Instructions

Many parents provide their kids with some sort of an allowance, and many of those parents also require them to work for that money. So today, we’re going to consider the benefits (both for parent and child) of having kids earn it. Here are 10 reasons why kids should work for their allowance:

1. They will learn the value of a buck. There’s a world of difference between an allowance and a salary. When a child is required to earn the money, its value becomes more tangible. Speaking of allowance vs, salary …
2. An allowance should be earned by performing jobs, not chores. In this way, your kid will see how there are things in life that one must do for themselves without any benefit other than having gotten them done, like household chores. Then there are jobs they must also do to earn a living and pay the bills.
3. Nothing is free. Understanding that is an abstract concept for a young person until they are called upon to pay for it themselves. You want something, you need to earn it.
4. They can develop a sense of financial worth, or earning potential. Understanding what certain tasks are worth monetarily is one part of preparing for the adult labor force that awaits them.
5. Instill in them a work ethic. It’s important for a child to learn that they have to earn their keep in this world. The need for sustenance is a strong motivator for getting out of bed and going to work each day.
6. Appreciation for material wealth. Everyone loves to have things. Kids especially want to have all sorts of great stuff like video consoles, cell phones, clothes, etc. They will appreciate what they have much more once they start paying for it with money they had to earn.
7. Conversely, it’s surprising to realize how many material things you can do without when you’re spending your own money instead of someone else’s. Kids learn to economize and the value of moderation, or frugality.
8. On that subject, a child who is required to earn their keep will have the opportunity to hone bookkeeping skills, accounting, balancing a budget. These are essential skills for a young adult to master.
9. Time management is another necessary in the adult world. It’s incumbent upon an employee in any occupation to make maximum use of their time. When that time has a monetary value attached to it, a child learns the meaning to the adage that time is money.
10. Prioritizing is part of growing into adulthood also. Learning that they have to set priorities when managing a budget, their time, and their purchases prepares them for the realities of adulthood.

We’re too old to remember a time when we couldn’t tie our own shoelaces, unless we include that New Year’s Eve party a couple of months ago. In which case, we’re not sure any of these next techniques would have sunken into our inebriated heads anyway. For the record, and to refresh some cobweb-covered memories, we’ll share 5 classic ways to teach kids how to tie their shoes:

1. The Bunny Ear Method – Teaching the child that the bunny first needs a head, they will make an ‘X’ out of the laces and tie the first knot. Then, show the child how to loop the loose ends, making the bunny ears, then tie them together. This, you inform the child, will make the bunny’s ears tight, so they won’t fall off.
2. The Squirrel and the Tree Method – This technique will teach your child to tie a shoelace knot using the single loop method. Start off the tree by tying some “roots”, which will of course be the basic ‘X’ knot as above. Have them hold a loop of lace in one hand, which will be the tree. Now then, you say, ‘a squirrel runs around the tree, and into the hole below’. Have the child wrap the other lace end around the ‘tree’ and into the ‘hole’ below to form the knot.
3. The Indian and the Teepee – This shoe-tying teaching aid makes use of a poem to go along with the visual. An Indian who is building a teepee is used to help the kid visualize how to tie the knot:
• Build a tee pee
• Come inside
• Close it tight so we can hide
• Over the mountain
• And around we go
• Here’s my arrow
• And here’s my bow!
4. A Really Big Shoe – If your child is having trouble mastering her shoe-tying skills, it sometimes helps to provide a bigger-than-life model to work with. You can cut out a big shoe from cardboard, and let your child decorate it. Punch lace holes in the cutout and let her lace it.
5. Different Color Laces – As a way of helping your kid differentiate between left and right when teaching him to tie a shoe, you can use two different color laces. Now, instead of having to say, “take the right lace and tuck it under the loop”, you can tell him to use the red one instead.