Money Making for kids

I know my kids are always asking for money so I did some research and found many ways for kids, even young kids, to earn their own money.

1. babysitting- if your child likes younger kids and shows enough responsibility, then they can babysit neighborhood kids or cousins or even brothers and sisters. This can become a service offered to friends and family.

2. parents helper- if your child is not old enough to be on their own then this is a great option. They can help you with taking care of someones child, including helping with feeding, playing, and household chores. This is a great way for them to get the experience and references for babysitting when they are older.

3. household chores- uncommon household chores such as, sweeping the driveway or patio, washing windows, raking the leaves, watering plants, dusting.

4. lemonade stand/ craft stand- everyone has had a lemonade stand as a kid, its like a right of passage. They can also have snacks, donuts, or for cold weather, coffee or apple cider (carefully and with parent supervision with hot liquids). If your child is good at crafts, they can make little trinkets and sell them to neighbors, friends and family. Also, if you are able to, get a stand/ booth at a community fair.

5. car washing- have your child get together with some friends and offer this service and also have some of the above items with the lemonade/ craft stand available while the customers wait for their cars.

6. animal caretaker- this could involve dog walking, grooming, or washing. You could go even further with this and take care of someones pet while they go for a weekend trip. This needs the help, and approval of parents.

7. snow/ leaf removal- winter- snow removal, fall- leaf removal. remove snow/ leaves from sidewalks and driveways or yards to neighbors.

8. yard sales- my kids do this alot. I offer them all the money for the toys, books, and stuffed animals they sell as long as they are helping with the sale. They even came up with the idea of doing sign twirling to attract more customers, and it actually works!

9. mow the lawn- they can mow their lawn and the neighbors lawns as long as they know how to use the lawn mower (supervision may be required). they can also offer trimming trees and bushes as a whole yard package.

10. fund raising- there are a few companies that do fund raising for individuals and home school families. Equal Opportunity is one that I love and you get a great product no matter what you order and it helps people also.

Tips for running a business:
Print out flyers or order free business cards from http://www.vistaprint.com/
rewards for referrals- ex: 50% off a bracelet when your referral buys a bracelet.
free samples
coupons for new customers

Parents should help they're kids come up with pricing for any of these and figuring out a business plan and how much, if any, start up costs will be. Again, some of these do require parent supervision and you should always know where your kids are at all times. I do not recommend door to door sales at all!

Good luck and remember, HAVE FUN!