As a pre-teen, you sometimes need money you can call your own. And truthfully, you will not be able to take on a regular job like a teenager can. But you can still make money as a tween with your newly gained independence.
While earning an extra coin can be tricky, please do not despair; it does not rule out entrepreneurism.
And one of the perks of tween jobs is that you will establish good, stick financial habits.
So, how do you make money as a pre-teen? Here are some ways to help you fill your wallet as you learn entrepreneurial skills.
Ways To Earn As A Tween
Run a Bake Sale
You will first have to double-check with your school’s official policies on selling things. If it allows sales, candy, snacks, and homemade baked goods will surely be a hit among your peers.
After all, who does not want a fresh chocolate chip cookie in between classes? And with good communication skills, you will have access to that audience you can leverage to sell your product.
Earn an Allowance For Doing Household Chores
If you are experienced in household chores and have confidence in yourself, why not monetize it? You can talk with your parents and see whether they are open to paying you for doing certain chores around the house weekly.
But you will have to gain their trust before they can pay up. Come up with a proposal and make a schedule with the tasks you can and are willing and ready to do and how much you think you should be compensated. Then you and your parents can negotiate the allowances.
Work at a Restaurant, Bakery, Ice Cream Shop, or Cafe
Most restaurant cafes, bakeries, and ice cream shops offer part-time jobs that are easy to come by no matter where you live. You must drop in at your favorite spot and see if they are hiring.
What’s more, service jobs will help teach you valuable skills for your future career as you will learn customer service skills and get a behind-the-scenes look at how food service businesses are run.
Operate a Lemonade Stand
Is it warm outside? Then it is time you pitch a good old-fashioned lemonade stand. You must check in with the laws around your area, as some states require a permit.
And as you make your pitch to passersby, you can take your sales game a notch higher by mixing your lemonade with a bubbly seltzer for a fuzzy version. You can charge the fizzy version a bit higher and remember to make a banner to catch customers’ attention.
Psst, there is an organization called Lemonade Day that helps provide kids with resources that help them learn entrepreneurial skills needed to run a lemonade stand successfully, creating good jobs for tweens.
Content Creation
Content creation is great if you have a phone and are looking for the ultimate and passionate way to make money as a kid.
And whatever your area of expertise or interest is, there is a social media niche out there for you. Most brands are always looking to pay for UGC ( user-generated content, i.e., the instagrammable photos you take or the videos you create). So, while this type of side hustle will require a little upfront work, eventually, it can turn into a flexible, lucrative job.
You will need to build your portfolio. So you can start by posting high-quality content and building an audience on TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, or even Pinterest. After gaining some traction, you can now email brands and see if they will hire creators to create good content for their social media accounts.
Why not utilize your creativity and photography skills and make that dollar or two on the side as you do something you are passionate about?
Walk Dogs
One way your outdoorsy pre-teen can make money is by walking other people’s dogs. This hustle will introduce your kid to a new world of pets, especially if they do not own one.
The one factor that you should consider before your pre-teen takes up this hustle is that you should know the owner of the dog and the dog as well. You can also offer (at a price, of course!) to pet sit for your neighbors or friends so that the pet does not go to the kennel.
Pre-teens make money by washing or grooming pets as well.
Mow Grass, Shovel Snow, or Rake Leaves
And if your pre-teen is looking for seasonal gigs, they can utilize their neighborhood connections to make some cash as they offer lawn mowing services.
You can charge hourly or per client, but you should stay within your stated minimum wage. In approximation, depending on the surface you will need to cover, you can charge anywhere from $25 to $50 per lawn or driveway.
Wash Cars in the Neighborhood
You can join your family or friends and hold a car wash in the neighborhood. With your group of friends, you can decide which day you will host the car wash. Then you can post flyers around the neighborhood as a way of advertising. You can also choose to put the flyers in your neighbor’s mailboxes.
Ensure you have all the required materials, like sponges and soaps for car washing. You can charge between $5 to $10, considering how dirty the car is, the car size, and any specific instructions on any special requirements that might need to be used for particular vehicles.
Sell Your Good Clothes or Shoes That Do Not Fit Anymore
As a pre-teen or kid, you are growing at a quick pace. This means that you have some clothes that you have outgrown. You can go through your wardrobe and pick out lovely pieces that you no longer wear to sell.
You can take the pieces you picked to a thrift or second-hand store. The consignment stores will go through your clothes and offer you money for the pieces they decide to buy. Ensure that any clothes you decide to sell are clean and ironed; if you are selling shoes, they should not have too much wear.
If your pieces look nice and more presentable than others, then you have a better chance of making sales.
Provide Tech Services
The Gen-Z are tech savvy from birth. You can use your tech skills to work during the summer. Some of the possible tech-related jobs might include:
- Retouching photos and creating albums
- Setting up blogs or websites for clients or personal use
- Helping a senior set up a computer or email
- Data entry, such as entering contact information
Make Crafts or Art To Sell
You can learn how to make great products that are desirable to customers.
These can be jewelry, handmade clothes, or furniture, which make you a good profit.
If you have a perfect fashion sense and jewelry, you can DIY craft your own jewelry to sell online to your friends and some consignment stores.
If you are already a talented artist, you can create your own art to sell. To widen your client base, you can open a social media page to showcase your art and use it to get people to notice your talent.
Tutor Other Kids
If you are attentive at school and organized, you can help tutor your peers in your school or neighborhood for a fee. But you must, first of all, check whether your school allows for tutoring.
Ensure that you have accurate study notes typed out and printed in copies. You can use the copies to aid the people you are helping to study. You can even offer a tiered pricing structure, meaning your clients must pay more for your time and resources.
Have your tweens thought of any other great ways to make money? We’d love you to share these ideas in the comments below!
