A Penny Saved...

In the last 6 weeks, we have begun giving Elijah an allowance. I always knew it would be a good learning experience for him, but it was the need for me to have some simplicity that drove me to implement it this summer. I got tired of having to decide the answer to "Can I have a toy?" "Can I have some candy?" every time we went to ANY store. I needed a more consistent way to answer that question rather than falling back on whatever mood I was in at the moment.

We give Elijah $5 a week - 1 to give at church, 1 to save indefinitely, and 3 to spend on candy, toys, etc. It has really helped me out when he asks for little stuff; now I just say, "sure, you can buy that with your money," or "No, you don't have any money until Friday." And it's great for him, too, to learn money's value, do simple math, and even have some delayed gratification.

I was extremely proud of him this week when he got his eye on something. It was a cute little stuffed Halloween ghost (he LOVES stuffed animals) at the grocery store. We were there on Tuesday afternoon, and he thought it was so cool! He said he wanted to get it, but I reminded him he had already spent his money for the week, and that he would get $3 to spend on Friday. He would still need $2 more to buy the ghost. I told him he could save his money until the following Friday, or he could help me around the house, and I'd give him money for it. At only a quarter a chore, he would have to work pretty hard over the space of a few days to get all 8.

He can also earn money by reading. He can sound out words very well for a 4-year-old, but I think it intimidates him a bit, because it takes a lot of effort. So we have a deal that for every 5 words he reads to me - ANY words (including on billboards or box labels) - I will give him a quarter. It has worked well to motivate him and to help him feel some more success. With more practice, he is getting better all the time and is even started to get a few sight words down! It is exciting!

So Elijah, with his big heart and great attitude, decided to go for it. The first night he set a goal of earning 3 quarters from reading. He stuck with it, even though he got tired of it near the end, and he reached his goal! It was so exciting.

For the next couple days, he helped me around the house, doing little chores like taking out the bathroom trash, helping me mop, dusting, or moving his stuffed animals onto his bed so I could vacuum.

And this afternoon, he earned his eighth quarter by reading 5 words in his National Geographic Kids magazine. We jumped up and down and squealed after he read that fifth word!! It was so exciting to see him set his mind to something and then work hard to achieve it. What a great feeling as a parent to watch your child succeed and learn valuable lessons in the process!

As soon as he woke up from his nap, we hopped in the car and went to United. Elijah is now a very proud owner of a cute little stuffed ghost.

I asked him this evening, "How did if feel to buy the thing you had been working so hard for?" His eyes got big and a smile spread across his face as he said, "Definitely good!" And I think he was excited, because he already has plans for what he is going to buy next!

Isn't he great?