Pocket money and chores

[Peppadog]

My 6 (nearly 7) year old wants to start getting pocket money.
I'd like to link it to chores as I want to start instilling some sense of responsibility in him. What sort of chores do your children this age do? How do you link them to pocket money? I'd be interested in some ideas. I'm not looking to have him slaving away but would just like to get him used to helping as I have three kids and don't want to be a slave for the next 18 years!

Same age DD here and we’re going to start pocket money soon. Personally, I don’t agree with linking it to chores. People should help around the house because they’re part of the family, not for money. Life won’t work like that when they’re grown up.

Mine opens his curtains, makes his bed and folds up his pyjamas up when he gets up/gets dressed. He makes sure his room is tidy before he goes to bed and all toys etc are put away. He has to take his cups, plates etc into the kitchen when he's finished with them and put his crisp/sweet wrappers in the bin and not leave them for me to pick up. He has to put his coat, shoes and school bag in the right place when he gets home, not just chuck them down on the floor.

If he sees me with the vacuum cleaner out he often asks to have a go and does a good job but I'll leave that one until he's older.

I was pondering this recently. I link school work to screen time. I think when my child starts getting pocket money, I suspect it will be when he gets to secondary, I’m going to link his pocket money to his homework not chores. Then it benefits him in the long run and I don’t have to feel aggrieved when a chore is done half arsed and I have to come along afterwards and redo it.

Interesting. We actually started a chart about 6 months ago which was linked to pocket money. The reason we did it was because we were really struggling with getting him to get dressed in the morning, brush his teeth etc. It was always an argument and drama.
So we created a chart with about 5 things on per day (get dressed by x time, teeth, put bowl in dishwasher, put dinner plate in dishwasher, put clothes away after getting dressed)
He loved having the chart but he became obsessed with crossing them off and sometimes would cross them off even if he hadn't done them and if he didn't get a tick he would get upset. It caused too many issues so we abandoned it.
That's why I'm looking for a different approach.
To those that don't link chores to pocket money, how do you incentivise them to do them? I don't want to nag all the time and my son isn't naturally helpful in that way.

Linking homework to pocket money is a good idea

This

And also for just general politness and kind behaviour over the week

@Skyeheather are you saying your child does these things for pocket money? If so do you make sure all of it is done for pocket money and how much money do you give?
Or do you give money depending on how helpful they've been that week?

Pocket money is pocket money.
Chores are done as part of the family.
Aged 7, mine would - I think - put dirty clothes in the basket, help sort and put away clean washing, clear table after dinner, help strip bed, and then put a pillowcase on while I did the rest of the sheets. Basically, helping with stuff, but rarely totally independent.

We all have Saturday jobs in this house. Myself and husband included. The kids do their part to earn their pocket money. Son hoovers the house and cleans the bathroom (teenager) and my 7 year old earns hers by tidying her room, dusting the house and emptying the upstairs bins into a bin bag. We don't expect them to do an amazing job and I keep up with this housework during the week while I work from home but it's a team effort and instils in them that everyone does their fair share. My son used to also have to tidy his room but realised if he kept it tidy all week its one less job to do!

My 6 year old gets £1 a week. She doesn't spend it every week so she has a fair old chunk of money in her money box.

We don't link to chores for same reasons as previous posters. She's expected to help set the table and clear it after dinner and make her bed, open her curtains every day. If she moans about helping then she gets The Talk about how we are a family and we're all expected to pitch in and help the house run smoothly.

My 11 year old moans most about helping around the house and we sometimes have to remove privileges like screen time if she gives us too much attitude but that doesn't happen very often. She gets £11 per month pocket money but also not linked to chores.

I agree, pocket money should be unconditional.

For us chores are compulsory not optional so they are separate to pocket money.

The same as @Skyeheather , although my nearly 4 year old does most of those too. My 7 year old also helps to sort her clean washing, puts clean washing away, fills water glasses and puts them on the table for meal times.