It’s not uncommon for overachieving, self-sufficient kids to constantly be asking themselves how to make money fast as a kid. In fact, one might even say that’s how you identify a young Bill Gates in the making! Fortunately, there are countless ways for kids to make money – and to be honest, some of them are pretty easy to get started with.
You call yourself a teen, not a kid. Then read how to make money as a teen.
I, for one, had a paper route when I was little. It was the most generic job that could exist for a kid, but it was AWESOME to have a bit of money in a world where most of my peers had none. I’ll admit, I felt pretty special.
Nowadays, there are so many more ways for kids to make money because of the endless opportunities that exist online. Think about it, documenting what you get up to each day is actually a way to make money now! Gaming and doing reviews can also put some extra money in your pocket.
Of course, there are more conventional and traditional ways for kids to make money, but the opportunities that exist online really excite me! You can make passive income and really make the most of your creativity online. So, how to make money as a kid? I’ve got it listed for you right down below. Oh, and by “kids” I mean those 12 years and under.
How to make money as a kid online
Kids are good online, but the truth is, you’ll never be able to pretend you are an adult if you have to talk. A trend that I’ve noticed a lot of parents hopping on to – especially new-age parents – is creating content online on behalf of their kids, which is becoming one of the most popular ways for kids to make money.
This wasn’t an option when I was a kid, but hey, this is what a lot of people are turning to these days.
My criteria of great jobs for kids
Motivating
As parents, this is our main goal. If our kids are excited, we should help that momentum. What do I mean by this? Well, we’ve already established that there are quite a few ways for kids to make money, but not all of them will excite YOUR kid. Knowing what your kid likes will give you an idea of where to start.
If you happen to pinpoint something that your kid likes and which excites them and keeps them motivated, stick to it. Support it. Protect it at all costs and make sure that you do your part in keeping that thrill going and your kid motivated.
Easy to pick up
We’re talking about kids here, so the chances of them picking up a text book or going for training workshops are close to none. Realistically speaking, kids just want to get going so cut out all the frills and present them with ways for kids to make money that are fairly simple and easy to pick up.
Safe
While it’s great to discover how to make money as a kid and all, safety comes first. As a parent, the responsibility of ensuring the safety aspect of anything your kid does is on you. At your big age, you’ve got a better chance of identifying risks than your kid does, unless you birthed an outlier that has the wisdom and foresight of someone three times their age!
Great jobs for kids
Before I delve into how to make money as a kid, I really want to point out WHY it’s such a smart move. The earlier you start dealing with money and familiarizing yourself with financial concepts, the better. As a parent myself, I’m big on teaching my kids about finance and letting them understand how to better manage their own money.
What better way to do that than by encouraging them to get used to the idea of earning, budgeting and saving. I’m not saying sign them up for hard labor and make them pay for their own things (goodness, no!), but a few odd jobs here and there won’t hurt so they know that money doesn’t grow on trees.
1 – Dog walking
No matter which generation you’re from, when you were thinking of how to make money as a kid, this one was probably top of mind. People have always had, and will probably almost always will have, dogs that need to be walked. Truth is, some people just want to have a dog because it’s cute and it’s a nice-to-have, but they don’t want some of the responsibilities.
Others simply don’t have the time to look after their furry, which is where you come in. Getting people to pay you to walk their dogs is a great idea if you’re a dog lover – not so much if they scare you to death or you have zero experience with a dog.
The great thing is you can walk more than one dog at a time and double up on the money you make that day.
2 – Cleaning things
If you’re a neat freak that likes to keep everything clean and in order, this is definitely something to consider if you’re looking into how to make money as a kid. Cleaning things is really a no-brainer, but people will pay you to do it for them because it’s easier and more convenient.
Let’s face it, people generally hire other people to do things they don’t particularly enjoy or prefer not to do – not because they’re not able to do it. Whether it’s clearing out the store room at home or your neighbors’, you can definitely make some pretty good cash for a 3 or 4-hour job.
3 – Wash pets
You can start by washing pets in your estate or neighboring houses and potentially grow and establish your own pet wash. I know what you’re thinking – a kid running their own business? Yup, it’s definitely not too ambitious for a kid to start something like that from the ground up and see it grow over the years, especially if you genuinely love animals.
4 – Pet sitting
Another one for the pet lovers out there! When people go on vacation or come back late from work, a lot of them rely on pet sitters to feed and care for their furry friends. It’s definitely something you can consistently get paid for, and it’s pretty cool when you’ve built a bond with the pets you’ve looked after – they start becoming part of your everyday life.
5 – Sell handmade goods
No matter how young or old you are, this is a great option if you’re pretty good with your hands. Handmade goods can be pretty much anything, from key chains to jewelry, or even hair accessories, there are bound to be people who want to buy them because of the sentimental value these items have over store-bought and mass-produced items.
6 – Sell food and drinks
Whether you choose to do this at a farmers’ market or around your estate – go for it! Selling lemonade and baked goods have always been right up there when people think of how to make money as a kid. It’s quite easy and people will always be hungry and thirsty – so take advantage of that.
7 – Wash cars
A lot of kids get tasked with washing the cars at home and you know what, they actually enjoy it. So imagine actually getting paid to do it. If your parents pay you for washing their cars, try approaching the family next door and see if they would be keen to do the same – especially if they have a lazy kid who has chosen online gaming over any physical activity.
8 – Gardening tasks
Whether you opt for raking leaves or pulling out weeds, there’s bound to be a gardening task that you can assist with. Although, I wouldn’t quite recommend that kids mow the lawn – for safety reasons and because the lawnmower can require quite a bit of strength.
9 – Sell printables
Useful and good-looking printables are so easy to make when you use platforms like Canva. Creating things like templates and timetables for your peers to use can be a great way to make money. All you have to do is use the templates that are available on a design platform, customize it a bit more and then print them to sell.
You could also laminate them just to make sure they last a bit longer (I’m sure a lot of parents know all about dog-ears).
10 – Make tie-dye clothing
Quite a few schools actually teach this during their art lessons, but you can get really creative and make something unique like rainbow-inspired tie-dye clothing sets! Some people struggle with making these look cool, but if you manage to perfect it, it’s a really good way to make money.
11 – Assist your parents with work admin
You don’t have to be a qualified anything to help your parents with their work. If you’re still wondering how to make money as a kid, your parents may just be the answer. Things like helping them get their paperwork and filing in order, sorting out their desktop and putting their documents in files are the type of admin jobs you could help them with.
12 – Find a role within the family business
This one won’t apply to everybody, but if you happen to come from a family with a business, find a way to get involved. I’d like to believe that all businesses have clients, so if you’re particularly good at dealing with people, customer relations or sales is a great way to slot yourself in. Work with the rest of the team to provide support and do small admin jobs.
13 – Ask your parents to assist with and manage your social media pages
How to make money as a kid is something that a lot of modern parents are concerned with, especially with so many people taking an interest in digital ways of making money. Parents that understand the world of influencing and online content creation tend to manage their kids’ pages for them because they know how to monetize the content.
Sponsored content – especially for things like baby clothes – are quite popular online these days. All you have to do is pose and model the clothes and leave everything else to your parents.
14 – Run errands
The convenience of not having to stand in queues at the shops or run small errands is something a lot of people would pay for – especially if they don’t have the time to because of work commitments. This is a relatively safe and easy way to make money if you do it in your neighborhood.
15 – Sell your unwanted or unused goods
When you think about how many clothes and toys you still have that you don’t really need, you’ll realize that you could probably make some decent money from it. This is obviously not as sustainable as the other options, buy if you’re saving towards a school trip or a cool gadget, this will probably give you the headstart you need.
16 – Recycling initiative
More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious these days, so recycling initiatives are becoming quite popular. It’s really as simple as collecting goods that can be recycled and then taking them to companies that specialize in this and get paid for it.
Some of the items you can take in for recycling are bottles and cans, old books, cardboard boxes, and even old electronics and scrap metals.
17 – Reselling items
If you want to do something that is more sustainable and continue making money over a longer period, reselling items is a great start. A lot of adults do this too, so the earning potential here is limitless really.
If you’re able to buy bargain goods and add a decent mark-up, you could make some really good money overall. This doesn’t mean you should sell cheap and faulty items to people just to make a quick buck, do your calculations properly and see if the profit you’ll make is worth it.
18 – Join or start a band
Many renowned musicians and performers across the world often talk about how they started their career in a band. You could get some talented friends and start performing in public areas such as the park or local country club and get paid for it. Trust me, adults can’t resist throwing their hard-earned money at cute kids – especially if you’re talented.
19 – Party entertainment
If you’re not necessarily a gifted singer or dancer, you may be really funny or a great performer in general, you could provide entertainment at your peers’ parties. You could be a clown or perform a funny skit – it really just depends on what you’re good at.
20 – Writing for local newspaper
Quite a few local newspapers enjoy grooming young talent, and while you won’t be earning as much as the top reporter, writing a piece here and there could get you a foot in the door. You could propose covering news that would interest your peers or things concerning nearby schools, so that it’s something you can relate to.
TL;DR – How to Make Money As a Kid
While it’s quite clear that there are various ways to make money as a kid, safety, ease and motivation are important. Even though traditional income-generating options still exist – like pet sitting or selling lemonade – a whole new world worth exploring has opened up because of the digital era that we live in. That’s a pretty cool way to make money if you ask me.
