Earning School Clothes

About two weeks into the summer, Leah and I decided that we wanted the girls to do something to earn the money they need for their school clothes (a novel concept in our entitlement society). Since the girls aren't old enough to get a job in the workforce, we had to come up with a way for them to do something at home to earn the money for their clothes. We didn't want to simply start paying them for the chores for which they are already responsible, since those are things they do by virtue of being a part of the family. So we identified three areas that generally see a decline over the summer, reading, math and exercise (we may consider adding other categories next summer). We both felt that if the girls were able to maintain or improve in these three areas that they would be much better off during the new school year, and that we valued maintenance/improvement in these areas enough to compensate the girls for their efforts. 

In order to provide structure for the program, Leah and I determined what clothes each of the girls would want and the cost for those clothes for each girl. (Note: In order to keep the girls motivated we went with clothes the girls would choose for themselves, within reason, and not the clothes they need. Since we have a parental responsibility to clothe our children, we let the girls know that we would buy the clothes they need, not necessarily the clothes they want, if they chose not to participate.) We then took that number and divided it by the number of weekdays left in the summer. That number was then divided by the three activities they could do each day to earn money (reading, math and exercise). That gave us a dollar amount that the girls could earn for each activity on a daily basis. All of this was made much easier (and much more motivating for the girls) by a spreadsheet we created that allows the girls to track the amount of money they have earned. Let's be honest, what girl doesn't like to see the money they have for clothing purchases increase every day? 

Of course the program varies for each of the girls. The older they are, the longer they exercise and read, and the math portion is based on the grade that the child will be starting in the fall.  Khanacademy.com makes the math portion a bit more straightforward since it has tons of math exercises organized by grade level, all with videos to explain the concepts. We also made the exercise a bit more appealing by mounting an iPad stand to our rower and purchased bluetooth headphones so that the girls can listen to music or watch a show while they exercise (which has significantly decreased the binge watching).

One of the best parts about this program is that the girls are motivated to get up every morning and do the program/earn money and are generally much more pleasant in the morning. What's even better is that they have less time to quarrel with each other and quarrel less after they are done with their activities for the day. While accomplishments in each area have their own unique measurements (number of books/pages read, number of math lessons completed, etc.), the exercise category is incredibly rewarding for me. We have a rowing machine that the girls typically use to do their exercise. In the past three weeks our kids have rowed a total of over 55 miles (89,074 meters)!! This is particularly impressive given that their ages range from 12 to 6. 

Finally, there is the added benefit of money management. Our kids each know how much money they have to spend on clothes for the school year, and we've helped them estimate the amount they will need for different clothing items (shirts, pants, shoes, etc.). They are responsible (with some parental guidance depending on age) for making sure that they spend their money wisely in order to get the clothing articles they need to get through the school year. And since Leah is the queen of bargain shopping, I'm guessing this will ultimately be a very rewarding summer for our girls (and online shopping experience for my wife).

So when my kids come to school way stronger, way smarter and better dressed than yours just remember I gave you a heads up.