Teaching Responsibility

Children are always asking us to buy them something, or give them something. I was starting to see my daughter become really spoiled. I wanted her to know what earning money meant. Sure, she is young, but it is never too soon to learn. That was how I found the FisherKids Responsibility Station. It is the ingenius creation of a mom and dad who believe that responsible kids will become responsible adults. Their motto is "If I fish for you, you eat for a day. If I teach you to fish, you eat for a lifetime." See, I told you, genius! The FisherKids Responsibility Station comes with:

16" X 16" metal pegboard and hanging hardware (the pegboard allows you to hang it freely to a stud, so you place the hanging hardware in any hole of the pegboard!)
pegboard hooks
a weekly responsibility magnet and marker (this is not just chores; this is what is to be done to be an active part of the family team; there are many things we do just to help out the team, not because we will be paid for it! This is an essential lesson of the fisherkids system.)
paycheck notepad (this is enough for one year's worth of use and each week is noted with a different quote about family, responsibility, teaching, learning, wealth, charity, or saving. the goal is that families use these quotes as topics around the dinner table for some unrivaled family discussion!)
chore chooser bin
chore sticks (these are blank on one end for you to fill out the chores necessary around your house. the other end is hot-stamped with "thank you" so we are teaching the important lesson of mutual respect.)
3 vinyl money bags: give it (teal), save it (orange), spend it (yellow) (this is where the fiscal responsibility lessons occur; what is done with the money once it is honestly earned.)
parent's guide

I started by thinking about what I wanted my daughter to do in our home. Because she is little, we started with putting away her own toys and washing hands, and using a spray water bottle to help dust (a tip from the parent's guide!). She gets money for each day and chooses which money bag to put it in. It has taught her to earn some of the items she wants, and how to save for bigger things. It is also teaching her to give to a charity of her choice. This year we are saving to buy gifts for a local family in need. She is also learning to read out the chores on the stick, and there is nothing she likes better than choosing her own chore. A child is never to young to learn about helping out and giving to receive. During this holiday season, why not let your little one help out and get to purchase small gifts for family or give to a charity?