How to Make Money for Kids
Knowing how to make money for kids can allow an adult to keep a few extra dollars in their wallet. Instead of your child receiving something for nothing, they can earn cash themselves and develop a strong work ethic in the process. The following article provides a number of tips to get a young entrepreneur started, as well as a detailed list of potential job opportunities.
Tips to Remember
When researching how to make money for kids, the following tips should be remembered. Not only will they keep your child safe, but these suggestions will also ensure that kids get the most out of their job experience.
- If the chosen job requires the participant to follow safety guidelines, make sure your child is old enough to understand and comply.
- Don’t allow your child to go door to door alone.
- Find a job that your child is excited about. If they like what they’re doing, they’ll be more likely to apply themselves.
- Talk with your child and help them set reasonable prices for their services.
- Make sure that your child’s job doesn’t interfere with school.
- If the business requires a start-up cost, make sure your child has enough to cover it.
- Always know where your child is at all times.
- Help your child distribute flyers in the neighborhood to advertise their business.
- Tell your child that they can always come to you for advice.
- To attract customers, consider giving out free samples or coupons.
Ways for Kids to Make Money
The following is a list of ways for kids to make money. We recommend that you talk with your child and generate even more ideas on your own.
Baby Sitter – If your kid likes to be around younger children, then this could be a good way to earn some money. Just make sure your child is old enough to understand and follow through on the responsibilities of baby sitting. When looking at how to make money for kids, this has to be one of the most popular.
If your child isn’t old enough to be left alone with younger tykes, they might earn extra money by helping parents feed and play with their children.
House Cleaning – Houses constantly need to be dusted and vacuumed, and clothes are always piling up in the hamper. While this can put extra money in their pocket, it should also help children develop better habits when it comes to picking up around their own room.
Cleaning house for money is also a great way for kids to learn the skills they’ll need when moving away from home one day (washing clothes, etc.).
Selling Cookies – Your child can buy packages of cookies from the local market or grocery store and sell them individually for a profit. This can be done throughout your neighborhood, or an enterprising kid might set up an operation in the local park (under supervision, of course).
Selling cookies could be combined with a lemonade stand for an effective one-two punch. This idea can also be applied to items like brownies.
Lemonade Stand – When mulling over the notion of how to make money for kids, there’s nothing more traditional than the lemonade stand. Location is key, of course, and a child could even go so far as to set up their stand near a bike or marathon route (they might also want to sell bottled water). While a lemonade stand is best during the summer months, warm beverages such as coffee and apple cider could also be sold in the fall.
If hot beverages are involved, however, make sure that your child is old enough to serve these items without burning themselves.
Newsletter – If your child has a topic they’re passionate about, encourage them to write about it in a simple newsletter that can then be sold to friends, family, and neighbors. There are numerous computer programs that can give a professional look to the finished product.
Car Washing – Everyone needs to wash their car from time to time, but not many people enjoy doing it. That’s where your child comes in. Your children could even team up with other kids from the neighborhood and offer a more comprehensive car washing service.
Window Washing – This idea would work for both local houses and nearby stores. To get started, all your child will need is a bucket, squeegee, and window cleaner.
Fence Painting – If you or your child know of any fences in need of painting, this is another opportunity for making money. Make sure your kid understands the importance of scraping off peeling paint before applying a fresh coat. The owner of the fence should provide the paint and brushes, while your child will charge for labor.
Renting Toys – If your child has toys no longer in use, they can make a few extra bucks by renting them out to others. This is a perfect offer for area grandparents who may be keeping their grandchildren for the weekend.
Dog Caretaker – For kids who like dogs, a small business focusing on walking or washing dogs can be a fun way to make a profit. Just be sure that any animals around your child are friendly and safe. It’s not a good idea to let your child walk a pit bull by themselves. If someone in the neighborhood is going out of town, your kid could also offer to act as a pet sitter for a reasonable fee.
House Sitting – Especially useful during the summer months when people go on vacation, kids can get paid to water plants, feed animals, collect mail, and many other small tasks. Just make sure your child is responsible enough to follow through, especially if the job involves feeding animals of any kind.
Yard Work – This is a job for kids that can be done all year round. In the summer, children can make money by mowing yards, watering plants and lawns, and planting flowers. Leaves can be raked in the fall, and driveways or porches can have snow removed in the winter.
Account Leveling – For kids who are skilled at video games (especially MMORPGs like World of Warcraft), account leveling provides a novel way to earn some extra money. Basically, there are many people who want top-level online characters in these games, but they don’t want to spend all the time it takes to get there. Instead, they pay someone else to take their character through all the lower levels, only taking over once the character has reached a certain status within the game. The pay for this can be surprising, and it’s perfect for children who excel at online games.
Special Items in Second Life – In the online community of Second Life, people can design, among other things, their own cars, clothing, and jewelry. Of course, not everyone has the time to devote to such feats of design, and that’s where your kid comes in.
It might sound strange at first, but by creating unique items for the world of Second Life, your child can earn real-life money.
Surveys – There are many sites online that pay people to answer surveys as a means of conducting market research. There’s no reason why your child can’t earn money doing this.