Pocket money: at what age and how much should you give your child?

As a child grows into adolescence, many parents wonder if they should give pocket money. Generally, this money is used above all to have fun by buying food on the way home from school, clothes, books, games or even sometimes to do activities with friends. For children, having a little money in their purse is also be a little more independent. But at what age can pocket money be given to a child? How much to give him? How to make the child responsible for money? Advice from Stéphane Clerget child psychiatrist.

Should you give money to a child?

Giving money to a child is not an obligation in itself. Parents are free to decide whether or not their child can receive pocket money. If they decide, “it’s a good way to give him the value of things, and to learn to manage his expenses while making him responsible. But there’s no point in giving him money until he can count yet“explains Stéphane Clerget.

“There’s no point in giving him money until he can count.”

At what age can you give pocket money to a child?

To give pocket money to a child, it is therefore better to wait until he is in CP, around the age of 6. “For a toddler, it is initially difficult to understand why one object is more expensive than another. Teaching him to buy what he wants with his own money therefore first introduces him to the different prices and the functioning of commercial exchanges.“, details the expert.

At what age can you give money to a child for Christmas or a birthday?

Growing up, some teenagers much prefer to receive a small note rather than a toy as a Christmas or birthday present. If you decide to offer him money at Christmas, it is still advisable towait until you are 14. “Before this age, establishing a list of Christmas gifts pushes the child to question what he likes and allows parents to continue to be interested in his tastes.“, precise on LCI the psychologist Laurence Peltier. After 15 years, “the young person needs to assert himself, to differentiate himself and may desire more expensive gifts“, she adds. The parents can then advise him on what he could buy with the money raised.

How much pocket money to give to a child?

Depending on the parents’ budget, the amount of pocket money should allow the child to buy a little more than candy.

For a child under 10 years old

Depending on the age of the child, the amount of money must be equivalent to a small car per week, i.e. 3-4 eurosor a large truck over the month, either less than 20 euros. In any case, the conditions on the sum must be clearly defined beforehand between the parents.

For a teenager aged 10 and over

According to Pixpay barometer 2022a neo bank for teens, on average children aged 10 to 12 receive 23 euros per month. 12-14 year olds get 26 euros, 14-16 year olds 31 euros, and 16-18 year olds 41 euros on average. Depending on the departments, certain disparities are visible. Teenagers from Corsica and the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region generally receive more pocket money than other young people their age living in other regions of France.

What are the benefits of giving pocket money to a child?

Does giving pocket money have an educational interest? For the child psychiatrist, pocket money has little educational value if it is not accompanied by a speech. “Parents must talk with their child, ask him what he wants to buy. And make him understand that he can either afford a small toy now, or put aside for fun and buy a bigger one in a few weeks.“.

Pocket money must above all allow the child to find his balance. “It must be a way of not being afraid to spend, while putting money aside”, emphasizes our expert. Indeed, many adults today are unable to spend when they could afford to, while others spend lavishly and fail to save. It is therefore essential to help the child to situate himself between these two extremes, develops Stéphane Clerget.

What should I do if my teenager loses their pocket money?

“In this case, no need to give him back what he lost. The pocket money must help him to take responsibility. On the other hand, don’t judge his expenses: too bad if he falls for a gadget that will be broken two hours later, that’s part of the apprenticeship… and it will allow you to talk to him about the value of things! , he adds.

Is it a good idea to give pocket money for household chores?

According to another study conducted by Poll&Poll for PixPay in 2019 with 500 families, only 29% of French parents believe that it is necessary give pocket money to children who help with household chores. However, child psychologist Laurence Peltier, adviser for PixPay, explains that paying a child excessively for what he does in household chores “can become anxiety-provoking for the adolescent and harm his relationship to life in the communitybecause the notion of adaptation to social life is not transmitted”.

So, you don’t have to either systematically pay a child for the chores he does at homenot. “The so-called classic tasks cannot be converted into cash: they contribute to the daily functioning of the family, to the empowerment of the child and his learning of social life”, adds the psychologist.

Should pocket money be given based on the child’s grades?

Still according to the Poll&Poll analysis for PixPay, some parents pay their children for the marks they obtain at school. On average, if they have good grades, they have 22.41 euros in pocket money. But for specialist Laurence Peltier, these regular payments for notes can have a completely different, more negative effect. She advises to “not rewarding all of the teenager’s grades: this can contribute to lowering self-esteem, especially in case of failure or difficulties at school. It is better to focus on certain symbolic moments such as obtaining the patent or the baccalaureate and offer a gift at that time.

Is it good to deprive a child of pocket money if he is not good?

Pocket money can be seen as a gift. “Do not hesitate to explain to your child that this is not due and that you can stop paying him this amount if you feel that he does not deserve it. Also, if the child does something stupid or “he is not wise, depriving him of pocket money can be a good punishment. Only on condition that this deprivation does not harm the development of the child”, explains Stéphane Clerget. It is therefore better to deprive him of the money intended for superfluous purchases rather than deprive him of sports activities for example.

Thanks to Stéphane Clerget, child psychiatrist and author of the book “How to get what you want (or almost) from your parents“, published by Limonade.