Buzz
Fun Jobs for Kids Aged 10 and Up
Depending on how old you are and whether you’ve had any work experience, earning some quick cash as a kid might seem tough. But don’t worry—there are tons of options out there! You can earn an allowance by helping with chores, try babysitting or mowing lawns, find part-time jobs with lower age limits, or dive into mini business ventures like running a lemonade or craft stand. Getting creative about how you earn lets you enjoy more freedom with spending—and the experience you gain can help shape your future too.
Ways Kids Can Start Making Money
- Running a lemonade stand during summer is an easy, fun way to earn extra cash.
- Offering to mow neighbors' lawns can bring in regular income.
- Older kids can look into tutoring, babysitting, or caring for pets to make money and gain responsibility.
Action Steps
Starting a Local Business
Set up a lemonade stand. Lemonade stands are a summertime favorite and can be a great way to earn money. Team up with friends to mix and sell lemonade in your neighborhood.
- Choose a busy and visible spot without nearby competitors—like a corner with lots of foot traffic—for your stand.
- Create an inviting setup. Decorate a classic-style stand with colorful banners and your brand name to attract attention.
- Track your ingredient costs and price your lemonade so you earn a profit—just don’t overcharge.
- Offer a variety of options like cookies, flavored lemonade, or brownies. Make a menu and even design a website (with parental permission) using a tool like Wix.com.
- Divide roles among your group: some kids can advertise with signs, others can prepare the drinks and baked goods to keep things running smoothly.
Sell snacks and drinks on the go. Use the same concept as a lemonade stand to offer refreshments at public events. Bring a cooler and set up at parks or sports games during hot weather.
- Go to your sibling’s soccer or baseball game and sell drinks and snacks to the crowd.
- Make eye-catching signs and set up a small booth with a table and cooler.
- Offer water, juice, and other quick refreshments.
- Keep your pricing fair and affordable.
Create and sell handmade goods. Gather your friends and make items like beaded bracelets or boondoggles. You can sell them at market stalls, yard sales, car boot sales, or even online with help from your parents.
Sell unused items on eBay or at local sales. Ask your parents first, then gather things you no longer use and sell them online or at garage sales to make extra cash.
Organize a neighborhood car wash. Team up with friends who want to earn some cash and offer car washing services.
- Pick a date and design flyers to promote the event. Drop them in mailboxes and ask each team member to invite their families.
- Find a driveway or other suitable location to host the wash.
- Gather supplies like buckets, water, sponges, and cloths. Wash cars on the day and collect payment.
- Only wash cars for familiar neighbors and make sure an adult is there for supervision.
- Always ask permission before using soaps or cleaning products on someone’s vehicle.
Offer lawn mowing and snow shoveling services. Mowing lawns in the summer and shoveling snow in the winter is a reliable way to earn money. Treat it like a real business with a name and flyers.
- Distribute flyers in your area with your contact info. Talk directly to nearby neighbors to offer your help.
- Bringing your own tools is ideal, but some clients may let you use theirs.
- Charge based on yard or driveway size and how much time the job takes.
- Set a regular mowing schedule each week. Be prompt when it comes to snow removal.
- Ignore the last suggestion—always work honestly and fairly.
Tutoring, Babysitting, and Pet Sitting
Become a tutor for local kids. If you're great at a school subject or skilled at an instrument, offer tutoring sessions to friends or neighbors for extra income. Just remember your friends might not be able to pay a lot—be kind and reasonable with your pricing.
- If you share a class and you're stronger in that subject, help a friend with homework or prep for a test.
- You can also tutor younger siblings to take some pressure off your parents when it comes to schoolwork.
Babysit for neighbors and family friends. Babysitting is one of the best-paying jobs for kids. Begin with your own siblings, then expand to others once you're confident. Start here.
- Take a certified babysitting course through the Red Cross to learn safety and care techniques. Certification can boost your chances and rates.
- Ask your parents to recommend you to their friends, and hang signs around your community.
- Treat babysitting like a mini business—give it a name and decide what to charge.
- You might also join an online babysitting platform such as Sittercity.
Start a neighborhood daycare. When school’s out for the summer but your parents still have work, setting up a local daycare can be a great way to make money. It’s even better with a few reliable friends helping.
- Some parents may not be comfortable leaving their children all day, but if you’ve proven yourself as a trustworthy babysitter, you might get the opportunity.
- This option works best if you’re a bit older and can organize help from others.
- Promote your daycare with fun activities like crafts or a park day with games such as kickball.
- You could even blend in tutoring sessions as part of your daycare schedule.
- Check your local rules and regulations—some areas limit the number of kids you can watch or require licenses for certain setups.
Walk dogs or care for pets in your area. If you're good with animals, pet sitting or dog walking is an easy way to make some money. Whether it’s dogs, cats, or more exotic pets, make sure you're equipped to handle them.
- Create flyers for your services and post them on community boards or drop them in mailboxes.
- Stick to the pet’s regular routine—this helps the animal feel safe and reduces stress.
- Talk with pet owners about the animal’s habits and preferences to provide consistent care.
- Use a planner to organize your pet sitting schedule and track each pet’s feeding and cleaning needs.
- Label house keys carefully—use tags with pet names but don’t include addresses for security.
- Set fair prices—consider starting with a flat rate between $4 and $10 per visit or walk, and adjust from there.
Making Money Through Allowances
Negotiate an allowance with your parents. Offer to do regular chores in exchange for a weekly payment. If they’re unsure, explain how this will help you become more independent and responsible.
- Think of it like a part-time job—you’re building valuable work habits by earning for your efforts.
- Draft a weekly plan showing what chores you’ll do and how much each task should be worth. Work out the allowance together from there.
Earn money by cleaning your house. Helping out with household chores beyond your room is a simple way to make some extra cash.
- Just tidying your own room might not cut it—most parents expect that as a basic responsibility. Instead, offer to clean other areas of the house.
- Talk with your parents about pay for each chore. For example, cleaning a small hallway may earn less than deep-cleaning a larger room like the kitchen.
Tackle outdoor chores. Seasonal yard work is a great way to earn allowance money—especially when your parents don’t have time to get it done themselves.
- Offer to handle tasks like raking leaves, shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, or pulling weeds.
- If you’re doing something recurring like mowing the lawn weekly or clearing snow after storms, suggest a flat rate for each visit.
- For one-time jobs like leaf raking, an hourly wage might be a better deal—negotiate what works best.
Landing a Summer or Part-Time Job
Apply for work at a store or restaurant. If you meet the age requirements, part-time or seasonal jobs in retail or food service are great for earning cash and building your resume.
- Many teens find work bussing tables, assisting in hotels, or helping in fast food places—these might not be glamorous, but they’re a solid entry point.
- Try applying at clothing stores geared toward teens or major retailers like Best Buy or Macy’s—check their websites for openings.
- When applying, dress professionally for interviews unless told otherwise. If you don’t have a resume yet, be ready to discuss your accomplishments and try to have references lined up.
Get hired as a lifeguard or park assistant. Want to earn money and enjoy the outdoors? Look into lifeguarding or helping out at a local park during the summer.
- To be a lifeguard, you’ll need special training and certification—so start early if you’re interested.
- Certification doesn’t guarantee a position, so check ahead to see if your local pool, beach, or waterpark is hiring. Your trainer might also have job leads.
- Reach out to your town’s park district to explore summer jobs—these could include running kids’ events or supervising sports activities.
Help out with the family business. If your parents own a shop or small business, see if they’ll let you work part-time. It’s a great way to earn money—especially if you’re too young or inexperienced for other jobs.
- Offer to tidy up the workspace in exchange for an hourly wage.
- You could also take on simple tasks like sorting files, sealing envelopes, or distributing flyers around town.
- It’s a perfect chance to start building a resume for future job opportunities.
- Set your prices smartly—keep them fair and competitive. Avoid pricing way too high or unrealistically low.
- Start by offering your services to friends, family, or neighbors—they’re more likely to give you a chance.
- If you're planning to earn money online, consider creating a PayPal account. It’s a reliable platform for handling payments safely.
This section includes tips shared by real Mytour readers. Got advice of your own? Drop it in the box below and be part of the conversation.
- Use discounts to attract more buyers. For example, try lowering your $1 lemonade to $0.80 to draw in more customers.
- If you’re offering dog walking services, consider tiered pricing by dog size: $5 for small dogs, $10 for medium, and $15 for large breeds.
Important Notices
- If you're selling items on eBay, make sure your parents give you the green light. You don’t want to accidentally sell something valuable to them.
- In the U.S., it’s illegal to put brochures directly into mailboxes. In Australia, it's allowed unless a "No Junk Mail" sticker is posted.
- Check with your local council before setting up a lemonade stand—you might need a permit to operate legally.
