Chore reward

What It Means

A chore reward is what someone gets for finishing a household job. It can be money, points that add up to money or a treat, or a privilege such as choosing the weekend movie. Families often use chore rewards with children to connect effort with earning, and the same idea works for a shared tally among adults.

How It Sounds at Home

• "That's worth ten points."
• "You can cash in your points on Saturday."
• "Raking the whole yard is an extra-big job."

The Breakdown

Worked example. A family gives points for three kinds of jobs and pays 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more cents a point:

65 points × 10 cents = $6.50 a week, or $26.00 over four weeks. These are example numbers; no official rate exists, so set yours to fit your budgetBudgetA plan for a set period, usually a month, that lists the money you expect to receive and how you'll spend or save it. See more.

What the result means. The weekly figure is what your system costs if every job gets done every time, so check it fits your budget before you announce the rates. If one job makes up most of the points, skipping it once will cut the week's reward sharply, so the share line in the calculator is worth a look.

Choosing what earns a reward. Utah State University Extension suggests thinking twice before tying all of an allowanceAllowanceA set amount of money a child gets on a regular schedule to manage, often with an agreement about what it has to cover. See more to chores, since some parents want everyday chores to be part of belonging to the family. Its alternative is paying for extra-large jobs, such as washing windowsWindow cleaningWashing window glass, inside and out, so it's clear and streak-free; window makers suggest doing it at least twice a year. See more or raking leaves.

Good to Know

Utah State University Extension notes that tying an allowance to chores may not work for every child, and suggests saving pay for extra-large jobs. For younger children it describes a paid chore day with very small amounts paid right away, such as 1 cent per washcloth folded, 5 cents for taking out the trash and a dime for sweeping. The CFPB's Money as You Grow page on earning points out that children can earn through an allowance or by doing jobs for the family or for others. Match each job to what your child can safely do at their age.

Related Terms and Categories

• Chore money

  Money a child earns for jobs around the house, often paid for extra work beyond the chores everyone in the family is expected to do.

• Sticker chart

  A chart where a young child earns a sticker right after each target behavior, with stickers adding up to small and larger rewards.

• Token economy

  A reward system where a person earns tokens, like stars or points, for target behaviors and trades them for chosen rewards.

• Age-appropriate chores

  Household jobs matched to what a child can safely and realistically do at their age, growing in difficulty as they get older.

Chores, cleaning and home care