Introducing money-free rewards for chores at home is a great way to teach responsibility, independence, and teamwork.
Assigning age-appropriate tasks helps children develop essential life skills while helping the family’s daily routine.
Whether it’s simple tasks for younger kids or more complex tasks for older children, including kids in household chores encourages a sense of accomplishment and builds good habits for the future.
In this post
I suffer from chronic pain so I need all the help around the house I can get.
Something I’ve learnt with my time being a mum of two and coaching other pain sufferers to manage their pain is, that not all of us can afford to give money as a reward to our kids for doing jobs around the house.
That is why I created this free kids rewards post.
As I know, so many of us feel guilty for not being able to treat our kids with pocket money. But with these incentives they still get a treat, the jobs get done and we feel less guilty.
When my husband and I first decided to offer a reward for doing tasks around the house, we talked to our kids about what we were planning and then came up with jobs for them to do.
Some were free kids rewards and some were paid kids rewards.
My kids are 6 and 8, so obviously you need appropriate age-related chores.
I have listed a few below, but feel free to customise your own chore list.
Age related chores
Age 3-5
- Help put toys away
- Water plants
- Put clothes in the washing machine
- Help look after pets
- Set the table
- Help make the bed
Age 6-8
- Sweep floor/Hoover
- Help look after pets
- Make bed
- Dry up/load the dishwasher
- Help with the food shop
- Help make dinner
Age 9-13+
- Dust their bedroom
- Sweep/Hoover
- Clean bathrooms
- Take care of pets
- Put a wash load on
- Wash car
- Make a meal
- Clean windows
What chores our kids do each day
- Make beds
- Take care of pets
- Set and clear the table
- Load/unload the dishwasher
- Tidy bedrooms
I often say they can do an extra. This means they can do an extra job that’s not on their list for the day and get another reward.
Free kids rewards
Reward Chart
You can create your own or download my printable, free when you subscribe.
Reward charts make great free kids rewards especially for the younger ages, 3-5 (although both mine love them.)
Gadget Time
The same goes for TV time in that this works well for all ages, and probably best for the older ones as they spend more time on game consoles, phones and tablets anyway, right?
They are essentially doing jobs for free, just don’t tell them that.
Playdate
Why not get a friend over as a free kids reward? This treat always goes down well. Suddenly all their jobs are done. lol
Sweet Treat
If your kids are like mine then, this is a popular reward. I wonder why (roll eyes)
In our house, they have to get all their jobs done and then they can have it or have it the next day.
Park Visit
An easy free kids reward.
Maybe get another parent to accompany you, so it’s not too much of a drag if you dislike park visits like I do.
Movie Night
This is a great free kids reward and really a whole family reward.
You can allow them to watch a movie without you, or get some snacks sorted (our faves are carrots and breadsticks) and make it a family movie night.
They will lap this up and it is a great opportunity to spend some quality time together.
Library
My kids absolutely love love love the library so this makes the perfect free kids reward in our house.
Family Game
So in our house, we love board games.
This is a popular free kids reward for younger ones especially, 3-10.
TV Time
This works for all ages, (and adults) lol
Don’t forget you are the parent and you get to set how long this reward is.
But make sure you do this before you start your free kids reward system, so they know what the rules are straight away.
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By Bee's Inspired Living
Hi, I’m Bee, the founder of Bee’s Inspired Living. I am a Mumma, Wife, Home Educator, Blogger and lastly a Chronic Pain Sufferer. I love a good laugh, watching films, family days out, reading, tea, exploring the world, summer and of course, tidying my house. 🙂 As someone who has always been passionate about health, personal growth, and creating a balanced lifestyle, I started this blog to share my journey, insights, and experiences with you.
