How much pocket money should I give my child?

A common guideline is a small weekly amount that increases with age. As a rough guide: ages 4–6 a token amount, ages 7–9 around KES 50–150 per week, ages 10–12 around KES 150–400, and teenagers KES 400–1000+ depending on what they are expected to cover. Adjust to your family budget — consistency matters more than the exact figure.

How often should I give pocket money?

Weekly works well for younger children because the wait is short enough to stay motivating. From about age 11–12 you can move to fortnightly or monthly to help them practise budgeting over a longer period.

Should pocket money be linked to chores?

A mix works best: give a base allowance that is not tied to chores so children always have something to budget, and let extra effort or bigger tasks earn a bonus. This teaches both money management and the value of work.

How do I stop my child spending it all at once?

Use the 'spend, save, give' split — for example, encourage them to save a portion of every allowance toward a goal before spending the rest. Seeing savings grow toward something they want is the strongest motivator.

How Much Pocket Money by Age?

There's no single "right" amount of pocket money — but there are sensible ranges that grow with your child. Here's a practical age-by-age guide, with example KES amounts for Kenyan families, plus how to make allowance actually teach money skills.

A quick answer

Give a small, consistent amount that scales with age and responsibility. What matters far more than the exact figure is that it's regular, partly tied to saving, and matched to what you expect the child to pay for themselves.

Pocket money by age (rough weekly guide)

Age	Example weekly amount (KES)	What it teaches
4–6	A token amount (e.g. KES 20–50)	Money is exchanged for things; saving in a jar
7–9	KES 50–150	Waiting, choosing, simple saving goals
10–12	KES 150–400	Budgeting across the week; spend/save/give
13+	KES 400–1000+	Managing larger amounts and bigger choices

These are illustrative ranges, not rules. Adjust to your household budget and the cost of living where you are.

How often should you give it?

Weekly is best for younger children — a week is short enough to stay motivating and forgiving of mistakes. From around age 11–12, switching to fortnightly or monthly helps them practise budgeting over a longer stretch, which is closer to how adult money works.

Should you link it to chores?

The most effective approach is a hybrid: a base allowance that isn't tied to chores (so there's always something to budget and save), plus bonuses for extra effort or bigger tasks. This avoids two traps — children expecting payment for everything, and children having no money to practise managing.

How to stop it being spent all at once

Teach the spend, save, give split. Encourage your child to move a portion of every allowance into savings toward a specific goal before spending the rest. The single biggest motivator is visibility — when a child can see their savings climbing toward something they want, saving stops feeling like a sacrifice.

Let the allowance teach itself

With Tija Kids, pocket money becomes a savings goal with a progress bar, chores become earnings, and you can manage it all even across two homes or with a nanny.

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