Making money as a kid teaches them how to start managing it and learning to spend wisely on a small scale so that when they are older, they have some skills in place for adulthood.
Growing up, I was never given an allowance, mainly because my parents didn't ask much of me, my brother, or my sister. I remember, on occasion, they would bribe us with the possibility of an allowance.
We'd be more inclined to do some chores around the house only to discover on payday that we'd only be getting 50 cents, so I wasn't that motivated by their bribes.
I remember some kids scoring big when they brought their report cards home, getting upwards of $5 an A. Report cards can equal a very lucrative paycheck, depending on how many subjects you have and your grades.
I remember peddling around boxes of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to raise money for my baseball team. We were required to sell a certain amount, and I have no idea where the profits went.
I supplemented my weekend job with landscaping jobs during my summers. I was the “trimmer” and could weed whack the hell out of any lawn. I made $10 an hour at this job, which I thought was pretty sweet.