How to make money as a kid?
Kids today are always eager to learn how to make money online fast (or offline).
They need money now for various reasons including to get a puppy, a new phone, to afford a trip or buy other cool stuff.
But how?
The list below will teach you how to make money as an 11-year old, 12-year old, 13, 14, or 15. Whether you are younger or older, there’s something for everyone on this list.
Ready? Let’s jump right in!
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How to Make Money as a Kid
Making money for a kid can be difficult when you are 13-year-old or younger but it’s not impossible.
Your best chances to earn extra cash as a kid are still:
- By working online
- Through odd jobs
- Doing chores around the house
- Providing neighborhood services
- Doing work permitted for your age group.
Starting a business or working in a job teaches children how to be responsible and independent. Kids can also develop their social and problem-solving skills when they interact with customers.
An article published by Quartz says college admissions officers find applications from teens holding less glamorous jobs more attractive than those going to Costa Rica to build houses or do an internship at the Stanford Medical School.
Colleges want kids who know who they are and what they want. Jobs can help with that.
Money Making Ideas as a Kid
Everyone is different and not everyone has access to the same opportunities or lives in the same type of neighborhood.
Some parents may not be as supportive to the idea of you trying to make money as a kid.
Perhaps they are concerned about your safety if they let you roam around the neighborhood.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options to gain spare cash while staying safe and smart.
Since it’s hard to recommend a one size fits all option, I want to give you a variety of money-making ideas as a kid.
How much money you’ll make and the type of work you can do would depend on your age, abilities and interests.
Whatever you do, make sure to talk to your parents about it making sure they understand why you feel so strongly about wanting to earn extra cash.
It’s also for your own safety and benefits.
They may be able to give you ideas or help get the word out about your service driving more business your way.
How Can a Kid Make Money Online
Thanks to the Internet, today’s kids have many more options to earn money online.
Working online is a good idea if you live in a rural area or working outside is just not an option because of your age or for safety reasons or perhaps you just prefer working on the Internet.
One of the first things you need to do is set up a PayPal account to receive cash payments. However, unless you’re 18, you cannot create a PayPal account on your own.
As a workaround, you can use your parent’s PayPal account or ask them to create one for themselves if they haven’t got one and use it to receive payments.
Then, they will need to connect their PayPal account with their bank account in order to withdraw the money into cash.
Now let’s see how to make money as a kid online.
Get Paid for Taking Online Surveys
Companies conduct surveys to help them improve their products.
As an incentive for people to fill out online surveys, they are willing to pay cash or gift cards which you can use to buy other stuff.
If you are looking for the easiest ways how to make money as a kid, taking online surveys is one of them.
Some of these online survey sites accept users as young as 13 years old. Here are a few you can try:
Swagbucks (13+)
As a kid, you probably spend a lot of time searching the web, watching videos online, reading emails and playing online games.
Guess what? Swagbucks will pay for doing those activities!
You can also earn rewards for taking online surveys or by referring your friends to Swagbucks.
Survey Junkie (13+)
Earn between $0.50 to $50 per survey in your spare time or while watching TV. The average survey takes between 1 to 15 minutes to complete.
You receive points for each survey you complete.
Once you got 1,000 points (worth $10), you can redeem them for PayPal cash or free gift cards.
Toluna Influencers (13+)
You can earn rewards for taking surveys or playing games.
If you’re lucky, you’ll also get to test and leave your feedback on new and up-and-coming products.
They are partnering with many popular brands like Amazon, Kellogg’s, Sony Music and Coca Cola so this could be a great opportunity to have your opinion heard by these companies.
Kids Money Earning Websites Tips
As a kid, you won’t always qualify for all surveys because these sites tend to look for groups who have more buying power like adults.
So join more than one survey sites to increase your odds of getting a steady stream of survey questions.
To prevent junk emails from clogging up your main inbox, you may want to create a separate email just for surveys.
For more money earning websites, check out the highest paying survey sites you can join here.
Sell Your Skills on Fiverr
Next method on how to make money as a kid is by joining Fiverr, the online marketplace for freelance services.
This is for kids who have certain skills like writing, graphic design, making videos, drawing, songwriting, voiceover or whatever skills that other people may need.
To join Fiverr, you must be at least 13 years old.
Consider your talent and what you enjoy doing and then create small gigs that you can sell repeatedly.
The gig does not have to be complicated, it can be anything that people are willing to pay for.
It can even be funny and weird too like any of these services.
You can charge extras by offering add-ons and offer different packages at a different price.
To learn more about how to sell your services and make money on Fiverr, check out their FREE video course here that teaches aspiring freelancers who want to be successful Fiverr sellers.
Sell Your Craft on Etsy
This is for kids who enjoy creating art and craft as a way to express their creative side.
You can take your hobby like making jewelry, hair accessories, pet accessories even fidget spinners and turn it into a money-making venture.
For that, you can join Etsy, a website that lets you open up an online shop and sell handmade jewelry, bags, clothing, toys, art, decorative signs, you name it.
kids between 13-18 must have a parent or legal guardian to manage their Etsy account. Kids under age 13 are not allowed on Etsy.
You may be thinking, kids are too young to create and sell stuff online. This is for adults!
Well think again, here are 5 Etsy shops run by kids which shows kids can do this stuff with the help of their parents.
Although this option can be a little bit challenging because it involves material costs and time to complete a craft project.
Still, it’s is a great way to learn about business and entrepreneurship from a young age.
To learn more about how to set up an Etsy shop and get traffic check out this highest rated course from Udemy: Etsy 101: Set Up a Shop and Promote It On Social media.
Sell Unwanted Items Online
Want to get paid for cleaning your house?
With this option, you’ll not only make money but help tidy up the house. It’s the perfect opportunity to make extra money without selling services.
If you have unused stuff like books that you’ve read, clothing, old phones, old game consoles, collectible cards, toys, cars or any items that you or your parents no longer need, consider selling them online.
Don’t have items to sell? You can bring your parents to the local second-hand shops, garage sales and second-hand stores such as Goodwill to hunt for stuff to sell online.
Here are a few websites that allow you to sell unused and secondhand stuff:
DeCluttr
This is a site where you can sell CDs and DVDs, Blu-rays, books, mobile phones, game consoles and other electronics that you no longer use.
Note that you’ll need to ask your parent to register as DeClutter services are for the use of United States Residents who are 18 years of age or older only.
Poshmark
For used clothing and accessories, you can try the smartphone app Poshmark. It’s very similar to eBay or Craigslist but they put emphasis on social media and being mobile-friendly.
The age requirement for Poshmark is based on the legal age of consent in the user’s residing state. Each state takes a different approach as the age of consent has ranged from 10 to 18.
So you may or may not need your parents’ consent depending on where you live.
LetGo
For other second-hand stuff, anything from electronics, cars and collectables to clothing, furniture and home decor, you can try LetGo.
LetGo doesn’t charge a listing fee and they don’t take a cut of the final sale.
If you are from 14 to 17 year of age, you must get consent from your parent or guardian to register with the website.
Start a YouTube Channel
Most kids nowadays have their own favorite YouTube channels. They probably have a better understanding on how this platform works than most adults.
You can start a YouTube channel if you are between 13 to 17 with parental permission. Google does not allow children under the age of 13 to create their own account.
Before you get started, you’ll need to be aware of the risks of broadcasting on the Internet like negative comments, privacy concerns and so on.
So you’ll need to talk to your parents before taking the first step.
You can make money off your content in videos by enabling monetization. For that, you’ll need to sign up for Google AdSense to enable ads.
Other ways to make money on YouTube include creating sponsored videos, affiliate marketing or by selling your own merchandise.
Do you know the highest-earning YouTuber in 2020 was a 9-year-old kid whose YouTube Channel Ryan ToysReview earned $22 million in 2018?
Of course, the channel is owned and managed by his parents.
To learn more about how to start your own YouTube channel, check out the YouTube Masterclass course.
This course will teach you how to:
- Create your own successful YouTube channel
- Create high-quality videos on a budget
- Get more views and subscribers to making money from your channel.
How Kids Can Make Money At Home or School
Doing Extra Chores Around the House
If you are between 6 to 10 years old, working outside of the home may not be possible.
Your parents may have given you daily or weekly chores that aren’t paid. So how do you earn money by doing chores?
To earn money, you can ask your parents if they’d be willing to pay you for doing extra chores above and beyond your existing ones.
Explain to them how it will help you save money. You can offer to do these tasks regularly and get paid a weekly rate for example.
Here are some work ideas for young kids to do at home:
- Pull weeds
- Rake leaves
- Feed/clean pets
- Shovel snow
- Wash cars
- Wash windows
- Water garden
- Mow the lawn
- Organize the garage or attic
- Planting flowers
If you are old enough and has permission from your parents, you can do these tasks as a trial run before you offer your service in your neighborhood.
Sell Candy
You can sell things like candy to your friends at school or church.
To get started, you can go to places like Costco and buy a bunch of candy or other items that you cannot get in school or from the vending machines.
You can sell it for $1 or whatever you think it’s worth to your friends. Don’t set unfair rates though and make sure the pricing is reasonable.
Another idea is to sell expensive gum. You can try anything as long as kids are willing to buy it every day.
Also, make sure that you are not breaking any school rules should you decide to sell anything at school.
Make Money in Your Neighborhood
10 years old or older kids may be able to work outside the home or in the neighborhood.
These jobs for kids may be a little more difficult and need more time to complete but you’ll also be able to earn more money.
You’ll have to talk to strangers since you are selling services in your neighborhood. This can be intimidating for some kids.
If you choose to work together with a partner, make sure you know them.
Getting the word out is important in order to attract customers. To do so, you can advertise your services by creating flyers or ask your parents to talk with the neighbors and their friends.
Set Up a Lemonade/Hot Chocolate Stand
Setting up a lemonade stand is a popular first job for kids.
You can run a lemonade stand with help from your parents or on your own if you are older. In autumn and winter, you can switch to hot chocolate.
Keep in mind that there are material costs involved such as lemonade cost, cups and other stuff so you’ll need to be smart about pricing the lemonade in order to turn a profit.
You are not limited to selling lemonade, you can sell cookies and other snacks.
If the lemonade stand is near a popular location with good thirsty foot traffic, you’ll make more money. In contrast, this might not be a good idea if you are living in a rural area.
Also, make sure to check with the local authority to be certain it’s okay to run the business before you start
Organize a Yard Sale
If you have a lot of unused items and old clothes in the house, having a yard sale is a good way to eliminate clutter and make extra money while you’re at it.
This is one way how kids can make money faster but it will require some planning to prepare for the yard sale.
To do this, you’ll have to work with your parents and get their permission to hold the yard sale.
Setting up a yard sale is easy. Just put out your stuff outside and then hang up a sign or two to advertise the sale. But just because you can do that, doesn’t mean a buyer will come by.
Do you know the average yard sale only make 25 dollars? With the amount of work you have to put in, it’s probably not worth your time.
Traditional yard sales don’t work like they used to because the buying habits of Americans have changed in the past few decades and garage sales have failed to change with them.
So to make sure your yard sale is a success, check out this course with your parents: The 7 Ultimate Hacks to a Blow Out Yard Sale & Garage Sale.
Do Odd Jobs
If you are old enough, you can start asking your neighbors if they have any odd jobs that you can do.
These can be anything from mowing, washing cars, to yard work such as shoveling snow, raking leaves and planting flowers.
It’s best to approach neighbors that you and your parents already know. If you want to go door to door, you can ask one of your parents to accompany you.
Create flyers explaining what service you’re offering and your rate and provide a way for people to contact you if they require the service.
Here are more job ideas kids can start in the neighborhood:
- Cleaning service/window cleaning
- Dog walking/pet sitting
- Detail cars
- Handyman
- Paint doors/fence
- Tutoring
- Pool cleaning
- House sitting
- Face painting at carnivals or birthday
- Can recycling
Babysitting/Mom’s Helper
Offering babysitting services is one of those jobs that teens have been doing forever.
As a babysitter, you are not just playing with small kids and babies, you will also be responsible for their safety and for making sure they are properly fed and clean.
If this is something you want to do, consider taking a babysitting course or training to equip yourself with all the necessary skills to provide quality care to children of all ages.
Usually, the more experience you have, the more you can charge for your babysitting service.
The Red Cross offers babysitting classes to prepare 11 to 15-year-olds for babysitting. It is available in many locations as well as online at a nominal cost.
In the course, you’ll learn topics such as:
- Choosing age-appropriate activities
- Basic child care like bottle feeding
- Child behavior
- Safety
- Starting a babysitting business
- And more…
Selling your babysitting services to people you already know or with the help of your parents are a good way to start.
Also, consider registering with Care.com to start booking clients beyond the local neighborhood.
Kids between the ages of 14 and 17 can have their parents or legal guardian apply for jobs for them at Care.com.
You can learn more about Care.com in the Start a Gig job section below.
For younger kids, a mother’s helper may be appropriate as the parent remains at home during the babysitting job.
Either way, it’s a great way to gain some babysitting experience and earn some extra cash.
Gig Jobs For Kids
A gig is a temporary, flexible job where you work as a freelancer instead of a full-time employee.
The gig economy allows you to work from home or anywhere using a mobile app or your computer.
If you are below 18 you are limited to what you can do. For example, you won’t be able to drive Uber or be a tasker on TaskRabbit.
Fortunately, there are a few online gig platforms that accept kids 13 years and older.
Whatever you decide to do, don’t agree to do a job you cannot do. Know your own skills and limits.
Fiverr
The best thing about Fiverr is that you can offer small gigs tailored specifically to your expertise.
Once the clients discovered your listing, they come to you instead of the other way around.
To be a seller on Fiverr, you must be at least 13 years old.
Fiverr is my personal side-hustle where I offer graphic design services.
I only work a couple of hours per week and make between $300-800 per month doing simple tasks.
To get started with Fiverr, check out their FREE video course that teaches how to become a successful Fiverr seller.
If you want to learn how to:
- Set up your first gig and receive orders
- Choose the right service to offer
- Make money from home
- Get 5-star reviews
Then check out this bestselling Udemy course: Fiverr Freelancing 2021: Sell Fiverr Gigs Like The Top 1%.
Care.com
Care.com is one of the largest services for finding care for childcare, special needs care, elderly care, pet care, housekeeping and more.
If you are between the ages of 14 and 17 your legal guardian can apply for jobs for you. Only when you are 18 years old you can have your own account and apply for jobs yourself.
You can set your own rate or use their handy calculator to help you determine the best fee to charge. You can also see how much other carers are charging in your area.
You’ll have to pass a background check for safety purposes. Once accepted, you’ll be eligible for extra benefits like health insurance, doctor visits, transportation expenses and education.
PetSitter.com
PetSitter.com is a website offering pet sitting, puppy watching, dog walking, grooming, training, boarding services and more.
You can provide services for dogs, cats, birds, fish, exotic pets and other animals.
To register with the site, you must be at least 13 years old.
If you’re thinking about starting a dog walking or pet sitting business or you’re a new dog walker or pet sitter who wants to give your pet care business a powerful boost, check out: How To Start a Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Business in 7 Days.
Work a Part-Time Job
Unless you are 16 years old or older, working in traditional jobs like in a fast food restaurant is out of the question.
Starting at age 14 in the U.S, teenagers can get a job with limited hours.
Restaurant/Retail Jobs
Here are some of the companies that offer jobs for teens aged 16-17.
- Papa John’s (some locations)
- J.C. Penney
- Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)
- AMC Entertainment
- Boston Market
- Burger King
- Jiffy Lube (17+)
- Chick-fil-A
- Steak n’ Shake (almost all positions except supervisor and up)
- Arby’s (crew member positions)
Different employers may have different age requirements. For example, if you are 16 or 17 you may be able to work as a cook or sales associate but not as a server or cashier.
For more jobs for teens check out my article about the best online jobs for teens.
Work In a Farm
If you are at least 14 years old and live in a rural area or near a farm, you might want to check if they need part-time help.
You must work during the hours when school is not in session and only in non-hazardous jobs.
Farming can be physically and mentally hard for kids but at the end of the day, it teaches you many life skills that you cannot learn from a book or in school.
Working in a farm instills good work ethic, teaches you how to care for animals, increases your safety awareness and teaches you to have a greater appreciation for food.
As an agricultural employee, you have rights and responsibilities as addressed by the Child Labor Laws and state laws to help protect you at work.
Do a Paper Route
If you are still asking how to make money as a kid, consider working as a newspaper delivery boy (or girl) as a way to earn extra cash.
Most places allow kids 14 years of age to do this job while the minimum age in some other states is thirteen.
This job will require you to wake up early in the morning, pick up the papers and then follow an assigned route to deliver them to customers.
You can give the local newspaper office in your area a call or visit to ask if they are hiring people to deliver papers.
To learn more about how to get a paper route in your local community, click here.
How Kids Can Earn Money Conclusion
You probably came here with the question “how to make money when you 11” or “how to make money as a kid at home” even “money making ideas as a kid”.
Well, I hope this article has answered your question!
Sometimes the best way to make money as a kid is to start with the simple things first. Don’t be afraid to ask your parents, friends or your teachers for help when necessary.
Keep in mind that sometimes it may take longer than you think it’s going to. Also, things might go wrong but you’ll learn valuable lessons from it.
Above all, remember you are still a kid, so don’t forget to have fun and enjoy your childhood to the fullest!
