Learning Responsibility
Caleb and Noah are getting older now (well, Caleb is and Noah HAS to do everything Caleb does!). So we have started trying to teach them how to be helpful members of this family. For their birthdays my parents gave them a chore chart. It is really neat. It is magnetic and has lots of different chores or even goals that you can choose from. We have chosen just 4 for the boys to do each day- clear the table, make their beds, get dressed and pick up their toys. Let me tell you- who knew a smiley face magnet could be so motivational! It turns out Caleb is really great at making his bed. Many mornings he gets up and gets dressed all on his own! And because of the chart, Noah has learned how to put his shoes on all by himself. And everyday they pick up their playroom with very little fussing. Seriously it is awesome!
But we also decided this would be a great time to start teaching them about money. If they complete their chores everyday for a week, they each get a $1 allowance. Jack and I were going to get some banks that we had seen before that were divided into three sections- spend, save and give. But, man, those banks are expensive! So, we went to Michael's and decided to make our own banks. It took our two heads put together, but we really like the end result. We bought clear cylinders that resemble paint cans. We used cardstock to create the three sections and let the boys decorate each section. And then with some hot glue and a little finagling we got the sections into the cans. Then Jack used his chisel to make the bank holes in the top of each section. The boys have loved it! Every week they put 10 cents into save, 10 cents into give and 80 cents into spend. At the end of the month they will give their giving section as a tithe at church and we will take the spending section to the store for their spending pleasure! Once the savings add up to more then we'll take that to the real bank. I am really proud of how the banks turned out and how helpful my boys are being around the house.
But we also decided this would be a great time to start teaching them about money. If they complete their chores everyday for a week, they each get a $1 allowance. Jack and I were going to get some banks that we had seen before that were divided into three sections- spend, save and give. But, man, those banks are expensive! So, we went to Michael's and decided to make our own banks. It took our two heads put together, but we really like the end result. We bought clear cylinders that resemble paint cans. We used cardstock to create the three sections and let the boys decorate each section. And then with some hot glue and a little finagling we got the sections into the cans. Then Jack used his chisel to make the bank holes in the top of each section. The boys have loved it! Every week they put 10 cents into save, 10 cents into give and 80 cents into spend. At the end of the month they will give their giving section as a tithe at church and we will take the spending section to the store for their spending pleasure! Once the savings add up to more then we'll take that to the real bank. I am really proud of how the banks turned out and how helpful my boys are being around the house.
Now, before you say there sure is a lot of money in those spend sections- we got the banks finished just as some Valentine's Cards arrived in the mail from both sets of grandparents with a little monetary treat in them. The boys couldn't wait to put the money in their banks!
Comments
Where did the chore chart come from? I'd love to get one of those for my kiddos!