Should i give a six-year-old an allowance or tie it to chores?

[Steven66]

My six-year-old has started asking for an allowance, and I’m not sure how to handle it. I want to teach the value of money, but I’m caught between just giving a small amount and tying it to basic chores. How have other families navigated this?

[AlexanderNL]

We started with a tiny weekly allowance and one simple chore. He got a coin for it and started saving for a toy. Watching him count the coins was a small victory.

[EricHG]

We keep chores separate from allowance. Chores are expected, and the allowance is for practicing saving and small decisions about spending more flexibly, like choosing between a snack or a small toy.

[Jason86]

I keep wondering if the real issue is about feeling grown up more than money. Is that the real problem?

[Luke.B]

We tried the jar method—save, spend, give—and he enjoyed sorting coins by color. It was messy at times, but they started talking about budgets without math class vibes.