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23 ways to earn money as a kid – a guide of popular ways to start making money even if you aren’t old enough to get a job
We all want to make money…
Even as a kid, I’m sure you’d rather make your own money so you have control, get to buy what you want, and prove you are capable of more than adults around you may think.
But you may be wondering how to make money as a kid if you don’t meet your state’s minimum age requirement for work.
The good news is that there are plenty of legit ways to earn money, even if you can’t get a job…
And who knows, you may become a kid entrepreneur and create a business that earns a lot of money for years to come!
Of course, that does take hard work and dedication, but it can be done if you’re willing to put in the work!
Before you go crazy thinking of everything you can buy with the cash you make, you first need to brainstorm what kind of work you are going to do.
Luckily, in this day and age, it’s easier than ever to make money as a kid, and since everyone is different, I have put together a list of a variety of ways to start earning money of your own.
Some of these money making ideas are things just about any kid could do around their own neighborhood, while others will show you how to make money as a kid online.
I also included some of these great money-making ideas that are better suited for older kids while others are perfect for younger kids, and there are some ideas that are perfect if you want to make money as a teen.
Also, some of the ideas do require parental supervision or involvement, while others don’t, depending on the job or opportunity.
Benefits of earning money as a kid
There are many benefits to earning your own money, of course, you probably want your own spending money to buy certain things that your parents may not be willing to pay for. But while working towards that goal, you’ll learn…
The value of money
How to save money
How to manage your time wisely
Teaches you responsibility
How to decide on the right money-making opportunity
Now before you jump right into the different ways to make money, there are a few things you should consider before deciding on which opportunity you are going to pursue.
How much time do you have to work?
Making your own money is great, but you will have to give up a lot of your free time. Before you jump in, you might want to decide if you just want to work on the weekends when you don’t have school work, or is this going to be just a way to make money while you are on summer vacation.
How dedicated are you going to be?
Some of these gigs for kids may require more work and dedication to pull off so you should decide if you are willing to do the work when you have to.
For instance, if you start a lawn mowing service in your neighborhood, are you ready to spend every weekend mowing lawns and maybe having to miss out on some activities?
How much money do you want to make?
Do you have a savings goal you want to reach? Are you just looking to make enough money to get that *thing* you want so much or are you looking for a long-term way to make money regularly to save up for college, save up to buy a car when you get your license?
Working towards a savings goal is a great way to stay motivated to keep at it so set some goals for your venture.
Is this temporary or a long term plan to make money?
Lastly, you’ll want to decide if this is temporary or long term. So are you just looking to make a certain amount of cash or do you want this to be a steady stream of extra pocket money?
This is something you should really consider before you make commitments to people that you may or may not want to keep.
These are just a few things you’ll want to keep in mind as you go through this list to find the perfect money-making idea to fit your needs, so if you are ready, here are 23 of the most popular ways to start bringing in some green!
How To Make Money As A Kid
1. Sell Your Unwanted Stuff Online
One of the fastest ways to earn money as a kid is to sell things you no longer need or want
You can sell almost anything online on sites like eBay and Amazon, but you will need to use a parent’s or legal guardian’s eBay or Amazon account with their permission.
If you have old clothes and toys that you have outgrown, sell them on eBay.
Gently used kids’ clothes can be sold through online consignment shops such as thredUP and Poshmark.
Do you have old textbooks laying around from school? Make money selling Amazon or via BookScouter and Gazelle will pay you for all kinds of old electronics like smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
You can also use an app called Decluttr to sell your unwanted stuff like video games & DVDs, online easily since you can scan barcodes of your products, then they will instantly give you the price they’ll pay you for your stuff.
2. Sell Your Crafts
If you are a crafty kid and good at making handmade items, then you can sell your crafts to make money at a local craft fair, flea market, or online on Etsy and eBay.
You can even create your own website to sell your crafts.
First, you’ll need to figure out what you are good at creating. If you can make products that people want to buy, you can make a good income by selling your handmade crafts.
You can sell your creations on Etsy but you’ll need a parent or legal guardian to create an account in their name and gives you permission to use it with supervision.
3. Start a Babysitting Business
Babysitting is one of the best jobs for older kids to earn extra money. If you are old enough, responsible, and are good with younger kids, then you could make money by watching other people’s children.
Many parents are always looking for good babysitters as both moms and dads are working, and there are even many stay at home moms that also need someone to watch their kids while they are getting things done.
You can ask your family, friends, and neighbors if they would be interested in your services.
If you think this is something you’d like to do, you might want to consider getting a CPR license since it’ll make your services much more appealing to parents with children in the neighborhood.
If you are 14 years old, a parent or legal guardian can apply for babysitting jobs online for you on Care.com.
4. Walk or Pet Sit Dogs
Are you an animal lover? If so, then walking dogs or even pet sitting dogs can be a fun way for you to earn extra money… and it won’t even feel like you’re working!
As a pet sitter, you’ll take care of animals at their own house while their owners are away or you may only need to go feed or let them out for a while.
And, if you especially love dogs, walking them is an excellent way to earn some extra cash while getting exercise at the same time. You could walk a few dogs for an hour or so after school or on the weekends and make really good money.
To get started, you can post flyers in your neighborhood or ask people you know if they need this service, or spread the word to their friends.
Other options are sites like Care.com, Sittercity.com, and Rover.com that will connect you with pet owners nearby but you will need a parent’s permission to register on these sites.
You can charge around $15-$20 per hour as a pet sitter or dog walker.
5. House Sitting
Older kids can make money by looking after their neighbors’ houses while they are away. Some clients may need you to stay at their house an hour or two each day to check their house out, pick up their mail, packages, or newspaper or feed their pets once a day or so.
You can start by offering to house sit for family, friends, and neighbors while they are on vacation. Once you’ve made a name for yourself, you could start advertising your services in your area to make even more money
You can expect to earn anywhere from $25 – $45 per day depending on your area and the services you provide.
6. Resell Stuff Online
If you are good at selling things, then you can start a reselling business online. This involves a little upfront investment to find and buy valuable items at a discount from yard sales, local stores, flea markets, etc., and then flipping them online for a profit.
You do have to find the right products and then buy them at the right price to make a profit, and if this is up your alley, it’s a great online business idea for entrepreneurial kids and you can start with as little as $20.
If you don’t have any money to get started, you can offer to sell other people’s used items and keep a percentage of the earnings.
7. Lemonade Stand
Having a lemonade stand is one of the most classic ways to make money as a kid, and it’s fun too!
The investment to get started is very minimal. You just need to buy some packets of lemonade and some plastic cups to get started earning cash.
You can set up your lemonade stand in your neighborhood or even better, in a high traffic area in your town to get more customers…which of course means more profit! You can even kick it up a notch and sell bottled water, sodas, cookies, cakes, etc.
8. Sell Baked Goods
Are you great at baking cakes, cookies, or just about any other sweet treat? If so, you can sell your goods at your local farmer’s market, craft fairs, or festivals.
You can also have a bake sale sell your goods to friends, neighbors, or even workers at local businesses in your town.
And if word of mouth starts to spread about how good your treats are, you can make money fast just by whipping up a batch of cookies, it could even start a business and work from home while selling your goods online.
9. Do Household Chores
One of the easiest ways to earn money as a kid is to do household chores for other people in the neighborhood.
These days, everybody is super busy and will gladly pay someone to take a load off their plate. You can earn some really good pocket money just by doing household chores on a part-time basis.
Chores might include things like watering flowers, sweeping/mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, and things like that, but it’s nothing you can’t handle…
10. Run Errands
Running errands for people around their neighborhood to earn some extra money is a great way to make money as a kid.
You can pick up groceries or dry clean, run to the post office to mail a package, check mail, and other errands for elderly neighbors or busy working parents.
Just ask people around your neighborhood to see who would be interested in your services.
11. Mow Lawns
Mowing lawns is another classic way for kids to earn money. It is a seasonal opportunity but if you are really dedicated to it, you could make some good money doing this in the summer.
Many people will gladly pay kids to mow their lawn and do other yard work than do it themselves. Ask your family friends and neighbors to see if they need someone to mow their lawn.
You can advertise your services by posting flyers around the neighborhood, via word of mouth, and on social media.
You can charge $20-$40 per lawn mowing project, depending on the size of the lawn.
And if you’ve been wondering how to make $200 a week as a kid, you can earn that or more if you mowed just 5 lawns a week…pretty good money if you ask me!
12. Social Media Manager
If you know the ins and outs of social media platforms, then you can make money by creating and managing social accounts for others.
You can even reach out to local small businesses that don’t have a social media presence yet or that need someone to manage their social media pages.
If you are at least 13 years old, you can sign up with Fiverr as a seller to get a social media assistant or manager jobs online.
The pay rates can vary widely depending on your skills, experience, and the client. However, you can expect to make $20 to $50 per hour as a social media assistant, depending on the client and your skills.
13. Sell Photos Online
Can you take good photos with a camera or a smartphone? If you have photography skills and can take amazing pictures, then you can sell your photos online to earn money.
You can license your photos to stock photography sites like iStock, Shutterstock, and many more to earn royalties (cash) that vary from site to site.
If this sounds like a fun part-time job then you’ll need to join some of the reputable stock photography sites and then upload your photos to those sites.
Every photo that gets approved by one of those sites can earn you money with each download which is a great way to earn passive income.
14. Take Paid Surveys Online
One of the common ways to earn money as a kid is to take paid surveys online. Some of the top legit survey sites that will pay teenagers cash for completing online surveys are Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, Vindale Research, Toluna, and i-Say.
You can earn anywhere from a few cents to few dollars per survey depending on the length and complexity of the survey and the survey site, and you can complete them during your free time, so it is a great way for kids to earn some extra money.
15. Offer Services on Fiverr
If you have any skill that you can use online, there is a way to make money from that skill on Fiverr. This site is the largest marketplace for selling digital services online.
For example, if you can design a logo, edit a photograph or video, set up social media accounts, or write a blog post or article, you can sell your services on Fiverr.
You can offer services like writing content, creating graphics, building and designing websites, managing social media, managing blogs or websites, drawing cartoons, creating and editing videos, creating music, doing voice-overs, or just anything else on Fiverr.
First, you will need to join the site as a seller. The minimum age requirement to join Fiverr is 13.
The base price for each Gig is $5, hence the name Fiverr.
But you can charge up to $995 for each Gig or job you are willing to do for others, depending on the job.
16. Shovel Snow
Older kids can make some extra money in their spare time by shoveling their neighbors’ driveways and sidewalks in the winter.
Many people are not able to or keen to shovel snow so it’s an easy sell when you approach someone to see if they would hire you to do it for them.
You might even want to offer your services to local businesses in your area too. You can advertise your services via word of mouth, flyers, on social media, or knocking on doors in your area.
This side hustle requires more work but pays well.
You can earn anywhere from $30 to $100 per driveway or walkway.
17. Voiceover Jobs
Kids can hire out their voice to make money. As a voiceover artist, you will read the text that you hear in TV commercials, cartoons, animated movies, and radio ads.
You can sign up on Voices.com and Internet Jock and browse for jobs that interest you based on your skills. You can also register on Fiverr to find work as a voiceover artist.
The pay for each voiceover job varies based on the job and your skills but if you are wondering how to make money fast as a kid, then check out voices.com.
Each job on Voices.com is usually worth at least $100.
18. Become a Youth Sports Referee
If you are passionate about a particular game or sport and know the rules of that game, then you may enjoy a job as a kid referee to earn money by officiating your favorite sport.
Many communities and sports organizations hire kid referees to officiate youth games like soccer, basketball, and other youth sporting events.
To work as a youth sports referee, you will have to go through official training to become certified and pass a referee’s course in that sport.
You can earn anywhere from $25 to $50 per job or game as a youth sports referee.
19. Review Music
Kids aged 13 and over who love music can make money without a job by reviewing music on a website called Slice the Pie.
New artists submit their songs to Slice the Pie to get feedback on them before they are released to the public. This site will pay you to listen to their clients’ songs and give feedback on them.
You will get paid for rating and reviewing every song that you listen to. Typically, you will earn only a few cents per song that you listen to, rate, and review.
The more songs you listen to and give quality feedback on them, the more you earn. You can even earn extra money by referring your friends to Slice the Pie.
20. Tutor Peers or Younger Kids
Are you strong in a particular subject like math or reading? If so, then tutoring others in your class or tutoring younger kids who struggle in that subject can be an excellent way for you to earn some pocket change.
You can even become an online tutor for kids around the country. Sign up for online tutoring jobs at sites like Tutor.com, TutorMe, and Wyzant.
You can charge $10-$20 an hour or more.
21. Earn Money from Your Computer Skills
If you have computer skills, you can teach others who are not great with computers. Many older people are willing to pay for the skills you have that will make their lives easier.
You can earn some money by teaching others how to use Skype or WhatsApp, download apps, organize files, set up an operating system on a computer, or just about any other tasks that they would find useful.
22. Wash Cars
Washing cars is a quick way for older kids to earn money. It is also an excellent way for them to get some exercise.
Many car owners do not have the time to wash their own car so they will pay kids to clean their cars.
You can offer your services to your family friends and neighbors and even showrooms. Advertise your services via flyers, door knocking, word of mouth, and social media.
All that you need to start earning money with this one is supplies like sponges and buckets.
You can make anywhere from $10 to $15 per cash washed.
23. Weed Gardens
Pulling up weeds from gardens is a tedious job that many homeowners do not want to do, but they are willing to pay kids to do it.
If you enjoy being outdoors, then pulling weeds for your family friends or neighbors can be a good way for you to make some extra cash as a kid.
You can advertise your services to your neighbors by knocking on their doors, leaving flyers on doors and in mailboxes, word of mouth, and advertising on social media.
You can expect to earn about $10-$15 per hour.
How to Make Money as a Kid Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to make money as a kid you just think outside the box and give your money-making ideas a shot.
You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain, and who knows, you could even turn one of these ideas into a full-fledged business!
Do you have any other ideas for How To Make Money As a Kid that you want to share? Please leave a comment.
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