thousand dollars. This time I got a bunch of folks to do it so even though I have personally not raised as much as a group it’s much higher 🙂
That’s a lot!
Mo looks good!
It’s pretty hard work teaching kids chores. Can you remind me again that it’s worth it in the long run?
It’s not worth it in the long run, just get a helper 😉 and them a helper that goes to uni with them 🙂
I see. Groom them to be rich and you’re ok. There’s a logic there. I guess your next post will be a rant against inheritance taxes? 😉
Does your older one understand the value of money already? We’ve been thinking of how, how much and when we’d start with pocket money.
Well done with the fundraising!
She doesn’t get how much a dollar is worth, she does realise that coins buy you stuff and that you have to save up for them 🙂
Maybe a good way to start teaching the value? Hm, need to think of how we do it. I do like the idea of “earning the money” and to think of how to save up for something. But at the same time I do want them to learn that home chores are the responsibility of everybody and that they are not always paid for. I did find the system at our friends house funny: their boys “bought” wii time by doing chores. They actually had to make a chart where the toilets could not be scrubbed too often… (their sons are preteens).
Great over clean toilets 🙂 The other way is star stickers for doing things well that can translate into any kind of treat.