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How do you teach kids to be hard working, successful adults? To develop an entrepreneurial spirit?
How do you help them learn the value of money?
The answer – help them make their own money.
On the path to making money, kids learn important lessons.
On the path to making money, kids learn important lessons.
They learn how to make money and develop independence.
They learn social skills, and how to manage money.
Most of all they learn to be hard working.
Here's our list of ways for kids to earn extra cash (and what they can learn in the process!):
Jump Ahead:
At the youngest ages, money for kids is mostly used to start saving for their future.
Kids are first introduced with money at a very early age. They watch us at the grocery store, the ice cream store, and when we buy them toys.
In the beginning, focus on setting a good example. Work on saving and investing your little one's money.
Here are a few ways to make money early on:
Often, the first money that a kid receives comes from cash gifts.
People enjoy investing in children’s futures by giving gifts.
Monetary gifts for kids are appropriate for all ages. From gifts for a baby shower, to gifts for a graduation, and all the events in between.
Greatest Gift turns financial gifting for the future into an easy and personal gift experience.
Kids can learn about saving for the long term and setting financial goals. When the kids are old enough, share some of the goals of their cash gifts.
Kids will learn the value of giving great gifts.
Share how the gifts are being saved to teach financial literacy.
Introduce kids to savings accounts and investments.
On top of dry financial skills, kids will learn the value of giving great gifts.
Educating kids about money starts with the first time they receive an allowance or get money for performing chores.
You can start giving a weekly allowance to kids as early as they turn four or five.
Receiving an allowance regularly introduces a new concept - earning money.
This may be the first real money that kids make on their own.
Start by giving them a weekly chore around the house.
Find simple chores for 5 year olds to start younger kids.
This may be the first real money that kids make on their own
Agree on a monetary reward for performing the chores.
You can give them a piggy bank to store their cash and learn about savings.
Set expectations about money do’s and don’ts. Define how the money can be spent in advance to avoid future arguments with your kids.
If you don’t have cash handy, you can go digital with apps like Greenlight. Greenlight is an app that lets you pay your kids and holds the money for them, with parental controls.
It even lets you set parent-paid interest on their savings. This way you can teach them more about the power of compound interest.
Managing their allowance will teach kids to budget their money. They'll learn to save for bigger goals, like a big toy they’ve been eyeing.
Remember, it's up to you to teach them good money habits. Set a good example and help them make good decisions from a young age.
One popular method of managing allowance is setting up a save-spend-give split rule.
It's up to you to teach them good money habits.
Chores and rewards instills good work ethic in kids.
It's a tried-and-true way for you to let your kids start making their own money. And it creates a healthy relationship with money from an early age.
You may wonder why we listed modeling here, and the answer may surprise you: taxes.
If you have a small business, you can pay your children a small salary for the use of their pictures. Even posting a pic or video on social media counts.
Many parents want to set their kids up for retirement by using Roth IRA accounts.
With a Roth IRA, you can invest earned after-tax money, and enjoy the investment in the future tax free.
This is especially worthwhile if you have a low tax rate today, and who has a lower tax rate than kids?
If you don't have a business of your own, you can sell stock photos on online websites like Shutterstock or Adobe.
Invest the money earned into a Roth IRA. When your kids are a little older, use this as a lesson opportunity to teach them about retirement savings, taxes, and investments.
Kiddie side hustles are a great way to make money quickly as a kid.
They also provide great lessons to learn for the kids.
You can start some of these activities for younger kids as early as six years old.
The long summer vacation is an opportunity to get your kids their first business lesson.
Start with the true American classic – the Lemonade Stand.
It's a fun activity for the hot summer days that gives you a chance to teach kids about running a business.
Start by making a plan and list all the activities you need to start selling lemonade.
You'll need a table, lemonade, some cups and a sign. You also need money to give back as change!
Figure out the cost of all the supplies, help them choose the right location, and spread the word around the neighborhood.
Set up a lemonade stand around the block or in a busy park near your home.
Help them price the lemonade.
Are there other lemonade stands in your neighborhood? How much would people be willing to give? How much does one cup of lemonade cost to make?
Make your lemonade stand a success. Research all the lemonade stand ideas and tips.
Teach your kids to be kind and helpful to their customers, and they will learn sales and relationship building.
Some states require a permit for a lemonade stand, even if it’s just for kids. Be sure to check it out in your State (you can google "lemonade stand permit [your state]").
Everything from everything. Kids will learn to form a plan and execute it.
They’ll learn to choose a good business location, much like real businesses need to choose the best real estate.
Understanding the cost of their lemonade will teach them how to price it better. They can even decide to save some of their earnings to upgrade the lemonade stand for next year.
The best way to learn the value of relationships is a satisfied customer that comes back the next day for another cup of cool lemonade.
One opportunity for your kids to make money is the garage sale, AKA a yard sale.
Prosperity in the 21st century has led to an abundance of stuff, we keep buying and keeping more and more stuff.
When your kids outgrow their toys, baby books or clothes, they can hold a garage sale to make a few bucks. It will also help clean up some junk around the house at the same time.
Hold a garage sale on a weekend, and let your kids participate in the process.
You can let them choose what they keep vs what they sell, and what prices to set. You can even let them help negotiate with potential buyers on the day of the sale.
Hold a garage sale on a weekend, and let your kids participate in the process
You can also choose a charity with your kids together and giveaway anything that is left over from the sale.
Keep or save – kids will learn to sort the things they own and decide only to keep what they actually use.
They may learn that they may not need as much stuff as they thought. It will teach them to only buy things they really need.
Set a portion of the earnings to go to charity to teach your kids about giving back.
Let the kids help in pricing their items, and teach them how to negotiate with potential buys. It’s never too early to learn how to negotiate deals!
Kids may be too young to drive but they can certainly make money washing cars.
Let the kids start by washing your car. Show them how it’s done, what materials to use, and the level of cleaning they should expect. Help them buy the cleaning supplies
Then, help them expand to other customers!
With creative advertising your kids can start off their own first business.
They can hang flyers around the neighborhood to advertise. Spread the word through parents’ friends and friends.
Create loyalty promotions and coupons like buy-one-get-one, or reward referrals with a free car wash for every referral.
Responsibility, entrepreneurship, marketing and customer care are all things that can be learned by doing a routine car wash.
Kids can learn a lot by doing this project and earning money early on.
Take them to buy the right supplies and discuss the cost of supplies as an additional thought exercise.
Come up with promotion ideas and ways to go the extra mile with customers.
While there is no minimal legal age to become a babysitter, parents might feel more comfortable with older kids taking care of their little ones.
Starting at around twelve, kids can start practicing by watching their younger siblings.
With a bit of practice, young teens can move on to watching other kiddos in the extended family, like cousins or baby nephews and nieces.
Kids will also start developing leadership skills – after all, it’s not easy to get a four year old to do anything you want!
With a bit of experience, teens can move on to watch other people’s kids and make more money.
Ask around parent groups to see if anyone needs a babysitter.
If you do a good job, it’s easy to get called back for additional gigs.
Alternatively, kids who who love animals can pet sit.
Kids who are in charge of other kids build up a sense of responsibility quickly.
They'll will also start developing leadership skills – after all, it’s not easy to get a four year old to anything you want!
On the business side, kids will really learn the value of a long-time customer.
One successful relationship can yield a recurring revenue stream for the youngling.
Kids that live in a suburban neighborhood can offer to do yard work or mow lawns for their neighbors.
Parents can teach kids how to garden in their own backyard before going out and making money.
Kids can set up routine services for their clients, creating a consistent flow of cash.
Easy jobs include raking leaves in the fall, mowing lawns, cutting hedges, and watering plants.
Kids will learn work ethic and responsibility.
They'll also learn time management skills - the faster they can finish one job, the faster they can get to the next one.
There are ways kids can make money without leaving the comfort of their own home.
Here are our top choices:
Is your kid a math wiz? Does she know a second language? Getting straight A’s in school? How about playing a musical instrument?
Then your kid could bring in money tutoring other kids.
Start out by tutoring family members to get the hang of things.
Then branch out to tutor other kids online through video calls.
Post online in community forums, groups, and tutoring websites to find new students.
Passing on knowledge is not an easy skill to master. Kids need to really know their material and understand how to teach it to someone that doesn’t.
This will develop their communication skills and leadership skills at a young age.
They’ll need to learn time management skills to schedule their lessons.
Social media comes as second nature to most kids and teens, especially compared to their parents.
Kids can monetize their social media skills by offering to help adults with businesses that they know.
They can create and edit videos or write captions for posts on different social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook.
This ia great option for kids with great communication skills.
Kids can learn how to create a brand.
They'll know how to engage clients and think about what clients are looking for.
Managing social media requires creativity and consistency to get great results.
A great option for kids who enjoy the creative process.
Popular ways to make money from content creation include building a YouTube channel or writing an online blog.
With a YouTube channel, kids can earn money from the ads displayed on their videos. The more views, the more money they make.
With building a website or writing a blog, kids can earn from ads, or from affiliate fees if their site becomes large enough.
Digital marketing skills are in high and growing demand.
To really become great and earn good money, kids will need to learn to be efficient in their creative process.
Everyone loves cake and cupcakes.
Birthdays, graduations, and other special occasions can become a great source of income for kids who know how to bake.
Turn baking into a passion by offering baked goods for sale.
You can start offering baked goods at local markets, along with a lemonade stand, or even custom cakes for special events.
Baking as a profession develops time management skills like no other.
Learn to maintain good relationships to get customers to return often and buy more.
When kids get to the teen years, they can start making real money.
Summers, holidays, and weekends are perfect for raking in money for a college fund or a first car fund.
As parents, make sure to ask your kids about their first work experiences early on
Younger teens can work at their parents’ businesses and different odd jobs and older teens can start getting real jobs.
This is a good time to start teaching kids about setting financial goals. It’s also a good opportunity to teach them saving for bigger goals and about investments.
Teenagers that earn a salary can take advantage of tax benefits by opening Roth IRA accounts.
They can also contribute to 529 Plans to save and invest for college.
As parents, be sure to ask your kids about their first work experiences early on.
Ask about their first boss, about their coworkers, and any challenge they are experiencing at work.
Many businesses peak during the holiday seasons and need extra helping hands. Think gift shops, flower stores, or home decorations.
Ask local businesses in your area if they’ll be looking for additional help for the holiday.
A holiday job can often be the first real job a kid has, and can teach the value of hard earned cash.
Nothing makes you value your money more than working 8 hour shifts at $12 per hour.
Summer break is the perfect opportunity to save a large chunk of money.
With school ending in June and starting again in September, kids have a whole two and a half months to work.
More than all, they’ll learn that they can make real money on their own.
Popular summer job options include working at the beach or pool, camp counselors, golf clubs, and amusement parks.
Teens will learn to hold a steady job and show up every day to do the work. They’ll get to socialize with other coworkers and deal with customers.
More than all, they’ll learn that they can make real money on their own.
Making money as a kid for the first time is a meaningful event.
It’s our job to teach kids financial literacy and give them a great starting point for their future.
Kids can start as soon as they’re born and continue with different projects until they are old enough.
Teach your kids how to handle money from an early age. Help them build a healthy relationship with money.
Show teens how to invest in stocks with the money they earn.
By making their own money, kids learn the value of hard-earned cash.
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It means a lot to me that I can contribute to their future, and Greatest Gift makes the experience seamless and fun.
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Our son just turned two. We created his gifting page with Greatest Gift and shared it on the birthday evite. The results were amazing! We received 12 gifts that will be going to his college fund and savings.
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We have a 2-year-old and another baby on the way, and we love Greatest Gift’s discover section. I look forward to learning about the right financial tools to help build their future and set them up for success financially.
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