GreatDad asked us to contribute learning about chores and allowance gleaned from our web service - Active Allowance. So we’ll see you here from time to time with guest articles.Here’s some personal learning and preferences from more than 3 years using our system with our 4 kids and discussing this with a great many Active Allowance members. I’ve tried to distill a ton of stuff down to just a few core thoughts…..

really!…. This is the pared back version! First, some key underlying principles, then the high level mechanics of how it works.

We’re a team

I love teaching our kids that we’re a team and we each have a role to play in making the family unit successful (fill in your personal definition of “successful” here). Mum and/or Dad may be the ones whose role is to earn income externally, and the kids’ primary role is to go to school and learn. However, there are many areas where the kids can share in the family effort and therefore earn their share in the family income.

Responsibilities, not chores

I see chores in a broader role - that’s why I instead prefer to call them Responsibilities. It’s not just about getting jobs done - it’s about the kids’ role in helping the family run better in an age appropriate manner. For younger kids,

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