How to Make Money as a Kid (Easy Summer & After-School Gigs)

If you’re working hard to make extra money, you might have kids who see it and want to find ways of making money themselves.

Inspiring the entrepreneurial spirit at an early age is a fantastic life skill. But what are the different ways kids can make money?

Many normal options have age restrictions, making them good for high school students but not for younger kids. However, this article also has business basics ideas for young kids to earn money.

Most of us wish we had started earning extra cash at a young age. But we can make sure our kids learn early with plenty of options.

Make Money as a Kid

First, let’s look at ways for younger kids to make money. These gigs are easy for a young kid to do.

If you want to know how to make money fast as a kid, read through the ideas below. And remember to teach your kids these simple money habits so they don’t spend as fast as they make it.

17 Money-Making Ideas For Kids

1. Walking Dogs

Dog owners often need help with pet care, such as someone who can walk dogs while they’re away. They may need you to pet sit.

Kids who love animals often find local gigs as dog walkers by talking to the neighbors.

Walking dogs is a great start-up job for animal-loving kids that doesn’t require any money to start doing. Owners should provide treats, dog toys, and poop bags.

The great thing about dog walking and pet sitting is that you can charge per dog for a certain length of time. That means the longer you do it and the more dogs you walk at once, the more you can make!

Depending on your age, you can sign up for Rover.com to find clients. If you don’t meet the age requirement for Rover, ask a parent or older sibling to help. This would be an easy way to make money as a kid, with your parents or an older sibling.

Try Rover!

2. Selling Candy or Baked Goods

There is always a market for selling candy or baked goods, either at local events or through a website set up for selling in your local area.

You can make and sell cookies, cupcakes, and other sweets you enjoy baking. You can also offer cooking classes to teach others how to make things.

Or you can buy candy from a bulk store like Costco for a cheaper cost. Your kids can make money reselling the candy for a marked-up cost.

It’s important for children to check before they sell baked goods or candy at school, as selling food at school is often off-limits.

Food hygiene is crucial to consider when selling food. You don’t want anyone to get sick from eating your food.

Make sure hands are cleaned with soap and water before making any food or handling anything anyone will eat.

Selling baked foods and candy can make it easy for kids to make money.

3. Youtube

Last year, the highest-earning YouTube channel belonged to an 8-year-old.

He earns $22 million from his YouTube account, which is insane! It’s worth noting that this isn’t the norm for YouTube earnings, but it’s a great source of motivation.

So, what does this kid do to make money online? Nothing crazy or unique. He opens toys and records the videos. You can find a lot of toy review accounts online.

It’s necessary to be consistent and create popular content.

One of the best ways to make passive income with a YouTube channel is through ads. However, it is also possible to make money through affiliate links, sponsorship deals, and merchandise.

How much you can earn from YouTube varies. The more views your videos get, the better.

Find a niche to focus on so your videos will relate to each other. It can be something that takes time to narrow down, so go with the flow and see what other kids do that works.

After studying what many parents let their kids do, which is earn money with popular videos, create something similar.

Kids who like filming and electronics will enjoy using this method to make money. They can also make money from playing video games. They can record or stream as they play games and make money from ads.

4. Lemonade Stand

Lemonade stands may seem like a thing of the past, but they’re just as effective today in making money.

Set up a lemonade stand on a hot summer’s day and earn money by selling to your neighbors and passersby.

A lemonade stand in your front yard can let kids earn money at home. But you can also set up at sporting events or near parks to earn decent money.

Base your pricing on other sellers’ prices.

You can earn extra cash through upsells. Think of things people would want with their lemonade. Some sellers charge more for ice or a straw.

It’s also possible to sell food with your lemonade. But make sure to choose things that the sun won’t affect. A few ideas include chips, pretzels, and crackers.

A lemonade stand can be a great way to make money with no minimum age and little effort. In the winter, try a hot chocolate stand.

Related articles:

5. Car Wash

Having a car wash is one of the best small business ideas that can be done with other students.

You can start by washing your parents’ vehicles. You can also make extra money by vacuuming, polishing, and detailing the inside of vehicles.

Then, with permission from the owners, take photos of the vehicles you clean and make flyers to promote your services. You can also post ads on the Facebook marketplace.

Car washing can be a good method of earning money with a part-time job.

6. Odd Jobs

You can make money using life skills to complete odd jobs for people. You can find one-off things that need completing.

Start with your parents and elderly neighbors to see if there are any jobs you can help them do.

Sometimes, they need help with completing errands, picking up garden produce, going to coffee shops, doing household chores, or cleaning their homes.

Neighbors can sometimes need someone to check in on their homes while they are away, bringing in the mail, watering plants, and checking on pets.

Pet sitting is a common way for kids to make money. Many pet owners need someone to watch their pets. Price your time to match the services they need, such as coming by several times a day or more complicated services.

7. Newspaper Delivery

Do you still have newspaper delivery services in your area? If you’re willing to wake up early, you could earn good money.

Delivering newspapers can earn a wage of around $12 an hour. However, the wage varies from place to place, so check your location before signing up.

Experience is not needed. The job requires riding around on a bike and delivering papers to people’s homes before they wake up.

8. Can Recycling

It’s possible to make money from the garbage. You can recycle aluminum cans and make cash. You will earn little per can but it will add up.

Start by recycling the cans at home. Then, ask around your area for people to let you recycle theirs.

You can also search areas where people discard them, like sporting events. How much you make depends on the state. In California, you can earn 5 to 10 cents a bottle per recycle, depending on size.

Recycling can help you earn money and it’s good for the earth.

9. Sell Your Crafts

Etsy is a great online platform for selling crafts. You must be 13 years old to start an Etsy shop, and if you are under 18, you will need a parent’s permission.

You can also sell crafts at other places, such as schools, farmer’s markets, local fairs, family and friends, and sporting events.

Look on Etsy to find things that people sell that you would enjoy doing.

Ideas for you to try out could be:

Candles or wax melts
Jewelry
Art
Digital printables
Stationary
Crafts

When searching for ideas on making money fast as a kid at home, one of the best choices is Etsy.

Start your own Etsy account

Make Money as a Teenager

You have more options for making money as a teenager. We’ll look at those now. Many jobs require applicants to be a certain age to apply. So always check the age requirements before applying for jobs.

10. Take Surveys Online

You can take surveys online and earn up to $100 a month in your free time. These survey sites are so easy to use.

These are my all-time favorite survey sites where users earn cash. Most importantly, they are legit. I’ve tried them and made money myself doing online surveys.

< Swagbucks<–You get a free $10 bonus just for using our link

< Survey Junkie

There are also a handful of other well-known survey sites. Always check the age requirements before joining.

Related article: How to Make Instant Money Online Absolutely Free

11. Flipping Items on eBay

There are ways for kids to make money by flipping items. With their permission, you may have to use your parent’s account if you’re under 18. Or get them to help you list your items.

Flipping items involves getting an item for one price and selling it for more.

There are a lot of people having great success with this at the moment, and if you want inspiration, head on over to Rob and Melissa’s site, Flea Market Flipper to see how they’ve done it.

Also, make sure to check out their free Workshop Webinar here!

The items that you flip could be things such as:

< Books

< Toys

< Furniture

< Games

< Strollers

< Gym Equipment

You can start your search for items to flip by looking around your home. Look for items you don’t need anymore or want—check with the whole family. Before setting your prices, check the going rate online.

It’s often surprising how much money is sitting around the house.

After selling some stuff from home, you should have enough money to buy more things to flip.

You can start looking for flipping items at flea markets, thrift shops, or a local garage sale or yard sale.

Come check out how we flipped our kitchen table.

12. Start a Blog or Website

Starting a blog or website is a great way to earn money.

It’s possible to start a blog or website on any topic, like a cooking blog. To make more money, you have to earn more traffic.

If you are interested in starting a blog, make sure to check out our free start-up guide.

Last November, we made over $22,000 on our blog!

Related article: How to Start a Blog: Beginners Guide

13. Lawn Care

Mowing lawns is a great way for kids to earn money quickly, especially those who like being outdoors.

You can start by looking in your neighborhood and asking neighbors if they would like you to do their lawn mowing. Most adults are too busy to handle yard work and would prefer to let a kid or small business handle it.

It’s one of the most common jobs for kids during the summer, so there is a high demand for it.

But you don’t have to limit yourself to mowing lawns. You can also rake leaves, landscape, and water plants for an extra fee, or you can do it for free to impress clients.

You don’t have to limit yourself to work only in the summer months. You can offer snow shoveling in the winter and leaf raking in the fall.

14. Tutoring

Becoming a tutor can be a great job for kids with good skills. You can tutor younger kids who struggle with your expert topic, like a school subject, or you can teach music lessons.

Tutoring can be a well-paid after-school gig because parents want their kids to do well, even if it costs them.

Older kids can earn $20 an hour helping younger children. This job is especially popular around test times.

15. Social Media Assistant

A social media assistant is another role for older kids since social media platforms have a minimum age limit.

Kids who spend a lot of time on their phones using social media accounts can find opportunities to make money from their hobby. Why not get paid to do something you already do?

Being a social media marketing virtual assistant means you will manage the social media accounts for a business, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Your tasks will depend on your clients. But at the basic level, you will post on the business’s social media and interact with its customer base.

Check out this article to get information about becoming a virtual assistant.

16. Refereeing

Sports often go on year-round, always leaving a need for referees.

You can make money by refereeing competitive gaming events if you enjoy sports.

You can get paid to get a great view of the games, but you will be the one making the calls that determine the games. So, you can expect people to argue with you. Stand firm and ensure they know you won’t tolerate disrespect, and it will turn out fine.

17. Face Painting

Face painting is a fun way for kids to make money. This money-making idea is great for those with an artistic flair.

Offer these services at kids’ birthday parties, carnivals, farmer’s markets, and other local events. It’s a popular gig that can become more than a part-time job.

With the permission of your parents, take photos of your work to use as a form of advertisement and to show what kind of faces you can make.

18. Babysitting

One of the easiest ways to make money fast as a kid is babysitting. Most people start with babysitting as their first job before they have a license.

Reach out to neighbors, family, and friends when you hit the magical age of 13. Most of your money will come from babysitting people you know.

Those with younger siblings already have some experience under their belts.

Don’t worry if you don’t live in a neighborhood. You can find babysitting jobs through word of mouth, social media, or Sittercity.

Making Money as a Kid – Final Thoughts

We hope this article gives you some great ideas for making money as a kid. There are many benefits to starting your personal finance journey at a young age.

If you’ve wanted to learn how to earn money as a kid, we hope we have given you some ideas for generating income at a young age.

You might not know it, but starting your personal finance early can set you up for the future.

Before you start, think about your plans for making money. Are you earning money to spend it? It’s smarter to create a plan to start saving money while spending enough to enjoy life.

Pick up our free budget binder below to start keeping track of all the money you will be making.

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These are only a few ways kids make money. Have you tried any of these job ideas before? Which do you think you’d be good at?

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to save it later and join us over on Pinterest for more money-saving tips and tricks!