15 Jun

30 Great Ways for Kids to Earn Money

Kids of all ages are frequently looking for ways that they can earn money. This makes parents happy. First of all it means that their children will have a bit of their own spending money to get the things that they want. Perhaps more importantly, earning their own money teaches kids about the value of money. It also teaches them skills related to working that they’ll be using for the rest of their lives. It’s an all-around great situation when kids start earning their own money from an early age. But how should they do it?

Here are 30 different ways that kids might earn money:

1. Bake Sales. Kids can start learning to do some simple baking from a very young age. They can hold bake sales in the neighborhood every week or every month where they sell their baked goods. Truly entrepreneurial kids may even set up a baking business through which neighbors and family members can place special orders.

2. Blogging. Kids these days are really good with computers and that’s a great place to start earning a little bit of money. They can start a blog and promote it through their MySpace account. They can earn a small amount of money for advertising. Kids may need to work with a parent to set up a legal account for accepting ad money.

3. Microstock Photography. Another great online business that kids can get into is selling their photos through microstock photography sites online. There are also sites like ShareAPic where kids can host their own photo galleries and get ad money when people visit the pictures. Kids who take great digital pictures can use the family camera to begin this business. Again, parents may need to get involved in setting up an account under an adult’s name.

4. Face Painting. Artistic kids may want to learn how to do face painting. Other kids in the neighborhood will be happy to pay them to practice this skill. Kids can also get permission to do this at parties or local street fairs.

5. Candy Sales. Kids who want to make their money off of other kids should look into doing candy sales in the neighborhood. Candy and popsicles can be purchased in bulk and then sold individually to local children. They can also be sold to adults who have a sweet tooth!

6. Make and Sell Jewelry. A more traditional business for kids is the making and selling of jewelry. Kids can make friendship bracelets and simple beaded jewelry. These can be sold to neighbors, at flea markets or even online.

7. Open an Etsy Store. Kids who are truly crafty may want to work with their parents to set up an online Etsy store. This is a place where people can list handmade items for sale. Kids that can make jewelry, do sewing or create other types of handmade crafts can earn a decent living this way.

8. Make Soaps and / or Candles. Jewelry isn’t the only handmade item that kids are good at making. Homemade soaps and candles are other things that kids can learn how to make and sell.

9. Work at Farmers’ Markets. Those crafty kids might want to get involved in selling their soaps and other things at Farmers’ Markets (if they make them in an organic way). Alternatively, you can help your kids get to know the local farmers that are selling at Farmers’ Markets. It may be possible for kids to earn some extra money by getting hired to assist at the farmers’ stands.

10. Have a Yard Sale. A yard sale is a great way for kids to earn some quick cash. They can sell the items that they don’t want anymore to get money for what they do want to buy. Business-minded kids can offer to run yard sales for neighbors and family members and they can keep a percentage of the earnings.

11. Start an eBay Business. Kids who are really good at selling things may be interested in working with their parents to start a small eBay store. They can use a bit of startup money to purchase items from local yard sales and then they can re-sell those items for a marked up price online.

12. Babysitting. Older kids can get paid to babysit younger kids. Kids who are too young to babysit may be able to find work as parent helpers, babysitting while the parents are home to give the parents a break while the kids learn babysitting skills.

13. Read to Young Kids. Another job for older kids is to get paid to read books to younger kids. Most parents want their kids to read. Book-smart children can set up small reading groups in which they read aloud to kids who can’t read yet. Parents pay a small fee for their kids to be in the group.

14. Tutoring. Older kids who are starting to get knowledgeable about teaching can even offer tutoring services to younger kids. Kids who already know how to read or do math are often the best teachers for younger kids who are just learning these skills.

15. Dog Walking. Some kids are really great with animals. Those kids should put that skill to use by earning some money doing dog walking for people in the neighborhood who have dogs. Kids who aren’t ready to do this may offer the service of coming over to the home and playing with the dog to help get the dog’s energy out.

16. Pet Grooming. Kids can also earn money from pet owners by offering to wash those pets. Dog washing is a common job for kids. In some areas, horse washing and grooming is also an option.

17. Yard Work. There are a lot of jobs in the yard that kids can handle doing and which people in the neighborhood will be happy to pay to have done. Tending a garden, raking leaves, watering plants and re-painting house trim are all things that kids might get paid to do for someone else.

18. Garden. Kids who live in places with nice yards may actually want to start their own gardens. They can then sell the fruits of their labor for some extra cash.

19. Errands. There are a lot of little errands that kids are capable of doing to earn some money. Returning items that one neighbor has borrowed from another, running to the corner store to pick up a few things and checking someone’s mail on a daily basis are examples of such tasks.

20. Housecleaning. Children who prefer to stay indoors may find that they can make a good business out of doing housecleaning for others. There are tons of different indoor tasks that kids can get paid to do including laundry, window washing, vacuuming and so on.

21. Filing and home office organization. Some kids are really great at organizing and filing which can be a lot of help to adults who have a home office. Kids who have basic computer skills (like typing) may also be able to sell those services.

22. Party assistant. Kids that are good at following directions can be a great help to people during parties. Setting up for a party, cleaning up afterwards and serving drinks or snacks during the party are all tasks that kids can handle. If your family knows a lot of people who host parties throughout the year then this can be a good kids’ business.

23. Cooking. Kids that are skilled at cooking may be able to turn this skill into a business. Many busy families would be happy to buy a few pre-cooked meals each week to save them the trouble of cooking for themselves. Kids can learn to make meals that can be frozen and stored and they can end up turning this into a pretty good ongoing business.

24. Assisting the Elderly. Elderly people are often happy just to have kids around. Kids can earn money by working as a companion to an elderly person, doing some of their basic chores and assisting them in getting around.

25. Flyer Delivery Service. Kids may be able to work with local businesses to earn some money doing basic advertising. Businesses pay kids to hand-deliver flyers to local residents. This is generally best for older kids or groups of kids working together due to safety concerns about going door-to-door.

26. Car Wash. The car wash is one of the most basic ways that kids can earn money. It’s another one that’s really great for groups of kids who want to work together.

27. Recycling. It used to be that kids could earn a decent amount of money by collecting people’s recyclables and cashing them in. Turning in cans for recycling doesn’t earn you much money in most places anymore. However, kids can still get into recycling for cash if they get creative. There are a lot of cool crafts that can be made from recycled materials. Kids that can do this for people who have a lot of junk around will be a hot commodity in some areas.

28. Host Movie Nights. If you are willing to have a bunch of people over at your house once a week or once a month then your kids can earn some money by hosting a movie night. They can either charge a small fee for coming to the movie or they can offer the movie for free and then charge for popcorn and sodas. If your family has a projector and a yard then you could even let them host outdoor movie nights at your place.

29. Make a Magazine or Comic Book. Kids who like to write may want to put together their own little magazine or comic book. They can then sell it to friends and family members for a small fee. Kids who are consistent with this can even sell subscriptions.

30. Hold a Talent Show or Put on a Play. One of the most creative money-making ideas for kids is to put on a work of performance art and to charge others to come see it. A talent show or a play can be a great way to bring a group together for some entertainment while kids earn money. Kids who can do neat things like break dance or do gymnastics can also do a performance around that.

Hey, seems you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed, so you will be the first to get our free money saving tips. Thanks for visiting!