Should I pay my kids for getting good grades?

[questions]

I would like your opinion on whether or not it is a good idea to pay kids for getting good grades? What are the pros and cons? Do most parents pay their kids and if so, is this good? My kids are still young, but I will have to make this decision soon and I want to do what is best for them and their education. To pay or not to pay?

[jteezie]

It depends how you frame it.

The more important thing is to reward them with recognition and tell them that they "did a good job because they tried and worked very hard." Reward effort. As long as you weave the money into that message, I think you can also teach good financial management skills.

I wouldn't make a payout chart and explain it like "if you get an A (produce widgets), I pay you (for your labor)".

[Shewillbemine]

When I got good grades in school, my reward was a bottle of ice cold Coca Cola (and I loved it each time).

The danger you run into for assigning monetary rewards to academic success is that many kids eventually lose sight of why getting good grades is beneficial to them, without the money. Be prepared to run into the question "Why should I get good grades then" if/when you stop giving out money.

[bjl584]

When I was in school and god good grades on my report cards, my Mom took me to the mall and let me pick something out for a certain dollar amount. I think it was around $25. I usually picked out a video game. Did it motivate me? Not sure. I always did well in school, so I don't think it really mattered. But it was a nice treat for working hard all those months.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

In our house, it was all about the joy of accomplishment and learning. That doesn't not necessarily even align with the best grades. So, no. No money rewards were necessary.

I will say that my husband gave our son money for every book he read once he was reading substantial books. It did not really seem to be an incentive; our kid read anyway. I think my husband was just fondly re-creating what his own father had done. To me it was a bit odd in part because that reward system failed to remunerate the reading of magazines and online which were also important sources.

There are all kinds of valuable learning and performance aside from that in school, and those don't get recognized with cash. In fact, sometimes we, or even or our kids pay for them, e.g. a trip to the science exploration center, a visit to a nature center, a private basketball coaching session, a magazine subscription.

I fear part of the message of paying for grades is that school performance is so unpleasant or so unlike anything else in a child's life that one should expect to get paid to do it. I'd just prefer to frame the whole thing differently.

[dojo]

I'd teach my kids that learning is the way to accomplish stuff and have a chance to a good job or their own business. I wouldn't pay my kids for good grades, they need to learn it's important for their entire education.

[seen]

Originally Posted by Shewillbemine

The danger you run into for assigning monetary rewards to academic success is that many kids eventually lose sight of why getting good grades is beneficial to them, without the money. Be prepared to run into the question "Why should I get good grades then" if/when you stop giving out money.

This.
I grew up in a household where I received money for getting good grades. Although I got into a good university I messed up my first year. I mean it was a big change so I partied a lot too, but thinking back on it now in reference to Shewillbemine it's true the 'incentive' wasn't there.

I eventually corrected myself after that, but it wasn't easy.

[Nobulladvisor]

Any incentive for good behavior is good. It will build a habit of good behavior. Its like teaching a dog how to sit. After a while of giving treats, the dog will sit without a treat and won't complain.

The money has to symbolize the importance of education. The kids need to know the education is important and if they get a good education they will end up with a good career or owning their own business.

In addition it will teach how to manage money at a young age. If we all had that education this economic downturn wouldn't be as bad.

[momcents]

This would never work at my house. With five children, two of whom have learning challenges and struggle to earn a C, our mantra is simply: Do your best. We always go on an outing for ice cream on report card day to celebrate everyone's success.

[elessar78]

Freakonomics actually did a report on this, it's in the book I believe. University of Chicago did a study and they paid kids to get good grades. And it actually had a positive effect on grades.

But the thing is grades don't measure how much you've learned. We all know people who took 2 years of French in high school and got good grades but can't speak a lick of French even a year or two out. Grades does not equal learning. Foreign languages are tangible but I'm sure it would apply to math/calculus, english, science.

[artwest]

We didn't get rewarded for good grades but if our grades were bad (D+ or below) we would be in trouble.

[graceful]

Originally Posted by artwest

We didn't get rewarded for good grades but if our grades were bad (D+ or below) we would be in trouble.

LOL.

[skt1234]

In my opinion it is not good to pay cash to your children but give some gift and appreciate their hard work they feel very happy.

[Shewillbemine]

Originally Posted by Nobulladvisor

Any incentive for good behavior is good. It will build a habit of good behavior. Its like teaching a dog how to sit. After a while of giving treats, the dog will sit without a treat and won't complain.

The money has to symbolize the importance of education. The kids need to know the education is important and if they get a good education they will end up with a good career or owning their own business.

In addition it will teach how to manage money at a young age. If we all had that education this economic downturn wouldn't be as bad.

I'm not too sure Pavlovian responses and clicker training apply to children/teenagers who can talk back, rationalize and basically aren't dogs. This perspective seems a little simplistic and tunnel vision imo.

[snafu]

DH's thesis was Job Satisfaction; he set out to discover the most important incentives for employee productivity. Can you imagine how surprised he was to discover after tabulating all the data from thousands of questionnaires that it was NOT pay raises as he expected but praise and recognition from respected bosses.

Your children need to know their goal; the standard you set has to be realistic and do-able. Money can be part of the reward but I believe you will find most important is the gift of your time, one-on-one with each child. You could take them to an event that reflects their special interest plus a ton of praise that sounds sincere when they exceed baseline. We always made it a point to tell the grandparents so children heard how delighted we were with a specific accomplishment.

There is also a need to make it clear to DKs that there are consequences when they fail to meet their baseline. I don't think parents always follow through which can result in losing their DKs respect. My dad had us re-write any test or school project we mucked up and we got a day or two of drills to make sure we got the principle being taught. I think parents need to be actively involved in their child's learning.

[Team Syntek]

worked great for me and kept me motivated!

[jadet]

It really depends on the type of kids you have. I know for me when I was younger it would not have worked for me. My parents had the it's normal to get good grades mentality stamped in my head.

[ProjectX]

IMO its very important to teach kids how to set goals and reach those goals. In the real world if you got a D you wouldn't get ice cream. I think its good to give kids money and teach them about savings and how interest works if they save their money.

We are now seeing the first generation of the kids that have recently graduated that think the world owes them. Things should be handed to them because they deserve it. Parents of this generation have really sheltered their kids from the real world.

they don't know have to handle disappointment or failure.

[jteezie]

The Freakanomics movie did a study on how money incentives boost grades.

They picked a class of 9th graders and followed 2 of them in more detail. All the students were told that they would be paid $50 each quarter if they kept at least a C average grade in all classes. With great fanfare, at each payout period, they also had a drawing of all qualified students. The winner got a big check for $500 and a hummer limo for the day. Doing well was sensationalized.

Overall they saw a 7-9% average increase in grades across the cohort. However, money may not have been the only incentive. They followed 2 boys. 1 boy was a total skater, class clown. He liked the idea as did his mother who offered to double the payout. The kid tried for 1 quarter, boosting 1 grade, but then decided that being a class clown and "cool" was more important than getting good grades.

The other boy was enchanted by the limo and set it as his highest goal to achieve the grades to qualify for the raffle. First check in, his grades raised, but he was short, but he was not discouraged. He finally boosted his grades and won the raffle.

Incentives matter, but you have to know what incentivizes your child and how frame the reward properly.