Raise your hand if your preschooler keeps asking you for little odds and ends at the store. It’s good to know that I am not alone. However, trying to teach your preschooler the value of money can be hard. This is where earning an allowance comes in. An allowance for preschoolers? Yep. It works for us.
Preschoolers can save money to buy small toys outside of holidays and special occasions, to go do activities or to donate to their favorite causes. In our house, an allowance is something a child gets for doing “x amount” of chores that are above and beyond what we expect of him. If you want your preschooler to earn an allowance, here are a few ideas.
Pick up toys off the floor
Perhaps one of the best chores for a preschooler to earn an allowance is by picking up toys off the floor. This is an easy chore and not one that requires a lot of strength. Personally, this is not a chore that we’d give our son money for because we expect him to do it already, but if your child has siblings and helps them, that may be reward-worthy.
Help wash windows
This is a fun one for little preschoolers, so you may want to invest in some chemical free window wash or make your own. Giving a preschooler a spray bottle and paper towel to wash windows is actually fun for them. My little guy loves cleaning windows.
Help do the laundry
As a mom, it’s hard to bend over anyway, so having a preschooler to help with the laundry is awesome in so many ways. Have your preschooler help put laundry in the washer and later into the dryer. Preschoolers can also help sort and fold laundry… towels and washcloths, at least. And don’t forget to let them help put them away in everyone’s drawers. They will love this, love helping you, and love the allowance that comes with it.
Allow your preschooler to help wash the dishes
Our dishwasher needs a little help sometimes, so pre-washing is a must for some things. I let our son help wash the silverware (except knives) and plastic cups, bowls and plates. I do the glassware myself, of course.
Vacuuming the floor is always fun
Let your preschooler help vacuum the floor. Vacuuming is like magic for kids. Seriously, it’s our son’s favorite chore. Too bad for moms, we know it’s a never-ending cycle. However, it’s the perfect allowance earning chore for preschoolers. We let him vacuum our living room, which is pretty much just a long rectangle, as it’s pretty easy to navigate. If you have stairs in your home, your preschooler could work wonders with a small handheld vacuum.
Feed the pets
Our dog is our son’s best friend, and he’s a big fan of the cat, too. If your kids love their pets (and who doesn’t?) then feeding the pets is an excellent chore and a great way to teach them responsibility. Pets need to be fed and watered at certain times every day. Ours are fed first thing in the morning and in the evening before dinner. Create a daily am/pm feeding chart to help your kiddo keep track of when the feeding is done.
Do you have preschoolers? What chores do you let them do to earn an allowance?
Get our minion chore chart for your preschooler! It’s a great way to keep track of regular chores or extra chores for allowance purposes.
