16 Ways For Kids To Make Money At Home

ways for kids to make money at home

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16 Ways for Kids to Make Money at Home

When I first started working at home, my two young children became very intrigued with “mommy's new job” of making money from home.

In those early days, I was blogging and self-publishing books on Amazon to earn an online income. My kiddos thought it was so cool that I wrote my own books. They were so intrigued, in fact, that at the age of 5 they were begging me to help them create and sell their first book.

It was a proud mommy moment for me to see that entrepreneurial spark in my children. And so, I did what any already exhausted, sleep-deprived mom would do…I helped them to write and publish their first book!

It was really an exhilarating experience to have a business brainstorming session with two 5-year-old boys and then hold their hand as I walked them through the process of deciding on a theme for the book, getting the storyline in their own words, and getting their input on the final artwork for the book.

Even now, years later, they still tell people that they have a published book and that they are real authors. Now, they are ready to move on to creating their first chapter book and I can't wait!

Helping to ignite the entrepreneurial spark in your child can be so deeply fulfilling. There are so many different ways for kids to get creative and earn extra money, there is really no excuse to stop them from getting that first business idea up and running.

Initial start-up costs are not even an obstacle anymore for many business ideas for kids. There are many online business models for kids that require $0 in upfront investment costs. It makes the opportunity to start a business more accessible to more kids who want to earn extra cash.

If you are looking for business ideas for your kid to make money at home, this post is a great start!

16 Business Ideas to Make Money as a Kid

business ideas to make money as a kid

Self-Publish a Book on Amazon

While publishing books is not a way for a kid to make money fast, I really love this idea because it can eventually turn into a passive income stream! Once you publish a book on Amazon, it's possible to get sales on autopilot each and every month.

There is a good bit of upfront time and money that needs to be invested, but it is so rewarding to work on this project with your child and in the end have a physical book as the result!

Besides writing your story line, you'll need to:

  • find an illustrator (or purchase commercially licensed images)
  • find a proofreader/editor
  • get a book cover designed
  • get your book properly formatted for the Amazon platform
  • get book reviews

The great news is that for all of these items you can hire an affordable freelancer on Fiverr or Upwork to help.

My sister-in-law recently helped my 7 year old niece to publish her first book. She worked through these exact steps to get to her finished product. You can check it out here.

Start a Blog

Starting a blog is a really fun idea for kid because it can be based on something your child finds really interesting!

Is your child into all things PRINCESS? Start a blog about all of the princess gifts, toys, movies, etc. that she loves.

Is your kid a book worm? Start a blog about favorite books, characters, etc.

Is your child really into video games? Start a blog talking about the best game consoles, video games, cheat codes, etc.

The cool thing about starting a blog is that you kid can earn money from affiliate marketing. This means they don't have to create any physical products. They can just make money promoting products they love on their blog.

Start a YouTube Channel

Although you have to be at least 13 years old to own a YouTube channel and 18 years old to legally earn money from ads on the channel, parents you can help your child get started with this creative way to make money online.

One idea for younger children is to create unboxing videos for toys or videos of your kids giving a candid review of a new toy or book. Here are some helpful tips on how to start a YouTube channel for kids.

Sell Photography

Does your child have a creative eye for photography? Even if it's iPhone photography, kids can earn money selling photos they take as stock photography for others to purchase.

You can set up your own blog or website to sell the photography and/or sell stock photography on sites like Etsy, Creative Market, Shutterstock, and other online sites.

Start a Lip Balm Business

The cosmetics industry is booming. Starting a lip balm business is great way to earn extra money for both teens and younger kids. Kids can create their own recipes and come up with creative names for each product. Lip balms and lip glosses can be sold at church, online, at pop-up shops, and craft fairs.

You'll need to buy the materials, have a clean area to mix all your ingredients, and set up a website to market the products and take payments.

Start a Podcast

Podcasts for kids have become very popular. People don't just learn from visuals. Audio learning is great too and this creates an amazing opportunity for kids to start their own unique podcast show.

You can make podcast episodes with your kids, or do like my good friend Dr. Ausmer and allow your kids to host their own podcast show.

Your child will need to pick a topic he/she is really passionate about, record audio episodes using a podcast microphone and laptop (or you can start with your iPhone), and choose a platform like Spotify, SoundCloud or Anchor to upload the recorded episodes.

You can monetize a podcast by selling your own products, promoting affiliate products, selling sponsored ads to advertisers, and more!

Sell Handmade Jewelry

If your kid loves arts and crafts and ALL THINGS JEWELRY, consider starting a handmade jewelry collection! A kid can make a lot of money selling handmade jewelry on sites like Amazon Handmade, Etsy, ArtFire, etc.

My neighbor's daughter started making her own earrings and she quickly sold out of her creations after just one post in our neighborhood community page. Thankfully, I was able to purchase a pair in the first wave!

Handmade Earrings Business

Sell T-Shirts

Selling custom designed shirts can be a profitable business idea for a kid. The great news is that you don't have to invest a lot of money in purchasing inventory. With print-on-demand services offered through companies like Shopify and Amazon Merch, all you really have to do is upload your t-shirt designs and they take care of the fulfillment process for you!

Learn more about starting a print-on-demand t-shirt business here.

Take Online Surveys

Kids 13 and older can make money taking online surveys on sites Swagbucks or Survey Junkie. Kids are basically paid to share their opinion on products or services by big brands. Payment could be in the form of a free gift or cash.

Related Book: Teach Your Child to Fish: 5 Money Habits Every Child Should Master

Sell Baked Goods and/or Set-up a Lemonade Stand

These are two of the most classic business ideas for kids! The lemonade stand is great because the ingredients are super inexpensive, you can make a large batch of the products, and you can sell it right in front of your own home!

Bake sale supplies are slightly more expensive. However you can purchase pre-made goods in bulk from your local Costco or Sams Club and again your kid can sell these items from the comfort of home.

Note: Make sure you check on your local business permit rules as you will likely need to purchase a business permit.

Offer Tutoring Services

For older students, tutoring younger kids in math, reading, a foreign language, or any number of subjects and activities can bring in good money. For instance, my 10 year old nephew has a teenage tutor who is being paid to help him learn how to code!

Your teen can market his/her services to family members, family friends, and neighbors. Create flyers to pass around the neighborhood and post in your neighborhood community page to get the word out about the tutoring services being offered.

Your teen can also look for tutoring jobs on sites like SitterCity.com and Care.com.

Start a Lawn Care Service

Cutting grass, picking weeds, spreading mulch, raking leaves and even planting flowers is a great way for older kids to make extra cash working outdoors on the weekends or after school.

This is another service that can be promoted to family members, close friends, and to neighbors. As a mom who does not have a green thumb, I have paid for my lawn to be cut and my weeds to be pulled by kids on more than one occasion!

Start a Pet Walking and/or Pet Sitting Service

If your kid loves pets, they can earn extra cash taking neighborhood dogs for walks.

Sometimes pet lovers get busy and are not able to give their pets as much attention. This gives your kid an opportunity to help a neighbor out and make money from a service that should take 30 minutes or less.

Kids can also offer to pet sit as an additional service, although this requires a little more responsibility to take care of someone's animals while they are out of town.

Run a Garage Sale

If you have a house or garage full of unnecessary clutter, let your kid organize a garage sale and split the profits with them! You get to declutter and your kid gets to make money in the process.

And if an in-person yard sale is not your cup of tea right now, your kid can take pictures of the items you want to get rid of and make money selling these items online with sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, ThredUp, Poshmark, and more.

Start Car Wash/Car Detailing Business

In high school, my basketball team would frequently host car washes to earn extra cash for our basketball equipment. This business idea requires much more manual labor (might want to consider a joint business agreement with another kid) and you have to consider the cost of cleaning supplies, but it could be a lucrative way for kids to make money.

If you can get a few neighbors to sign up for a bi-weekly or monthly car wash and/or car detailing, you can make good money with this side hustle.

Get a Paper Route

Getting a paper route has long been a way for kids to bring in extra money. Even though many of us read our news from online sources these days, there are still local newspapers who hire people to deliver their papers to local patrons. Here is more information about the pros and cons of paper route jobs for kids.

Summary

There are so many different ways to make money as a kid! Personally, I prefer my own kids to focus on ways to make money online as opposed to in-person jobs.

We live in very tech-focused times and I think there is a huge opportunity for kids to learn about different online technologies and come up with their own business ideas to earn money online.

No matter which money-making opportunity a kid is drawn to, there is also an opportunity to help your kid learn about financial literacy and the importance of creating savings, budgeting, and making good choices with how they spend their money.

Take some time to brainstorm some creative business ideas with your kid. Use the above list of ideas as inspiration and help your kid to get going on a business idea they love.

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Creative ways for kids to earn money from home

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