New research with 1,000 parents from 118 118 Money has found that 7 in 10 (70%) UK parents use pocket money to incentivise their children to do chores around the house, do well at school and tidy their room.
However, experts warn that incentivising good performance at school could be putting extra pressure on students who are already struggling.
Nearly half (45%) of parents surveyed claim to give their children pocket money for generally ‘being good’ while 70% give their children money for helping around the house, and three-quarters (72%) ask their children to tidy their room for their money.
More than 4 in 10 (45%) parents admit to offering the incentive of pocket money to their children to motivate them to do well in school – a performance method that is deemed controversial to some.
Sarah Greenly, who teaches year two pupil’s in Greater Manchester, said: ‘Parents teaching their children financial responsibility is incredibly important. However, using money as an incentive to do well in school could make children feel under even more pressure to perform, leading to stress.
‘Using different incentives, like reward stickers or gold star charts could be a little easier on a child’s stress levels. Offering money for household chores is a way that children can earn money without making learning feel like a competition they must win.”
All the parents surveyed (100%) claimed to give their children pocket money each month, with one in four (23%) even admitting to giving their children aged under five pocket-money.
One in five (20%) are still offering their grown-up children (aged over 18 years) money each month. One in seven (15%) children who receive pocket money put it into savings each month. While 16% spend their money on video games, and one in ten (11%) choose to spend their money on clothes.
Experts advise that pocket money is a great way for children to treat themselves and can also be used as a learning tool that parents can use to help their children become financially independent.
Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of Psychreg, explains: ‘Some parents choose to give pocket money to their children to instil in them the value of managing finances. They will learn to choose between spending and saving.
‘Incentivising children with cash has its pitfalls, but it also has power too, as you are preparing them for real-world experience. But it’s also important to help children realise that there are things more important than money – the joy of learning and experiencing new things, for instance.’
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Image credit: Freepik
