Tis the season for helping out at home and sharing with people in need
Getting kids to clean their rooms and do other chores around the house is usually a constant battle for parents. But, very soon kids will be hard at work writing letters and making lists of the toys and games they hope to receive for Christmas creating the perfect opportunity for parents to re-motivate their kids.
Santa and his elves will be watching to make sure those chores are getting done and that valuable lessons are being learned as well. For parents with a busy holiday schedule, follow these simple tips to get kids to help more around the house and keep them motivated year-round because Santa is always watching.
Make Like an Elf – It might be hard for kids to understand the concept of a job so put it in holiday terms. Santa and the elves are working hard to make the toys and games, so kids need to work hard to earn them. Treat their chores as their first job and an opportunity to start teaching them about spending, saving, donating and investing.
Divide Up Hosting Housework – Assign your children tasks that match their ages and skill sets to get the house ready for holiday guests. Make sure to give them a deadline to help teach time management and keep them focused. Pay them for the work they do and suggest they use the money to pay for small gifts for a family gift exchange.
Shovel Up the Savings – Broaden the concept of a “first job” for older kids by having them do chores for neighbors. You can either pay your kids for raking leaves and shoveling snow or talk to your neighbors about hiring your kids for a small amount. Have your kids put the money into savings and use this as an opportunity to teach them about the different types of interest that can be earned through savings accounts.
Spread Cheer – Going out of the way to help others during the holidays is in the spirit of the season. To teach kids the importance of helping others and make them feel like they are making a difference have them use part of their earnings from doing chores for a charitable donation or to buy gifts and food for families in need.
Stuff Stockings with Stocks – If you want your kids to help out with chores all year, not just during the holidays, give them a reason to be motivated. Adults work for a paycheck and kids will too, especially if their money starts growing in the stock market.
Gregg Murset, CEO BusyKid
The co-founder & CEO of BusyKid, Gregg is best known as the groundbreaking inventor of My Job Chart which grew to nearly 1 million members in four years. Gregg is a father of six and a certified financial planner and consultant who also became a leading advocate for sound parenting, child accountability and financial literacy.