Children need pocket money. Do children need pocket money - pros and cons. What should the amount depend on?

19.07.2023

With age, children have more and more new interests, and this is not surprising: what attracts the attention of a three-year-old baby is unlikely to interest a teenager. And one day the time comes when the child comes to the realization of his need for pocket money.

About whether teenagers really need pocket money, as well as the pros and cons of pocket money, you will learn from this article.

What is pocket money for?

Children gradually become more independent from their parents. At school, they have their own social circle, their own activities and habits. A child of school age is already an almost formed personality. But at the same time, he has not yet decided on his life goals and continues to experiment, learning from his mistakes and gaining such important life experience. And often this experience requires financial investments.

In addition, being in society, in a school team, the child wants to have his own money, at least in order not to look like a black sheep among more “advanced” classmates or, conversely, to stand out from the crowd and “show off” his comrades.

Why else do you need pocket money? To be able to have a bite to eat at a break, as well as to travel in the subway or taxi, to buy sweets and satisfy other children's desires and needs.

Many are concerned about the question of how much money to give children. It is impossible to give a single answer to it, since it depends on the financial well-being of each individual family. The amount of funds allocated to the child can be determined by gathering a “family council”, which must be attended by the child himself. Let him tell you what needs he needs money for, and depending on this, his weekly budget will be determined.

Pocket money: pros and cons

Among parents, disputes do not subside whether children need pocket money, or is it better to give them in doses, for specific purposes. Let's see what is more in the matter of pocket money - pluses or minuses?

The benefits of pocket money for children are as follows:

From childhood, a child learns to manage money, plan his expenses, and sometimes save. This useful skill will definitely come in handy in the future.
Pocket money will help in an emergency when you urgently need to call a taxi, buy medicine, etc.
A child can buy what he considers necessary, and not convince his parents that he needs it, and not beg for money.
For teenagers from the age of 14, pocket money is doubly important: it allows them to feel more confident. Having your savings, you can not ask your parents for money every time a guy needs, for example, to invite a girl to a movie and buy flowers. And for the girls themselves, a certain financial independence is no less expensive.

The reverse side of the "money" medal are the following disadvantages:

The child quickly gets used to the fact that there is always money in his pocket, and ceases to appreciate it.
Children can spend the money that their parents give them not on food and transport, but on cigarettes and low-alcohol drinks. This happens not so rarely, especially in high school age. Fighting this, depriving the child of pocket expenses, is useless. This problem should be solved by preventive conversations about the dangers of these habits.
A teenager receives money without putting any effort into it. You can correct this situation by offering him to try to find a part-time job.

How to earn pocket money?

So that the child understands from his own experience what earnings are, and henceforth appreciates his work and the work of his parents, give him the opportunity to earn his pocket money. For this you can:

Pocket money for children: to give or not? Do kids need pocket money to keep from raising a little extortionist?

Some parents believe that children do not need pocket money, while others will ask - at what age does a child need personal funds?

Perhaps there is not a single parent who would never start a conversation with his offspring on a financial topic. We prepare children for independent life, teach them to write and read. But it is equally important to instill a careful attitude to money and other material values, to be able to calculate your capabilities.

Why do children need money?

Psychologists answer this question as follows: to feel their importance, a full-fledged personality. If children do not have the opportunity, at least occasionally, to buy what they want for themselves, then they will experience frequent negative emotions. This can cause greed, envy and an inferiority complex. Parents who are opponents of pocket money read that children do not know how to manage money and adults must make all the necessary purchases. Children are not yet able to make the right choice, so you need to shift this responsibility onto yourself. In addition, if you often give pocket money, even if it is insignificant amounts, then such children become capricious and spoiled, who will not be able to be critical of their desires.

Opponents of pocket money are of the opinion that when children become adults, they earn their own living on their own, they cite the American experience as an example. Rich parents do not give their children a penny of money, forcing them to work as messengers or couriers. In this way, children learn the real value of money.

Supporters of one and the other point of view have some truth. Of course, you can not give your child pocket money, but take the entire initiative to satisfy his desires solely on yourself. This will show your power and authority. But at the same time, in addition to envy, resentment and greed, the habit of relying on you in everything will appear.

But you can use another option. Provide pocket money regularly. At first, the child will be overly happy (although over time this delight will not be so pronounced), and this may contribute to the formation of independence. But it is possible that after a while you will regret your decision when your child turns into a spoiled creature. Therefore, each parent must decide for himself whether it is worth giving pocket money to children.

When can you give your kids pocket money?

If the child understands that money needs to be earned and it takes a lot of work and time. In cases where parents tell their children about their work from early childhood, such an understanding may arise already by the elementary grades of the school.

If your offspring knows and can clearly answer why he needs personal funds and what he wants to get for them. The final result is not important: whether he will buy gum and sweets for himself or will put money in a piggy bank. The main thing is that he understands why he needs money.

When children shop on their own. Before giving out pocket money, check if he knows how to make purchases for the house, if he does not forget the change in the store.

When not to give pocket money

When children have no idea what a salary is and how parents earn it. Moreover, not only children of wealthy parents who do not know the true value of money can be so naive, but also children, parents who earn little, but try so that their child does not notice how hard it is to get money.

For children with bad behavior, who know how to lie, do not keep promises, personal means will only aggravate the situation. They believe that pocket money should be given out just like that, at their request, and not for merit.

How much pocket money to give

It is difficult to determine a specific amount. It all depends on the financial situation of each family. After all, the money that is given out for personal expenses is not a salary. Parents continue to provide for their children. With the help of pocket funds, children learn important skills in handling them. So it's not worth giving a large amount of money every week. But at the same time, there should be enough money that you could buy something with it. The younger the child, the smaller the amount of pocket money should be. But this money needs to be given out more often, because young children do not know how to plan their purchases. The older the child is, the more pocket money should increase, as well as the withdrawal intervals.

Why You Shouldn't Encourage Your Children Financially

Parents should not financially reward their child for good school performance. It is not worth paying money for a certain assessment. This will affect the quality of your offspring's knowledge. He will set himself the goal of getting a good mark, in order to then receive a “deserved” reward from his parents. The marks obtained will obviously not correspond to the level of knowledge. The fact is that children are ready to go to any tricks to get a good mark: cheat sheets, cheating, and so on. Although for a prize-winning place in the Olympiad or for the successful completion of the academic year, you can thank.

And this is not the whole list, for which you should not encourage your children. This includes housework. You do not have to pay money for the fact that the child made his bed, as this is a duty. And he must understand this even before he has the first pocket money. You should also not pay for pet care or when a child is helping to care for a younger sibling. If you sell love now, then in the future such children will become big egoists, for whom their goals and ambitions are more important.

Is it possible to use money to influence children?

Parents should not use finances to reward or punish children.

Pocket money helps to instill the necessary financial skills. The amount of pocket money should be based on good behavior, good academic performance, or the fact that the child does household chores.

If you do decide to limit the amount of pocket money, you must clearly and clearly explain why you decided to take such strict measures. Reducing the amount of pocket money or completely stopping payments should be a measure of punishment applicable in exceptional cases: lying or theft.

Do I need to discuss the family budget with my children? Children who receive pocket money are old enough to understand that it is not only for fun. They must understand that in addition to their own needs, there are needs of loved ones.

Many questions of parents are related to the topic of pocket money for the child. To give or not to give? From what age? How many? How? For what? Do I need to control the spending of pocket money? Elizaveta Filonenko, a well-known child psychologist and author of many books on child psychology, answers these and other questions.

Does the child need pocket money? Especially if the child already has everything.

In some families, parents believe that the child already has everything, and often more than necessary. Who is not familiar with the problem of a room littered with unnecessary toys? And if a child needs something, he can always ask his parents, they will not refuse him ... It turns out that a child, at least until adolescence, does not need money.

However, own money is an important element in the life of a child, one might say, a step in his development. Let's see what task pocket money performs in a child's life.

There are several strong beliefs about pocket money that parents tend to be guided by when resolving this issue. They are not always accurate, and need to be reviewed. Let's take a look at each of them separately.

Belief:"Money helps to learn the basics of financial literacy, children learn to calculate their spending."

Perhaps this is the case with fairly solid amounts issued to almost adult children. For young children, the small amount that is given to them is unlikely to seriously teach them how to handle money, given that the financial side of their life is fully provided by adults.

Belief: "Pocket money will teach a child to value money, save it, help to understand its real value."

This is hardly true for children who really do not need anything. You should not expect that a child from a fairly wealthy family will appreciate or save money just because he is given small amounts. In a number of cases, there is a particularly reverent attitude towards personal money among children, but this is rather an individual trait, which is usually accompanied by other character traits. Most often, the presence of pocket money does not teach children thrift.

Pocket money in a child's life plays a completely different, rather psychological role. Appearing in the life of a child, they affect several aspects of his life at once.

Relations with the world, the ability to influence the situation.

A child who has received his own money acquires some new facet of freedom, he begins to look differently at what is available to him or not in the world of things and pleasures. Previously, all his opportunities to get something (be it things or entertainment) were completely controlled by his parents and were impossible without their participation. After receiving pocket money, the role of parents, although it actually remains, goes somewhat into the shadows and this changes the psychological reality of the child. Now he feels more powerful and independent in the world. The child feels more independent, now he can afford more pleasures without the participation of his parents.

Relations with parents.

The growing desire for independence of the child inevitably entails changes in the nature of his relationship with his parents. Pocket money is one of the markers of the new position of the child in the world of people. The child, growing up, gradually fences off its own territory, to which parents will have access only if the child wants it. By giving pocket money, parents, for their part, seem to recognize the right of the child to their own territory. By this they confirm the right of the child to make his own choice and show his trust in him. This is especially true with teenagers, but also applies to younger students.

What to spend pocket money on?

Parents sometimes do not give money to a child precisely because they are afraid that this money will be used for dangerous things (junk food, alcohol, drugs). In such cases, the child receives two negative messages from the parent at once: you are not worthy of our trust and you are incapable of making the right choice. Both of these messages can reasonably be expected to have a negative impact on the child's self-esteem and behavior in adulthood.

Pocket money improves the relationship of children with their parents, but you cannot buy love and relationships.

By giving your child a small amount of pocket money, you can somewhat improve relations with him. Of course, this is not about “buying love”! However, often, ignoring the needs of the child in the field of independent small purchases, we provoke him to a hidden, unconscious dissatisfaction with his position in the family. The child may not talk about it, but it is difficult for him to forgive some things from his parents, especially if the family is constantly dissatisfied with their financial situation or the behavior of the child. Try on this situation: what if every time you want to buy something, you would have to ask the household members. Most people consider this situation for an adult very sad. This situation is also unpleasant for a child, the older the child becomes, the more dissatisfaction he may have in this regard.

Do not confuse pocket money with "target"

Pocket money should not be confused with the so-called "target" money, the money that you give your child for food at school, excursions, and so on. These amounts are given to the child for something, and he cannot, as a rule, dispose of them at his own discretion.

How to give pocket money?

It is best to start giving money regularly around 6-7 years of age. At this age, the child is already socially developed enough for money to become valuable to him. Experience shows that most children are not interested in money beforehand, unless this interest is artificially developed.

How much money to give?

The question of the amount of money cannot be resolved unambiguously, firstly, because children of different ages have different needs, and secondly, because families have different incomes and children grow up in different social environments. In addition, it is worth considering the child's experience of dealing with money, too large amounts issued unexpectedly can disorient the child.

There is no correct formula by which one could calculate the ideal amount for each case, but some strong points can be listed:

start with small amounts, gradually increase them;
ask how much money your child's friends give, a similar amount would be quite appropriate;
discuss the amount of money given out with the child, his ideas about the amount of pocket money are very important;
give out money that you are really ready to part with without any particular worries. Children may spend money on things you disapprove of, give or lose money. Therefore, in the hands of the child should be only that amount, the loss of which the parents will not experience too violently.

The amount of pocket money must be agreed with the child in advance and be fixed.

Do you control what your child spends pocket money on?

It is advisable not to control how the child spends the amount that you gave him. Many parents are rightfully afraid that the child, having received money, will spend it on junk food or other forbidden things. Indeed, this happens quite often, the child spends money on things that his parents do not buy him (cola, chips, etc.). However, this issue concerns another area of education, it does not directly relate to pocket money. Eating habits and attitudes about what is good and what is bad are formed over many years, under the influence of the environment. By the time a child receives pocket money, he already has a certain set of attitudes. A child, leaving home, becomes temporarily uncontrollable, and the question of whether he will eat unhealthy foods and do unsightly acts is not a question of whether or not the child has pocket money. There will always be opportunities and it is impossible to solve this issue with financial constraints.

Is it possible to punish children with deprivation of pocket money?

Pocket money cannot be taken away from a child due to some misconduct or the mood of a parent. The possession of a certain amount is usually valued by children, and this makes money a tempting tool to manipulate a child's behavior, in particular, a tool of punishment. Parents often deprive a child of pocket money, for some wrongdoing. This is an unsuccessful strategy that robs the child of a sense of security, leading to a sense of psychological helplessness. After all, if an adult, at his own discretion, can give or take away freedom and independence, the embodiment of which is partly money, then for a child this means his own insignificance. It is better not to use this method. This kind of punishment greatly undermines the child's trust in the parents and can significantly affect the relationship with him. If, nevertheless, financial punishments are planned, then the child must be notified in advance about this, clearly imagine in which case he will lose pocket money. Thus, the issue of deprivation of pocket money can be considered, for example, if a child steals money or material values from parents or other people. In this case, the money that usually went into the pocket of the child is sent to cover the results of his act. However, it must be said separately that cases of theft, especially repeated ones, always require individual consideration, and punishment or deprivation can only aggravate those psychological conditions that push the child to steal.

How often to give pocket money?

It is convenient to give the child money once in the agreed time (once a month or a week). At the beginning of the “financial journey” of the child, the period for which money is given should be very short. Gradually, with increasing amounts, the interval between financial injections may also increase. In this case, the grown-up child will already face the need for minimal planning of his expenses, in which you can help him.

At first, it makes sense to help your child organize a place to store money and convey to him ideas about saving money that you think are good. Sometimes children who have started to receive small amounts lose them, forget to take them to the store with them. This should become a matter of responsibility for the child. That is, you give money to a child, and at a certain moment he is responsible for their storage and availability. It is better to avoid situations in which it is not the child, but the mother who counts the child's pocket money, stores it, and so on. The child must organize storage and monitor his money on his own.

Money for housework.

A separate topic is the opportunity to earn money in the family. There are two main areas: study and directly work.

Some families believe that studying for a child is the same job, so it would be natural to pay for the child's efforts in the field of study. I am one of the fundamental opponents of such a position and I think that it is never worth paying for studies, both for individual grades and for a well-finished quarter. As a motivator, money for studying does not work well and leads to a decrease in study motivation rather than to its increase. In the field of education, completely different incentives work. Money, if it gives a temporary result, is accompanied by very tangible negative phenomena, and besides, it has a bad effect in the long run.

Do you get paid for housework?

You don't have to pay for homework either. After all, household chores are, in a sense, a condition for living together and an unspoken agreement between family members living under the same roof. Paying for the removal of the bin or washed dishes means putting the child in an artificial and strange situation when, for some reason, the rules of the hostel that are followed by other family members do not apply to him. In addition, with paid homework, it is assumed that the child is incapable of perceiving other positive reinforcements (thankfulness, approval, the joy of loved ones), but understands only the ringing of “gold coins”. Agree, such a situation is unnatural and highly undesirable.

How can a child make money in his own family?

However, there are still opportunities to earn in your own family. Here, those types of work that you entrust to third parties that are not performed by family members are suitable. The family budget has already allocated a certain amount for such expenses, and the child, if desired, can receive it by doing the appropriate work. Washing a car, walking dogs, certain types of housework and other duties that are usually performed not by family members themselves, but by specially hired people, are suitable here. For example, you usually wash your car in a special center, but if your child, wanting to increase the amount of his personal money, does it himself, then the amount that you would have spent on washing will fairly go to him. This logic is accessible and understandable to children; it does not turn relations with parents into commerce. The child has the opportunity to earn money, but there is also a choice to refuse work without harming the family. The child actually has no such choice if you pay him to clean your room or study. He cannot refuse and say - "I will not do this", because in this case he will still be subjected to pressure from his parents, who will insist on doing things.

Family and example of parents.

Pocket money is an important part of the child's experience, but attitudes towards money are shaped by more diverse influences. Children, as a rule, form their attitude to money, relying on the views of their parents in this area, but without completely copying them. However, the position of parents in the field of finance plays a big role in shaping the mentality of the child.

How to teach children how to handle money properly?

How can parents help a child establish a relationship with money that will contribute to his harmonious life? There are two main directions here:

do not neglect the basics of financial literacy. Finance is an area to study like any other. There are various possibilities for this: from financial games to special academic disciplines. You should not expect that financial literacy will come naturally to a child, without any effort in this regard.
work on your relationship with money. You may also lack financial literacy and you can make efforts in this direction. Many adults dream of streamlining their financial life, learning how to optimize their personal budget, so maybe it's time to master this area? By optimizing our own attitude towards money, we will certainly have a positive impact on how our children will relate to this important area of life.

👋 And I wish you well-being in finances, family and in life!
Timur Mazaev was with you, aka MoneyPapa, an expert in family finance.

When children are denied the purchase of a toy because it is too expensive, they often respond: “And you take the money from the card!”

Seeing that adults take out banknotes from an ATM by simply inserting a card into it, it begins to seem to kids that getting money is quite simple. It is important to explain to the child that money needs to be earned. And in addition to this, pay great attention to the conversation about how they should be spent. Psychologists believe that the best education for financial solvency is the ability to manage pocket money from an early age.

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Elena Nikolaeva, medical psychologist:

It is impossible to gain your own experience and learn how to manage money (spend, save, plan) without real money, in the case of children, this is pocket money. Even in kindergarten, our children are happy to play “shop”, using pieces of paper, tree leaves, flower petals, pebbles in the form of banknotes. Having matured, children enjoy playing business games like Monopoly.

Getting and managing your own pocket money is the most effective method of financial education for children. Only on their experience of managing money, a child will be able to learn how to spend, save and invest them effectively.

Even a small, but your own personal budget gives you the skills of thrifty handling of money. Parents can influence this process with advice.

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Do parents need to discuss with the child what his money will go to?

The purpose of pocket money for a child is to give him the opportunity to learn in a real situation to make his own decisions about his financial resources.

Pocket money instills the skills of budget planning, here and now the child cannot get the right thing for himself, but after a while he will be able to, teach children to be patient, because sometimes, in order to get some expensive and necessary thing, you have to save money for a long time. Also, pocket money develops self-confidence, in one's own abilities, at those moments when the child himself decides what to buy, becomes “like an adult”, deciding what and how to do. For some expenses, the child can be responsible independently, depending on age, these can be school lunches, cell phone payments, transportation in the city, gifts for friends, going to the movies, clothing items, stationery.

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Is it necessary to keep track of what the child spent his pocket money on?

It will be useful to analyze the child’s expenses from time to time, especially if he cannot control them on his own.

Please note that children are our copy, therefore, in order to raise a financially literate child, first of all, you should take care of your own financial literacy. Anything you recommend or teach your child about financial literacy will only be an example if you yourself adhere to the same rules.

Don't turn money into a manipulation tool. Money should not be seen as an incentive to behave well, to get good grades, or worse, to do chores, but rather as a means of teaching a child financial skills.

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Is it possible to “penalize” a child for his misdeeds by not giving him more money or by taking away the money already given out? And is it worth paying a child for fives?

Do not reward or punish your child with pocket money. The amount of money given out should not depend on grades received at school, household chores performed, good behavior. The student must understand that studying is his duty.

The motive "five - monetary reward" leads to the fact that the child begins to get nervous if he does not get "excellent", worries about failure, which in turn can lead to problems and stress, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, communication with peers is disrupted . It is necessary to encourage not grades, but efforts. If, for example, the child made an effort and corrected the grade, if he did all the homework on a difficult subject for him. As an encouragement, there can be interesting trips, excursions, going to the cinema, an entertainment center, spending time together with parents, meeting friends, that is, something that is aimed at getting new experiences.

Many parents have questions related to money, whether to give pocket money to a child, whether children need pocket money. And if given, how, and how much? Isn't it harmful to encourage good studies with money, is it necessary to control their expenses?

Happiness and success in life for the most part comes to those who know how not only to earn money, but also to manage it rationally. Therefore, from an early age it is necessary.

Giving pocket money to a child means educating him in independence, preparing him for adulthood. For psychologist Sergei Klyuchnikov there is no doubt that children need to have pocket money. A child without them will not be able to feel free and confident. Unpleasant qualities can arise in him: an inferiority complex, envy, greed.

Proper disposal of the child's pocket money

The competent disposal of the child's pocket money does not depend on how rich or poor their parents are. After all, you can let it go to the wind and, on the contrary, provide the family with everything necessary for modest incomes.

Pocket money is never too much, so the child will have to analyze options, prioritize and gain life experience.

If you see kids spending their pocket money unwisely, don't get too involved. You can only help with advice, but not a categorical ban. Financial loss is one of life's lessons. The child himself will draw conclusions from his unsuccessful spending.

Get a baby piggy bank.

Let the child learn to save some money for the future. A competent disposal of a child with pocket money will be very useful to him in life.

If a new thing bought by a child is soon lying around, explain to him that there should be real benefit from every ruble spent, even if it is entertainment. And if the purchase is not needed, then it is not worth giving extra money for it.

Coordinate methods of financial education in the family without the presence of the child. Otherwise, he will choose not so much a useful as a position advantageous for himself.
Don't scold your child for spending money wrong. Please give good advice. Let the child understand that you are not an enemy to him, but a friend who wants to sincerely help.

If the baby does not have enough money for a quality purchase, add as much as necessary. If there is a shortage of the required amount, explain that it is better to wait until the amount is accumulated than to purchase an item of dubious quality. After all, it will wear out very quickly.

If parents tell their children about their work, the understanding comes that earning money is a lot of work, and it would never occur to anyone to waste it.

In America, wealthy parents teach their children to manage their finances wisely from childhood. They send them to wash dishes in a restaurant, to work as couriers or messengers, to wash cars. This is how wealthy heirs learn the true value of money.

Pocket money for children - FOR and AGAINST

Arguments FOR

The child does not feel humiliated next to other children when they buy trifles that are important to them or something tasty.
Proper management of pocket money from childhood gives experience in planning a personal budget, prepares for future responsibility in relation to a personal budget.
Lack of pocket money in a child can cause a negative attitude towards parents. It happens that the child begins to steal from the family, and later from friends.

Arguments AGAINST

Since children do not yet know how to use money rationally, the family will suffer some loss. Therefore, it is financially more profitable when parents buy everything necessary for a child.
If the child is not limited in money, he will not know their price, arrogance and boasting will appear.

How much pocket money to give a child

Many are interested in the important question of how much pocket money to give a child. The concept of "pocket money" itself carries the answer - there cannot be too much of it by definition. It all depends on the wealth in the family.

But even wealthy families should not forget about a reasonable approach. After all, the essence of children's pocket money is not only to buy a bun at recess. No less importance is attached to them as a means of teaching financial skills.

A large amount will be spent on unnecessary trinkets, and too little can lead to an infringement of dignity among peers. How to find the golden mean?

To determine the optimal amount, find out how much money you will need for school lunch, bus fare, and other necessary expenses.

Psychologist consultant Anna Harutyunyan recommends that children be given enough so that they have enough for the necessary expenses. For example, 10 or 20 rubles will be too little, 200 - 300 rubles will be the optimal amount. If family income allows you to increase the amount, do not rush. Let the kid himself understand that for big money you need to work hard and hard.

At what age should you give pocket money to a child?

Preschool children do not need money, their parents provide them with everything they need. But the presence of some small money gives a reason for children to think about how to properly dispose of them.

Most psychologists advise introducing a child to money from the age of 3, using the example of joint purchases in a store. So he will learn to understand that you can not buy everything you want. From the whole mass of goods, you need to choose exactly what you need at the moment.

At 5-6 years old, the child is gradually prepared for independent purchases. If he still can’t cope with this, don’t refuse him money too categorically. Explain his mistakes, and tactfully help correct them. If your child already knows how to count, teach them to count change.

Schoolchildren, starting from the first grade, pocket money is simply necessary. Going to the store helps to gain experience in handling them. Mathematical thinking develops, responsibility and independence increase. And this is the first steps into adulthood.

How to give pocket money to a child

American psychologists have identified four methods for issuing pocket money:

Give money on demand
Give them out only as a reward for something
Issue with regularity daily, weekly, monthly)
Give portions, as needed

Psychologists consider the last two options to be the most optimal. When giving out pocket money to children, stipulate in advance what they can be used for for goodies, entertainment, and not for cigarettes, junk food.

It is best when pocket money for children can be a fixed amount calculated for specific purposes. It can be increased if unexpected expenses arise.

Pocket money is given to younger students every day a little. 10-12 year old children - once a week, and relatively adult high school students from the age of 14 can be entrusted with issuing money once a month.

Do you need control over pocket money?

Parents should unobtrusively control the expenses of their child, advise on what it is better to spend money on, but the child himself must make decisions. Full dictate from adults hinders the development of independence in children.

You need to intervene when money is given to a child, but you do not see the material results, where they go. Excuses like discos, sweets, and things that can't be verified should be alarming.

Trusting the kid to manage their own money, parents can already transfer it to a new level of household chores. If he has grown enough to have pocket money, then he is quite mature enough to help with household chores.

Is it possible to reward or punish a child with money

In recent years, many parents choose an easy and fast way to achieve success in their child's studies, behavior, help around the house. Well done job - get the money. But psychologists are wary of this method.

If a modest amount is enough for a first-grader, then the motivation of a teenager will cost much more. Further more. How much will it cost parents to enroll their child in the university of their choice? Approximately the same situation will develop with household chores - then you should not be surprised when adult children refuse to help impoverished elderly parents, as a rule, this is all.

The best way out is to consistently allocate a small budget for pocket expenses to the child. Allow to leave change from the store. This will teach him to properly distribute and save personal finances.

You can reward the child for good behavior one-time, or punish with a ruble for rudeness. So he will understand that if he behaves badly, he does not deserve monetary rewards, that money must be earned.

Give out pocket money to children should be stable and timely. Missing payments or delays will instill financial irresponsibility in the child.
The child should know for what expenses he is given money.
Do not deprive your child of pocket money as punishment for misconduct.
Don't change the established rules. If your pocket money has decreased, explain the reason and build understanding. Coordinate all changes in pocket money payments with the child.
Do not compensate your child for wasted or carelessly lost money. This will teach him to be collected and serious.
The kid should not show anyone how much cash he has.
You can not borrow or give money, especially to strangers.

In the modern world, children all understand that money is not the main thing in life, but one cannot live without it. Funds for life must be earned and spent rationally. The task of parents is to teach children this from an early age. And pocket money is the way to practical life lessons.

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