How to Make Money as a Kid at Home: 32 Easy Ways to Earn Fast

How can a kid earn money?

Just because your kid can’t get a normal 9 to 5 job, like an adult, doesn’t mean they can’t find other ways to earn their own money.

In fact, kids of any age have a variety of great resources at their disposal to help them earn money on their own.

From starting their own business to helping out around the house, there are so many wonderful ways to make money as a kid while they’re at home.

On top of giving them a little bit of disposable income, helping your kids find ways to earn their own money is also extremely beneficial to them.

Kids who earn money on their own can:

• Develop useful skills they can use later in life
• Learn about different aspects of business
• Gain valuable insight into the ins and outs of proper money management

With all those great benefits, there really is no reason your kids shouldn’t be earning money on their own!

But deciding to allow your kids to earn their own money and figuring out how kids can make money at home are two very different things.

Here are 32 simple and easy ways for your kids to make money at home.

I’ve broken them down into online jobs for kids and traditional ways for kids to make money.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. Please read the disclosure for more information.

Online Jobs for Kids

Earning money online is a simple way for your kids to earn money while at home.

There are a variety of great ways your kids can earn some extra money online.

Depending on their age and computer skills, these online jobs are great ways for your kids to earn extra money at home.

1. Create a blog

If your kid loves to write, starting their own blog is a great way to help them earn money at home.

In addition to making some extra money, a blog also allows your kid to be creative and have a little fun!

Blogging has low start-up costs. You can get Siteground web hosting for a WordPress site for as low as $3.95/month.

There are three basic ways to earn money from a blog:

• Affiliate marketing
• Advertising
• Sponsored posts

Through affiliate marketing, your kid can earn money when their readers click links for products they recommend in their blog posts. Here’s a list of affiliate programs you can apply for as a new blogger. Here’s my experience with how I made my first affiliate sale from a blog.

On their blog, they can also place advertisements on their website to earn money. They can ask companies to sponsor a post by paying them to write about a product.

There are many blogs that have earned a full time income within 1 year! Many of these bloggers have no prior experience blogging or technical expertise.

If you’re interested in learning how to start a blog (and you don’t have blogging experience or an IT background), here’s a breakdown of the essential steps for starting a blog here.

2. Start a YouTube channel

Another fun way for your kid to earn money online is by starting their own YouTube channel.

Whether they love to play video games or just want to talk about their life, a YouTube channel is a great creative outlet that is also a potential money-making opportunity.

Your kid can earn money through advertising and sponsorships on their YouTube channel.

There are a variety of great avenues your kids can take with their YouTube channel:

• Unbox toys to show other kids what’s inside the toy they want their parents to buy them (like Ryan who’s 9 years old from Ryan’s World who has over 25 million subscribers on YouTube and earned $26 million in 2019!)
• Stream as they play their favorite video game
• Create educational videos showing other kids how to do something
• Make inspirational videos to help make other kids happy

3. Make money on Twitch

Like YouTube, kids can make money playing video games on Twitch.

Twitch is a platform primarily known for gaming. You could technically stream anything in your life like cooking, music etc.

For gaming, how it works is that kids stream videos of themselves playing games.

They make money when fans watch ads on their videos, purchase subscriptions, or through direct donations.

4. Start an Instagram account

While you might use Instagram for cooking or beauty ideas, you might be surprised to find out that kid topics and lifestyles are another popular niche on the site.

Mila and Emma Stauffer are two of the most popular kid influencers on Instagram. They’re only 3 years old!

The account is operated by their mom and posts all about their lives – the fun and creative things the kids get into. They have over 3.6 million followers and have collaborated with many big brands like Pampers and KIND bars = big money sponsorships!

5. Start a TikTok account

TikTok is another social media platform that kids are using to make money.

If you don’t know what TikTok is, users upload videos of themselves lip-syncing or acting out memes with music. It’s fun and creative!

My co-worker’s kid sister makes money on TikTok. She’s making money through primarily ads and donations.

6. Sell used items online

By selling items they’re no longer using online, your kids can make a little extra money.

Using eBay, your kids can list used items from around your home online and sell them to the highest bidder.

All they have to do is take photos of the item, create an online listing, and ship the items after they sell.

Other platforms you can sell items online are Craigslist, Kijiji, and Facebook Marketplace. Here’s a list of other great apps to sell stuff online.

If you have collectors or vintage items, your kid might be able to get a lot of money from them.

We regularly sell items online. I find it’s an easy and quick way to make an extra $100 per month.

You could also make money flipping used items like Melissa and Rob at Flea Market Flipper.

They earn a full-time income from this. In 2016, they made $133,000 flipping items.

They only worked 20-30 hours per week.

Here are some things they’ve flipped:

• Old radio: purchased for $15, sold for $200
• Double stroller: purchased for $90, sold for $380
• Carousel horse: purchased for $175, sold for $1299

They have a FREE video course on how to make your first $100 flipping used items.

7. Manage social media accounts

With kids being so savvy with social media, your kid might be able to manage social media accounts (for Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter etc.) for businesses.

With increasingly more online businesses, social media assistants are in high demand!

I’m actually on the lookout for one myself for Pinterest!

I know some bloggers who pay their kids money to manage their Pinterest accounts.

What Pinterest Managers do is design pins and pin regularly on well key-worded boards.

If your kid is interested in how to become a Pinterest Manager, here are interviews with 2 successful Pinterest Managers Megan Haskin and Yi Ming Lai.

8. Make things and sell them online

Your kids can also use their creativity to make handmade items to sell online.

From jewelry to artwork, there are a variety of great ways your kids can get creative to make a little bit of money online.

Websites like Etsy are a great outlet for creative kids to sell their work.

Simply make the item, take a few pictures of the finished product, create a listing online, and ship the crafts after they sell.

There are a variety of great handmade items your kids could create and sell, including:

• Homemade soap, bath bombs, or bath salts
• Home décor items, like signs or decorative pillows
• Hair bows and bow holders
• Knitted items, like scarves and hats
• Cards
• Hand-sewn items, like baby blankets or clothing
• Holiday decorations, like stockings or ornaments
• Decorated bags and purses
• Wreaths for different holidays and seasons
• Homemade pet toys
• Upcycled clothing
• Scrunchies and headbands
• Doll clothing
• Tie-dyed items
• Jewelry and keychains

If you’re interested in specifically selling on Etsy, here’s an interview with a mom who’s successful on Etsy. She was able to replace her full-time income within 4 months of starting her shop on Etsy.

There’s also a huge market for printables and digital downloads on Etsy like shopping lists, meal planners and calendars.

The advantage with selling digital products is that there’s no shipping involved. Once the customer purchases the item, it’s sent automatically by the platform.

Here’s an interview with a mom who started a successful digital downloads shop on Etsy.

If your child hasn’t gotten started on Etsy yet, you can get your first 40 listings for FREE here.

If your kid is curious about the best-selling products on Etsy:

9. Be an online tutor

Older kids who are great at school can use their knowledge to help other kids improve their grades online.

They can:

• Tutor math
• Edit essays
• Teach another language
• Teach music skills (my first job was teaching piano lessons. I was 12 years old)
• Help with sports skills or coach teams

Thanks to video conferencing software like Zoom, your kids can easily become online tutors to kids around the world with their homework.

There are a variety of great tutoring sites your kids can work for or they can create their own online tutoring business by advertising at their school and with friends and family members.

10. Rent out their stuff

Do your kids have the latest video game platform or the best games?

Let them rent out their stuff to their friends to earn some extra money.

Help them set up a system for lending items out and accepting returns, as well as a payment system.

Then let them create a stream of income by making use of items they already have at home.

11. Become an author

Thanks to Amazon, anyone can become a self-published author – even your kid!

If you have a creative writer at home, urge them to turn their work into a book and sell it online to make some extra money at home.

12. Make their own app or game

If your kid loves coding, help them put their skills to good use by creating their own app or game.

Your child can create their own game and sell it on the app store to earn some extra money while they’re at home.

13. Design t-shirts

Your kid can create their own clothing line from home by designing t-shirts and selling them online.

If you have a Cricut at home, your kid can make the shirts and sell them on Etsy or locally through Facebook marketplace.

Or they can design the shirts through an online retailer like Redbubble and have someone else manufacture the shirts and ship them to their customers. Here’s how Redbubble works:

1. Designers start a shop and upload designs (which is all free to do)
2. Customers find a design on a product they want (the design can go on a shirt, pillow case etc.)
3. Redbubble prints and ships it
4. Designers get paid a 10-20% royalty

Redbubble handles all of the customer service (including complaints and returns) and marketing.

The only thing is that Redbubble requires that all members be at least 16 years of age. This means you cannot create an account until you have turned 16.

Your kid doesn’t have to be a graphic designer to sell t-shirt designs.

I’ve seen people create simple designs on everyday programs like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. You can also use a free, user-friendly design tool like Canva which I use.

14. Teach their skills to other kids online

If your kid has a talent, why not let them share their knowledge with other kids?

Your kid can create online videos or tutorials helping other kids learn how to improve their skills.

From creating a full-fledged online course to creating how-to videos for YouTube, there are a variety of ways your kids can earn money from teaching.

• Teach online music lessons to help other kids learn how to play an instrument
• Create cooking or baking videos to help other kids learn how to cook
• Make coding lessons to show other kids how to code their own games or apps
• Film video game tutorials to teach kids how to be at a harder level on a video game

15. Sell stock photography

Does your kid have an eye for photography?

They can use their talent to make money at home selling stock photography.

Websites like Creative Market, iStock and Shutterstock pay photographers to use their photos in their stock photography library, which means your kid can easily earn money just by snapping great photos.

You just need a good camera.

If your kid wants to take their photography skills to the next level, they can join a photography class.

Skillshare has photography classes online.

There are free courses. There are also premium courses available at a cost. However, you can sign up here and get the first 2 months of Skillshare premium for FREE.

16. Odd jobs online

If your kids are over the age of 13, they can earn extra money doing odd jobs online on Fiverr.

The website allows you to advertise your online services – everything from graphic design to guitar lessons.

Potential clients can contact your child to use their services for any odd job they need completed online.

17. Bake some treats to market online

Maybe you have a young baker at home who wants to start earning some money with their cooking talents.

Your kid can make some baked goods at home, then list them online for your friends and family to purchase.

Arrange for the baked goods to be picked up from your house and your kid never has to leave your home to start making some extra money.

18. Take surveys

Taking surveys is an easy way for your kid to earn a little bit of side cash quickly without a job.

Here’s a list of legitimate survey companies with user-friendly sites that I’ve personally tried and liked:

• Swagbucks
• Survey Club
• Survey Junkie (only in US, Canada and Australia)

The more companies your kid joins, the more surveys your kid will qualify for taking.

If your kid likes taking surveys and being able to voice their opinion and know that it’ll make a difference with brands and products, taking surveys might be right up their alley.

Traditional Ways for Kids to Make Money

There are also a few tried-and-true ways for kids to make money while they’re at home.

While most of these chores can also be done outside the home, these easy jobs are perfect for kids who want to earn money from home.

19. Babysitting

Is your older kid great with other kids?

One of the best ways for kids to earn extra money easily is from babysitting.

If you don’t want your kid to leave home to earn money, they can create their own babysitting service from home.

Instead of traveling to the child’s house, allow the kids to stay at your house while their parents go out.

In addition to being more convenient for your child, it also allows them to babysit for more than one family at a time.

That means they have the potential to double or triple their regular earnings!

Since the babysitting service will be from home, it’ll be essential that you have a first aid kit.

Your kid will also want to look into getting CPR or first aid training.

20. Wash cars at home

Set up a car wash in your driveway for your kids to make some extra money at home in the summer.

Provide them with soap, sponges, and buckets, then let your kids get to work.

Don’t forget to hang a few signs around the neighborhood to let everyone know where to go to get their car washed.

If your kids are older, they can extend their services to offer car detailing that involves interior cleaning as well.

You’ll need more supplies like this comprehensive car cleaning kit.

For example, you’ll want to have a duster that thoroughly cleans the car air vent.

You’ll also want to get a portable vacuum that’s ideal for cleaning inside the car.

21. Pet sit

If you don’t mind having an extra pet at home every once in a while, pet sitting at home is another great way for your kids to earn money.

Pet sitting can involve just watching animals to make sure they’re fed and their poop and pee is cleaned up. It could also be narrowed down to involve just dog services like:

• dog walking
• brushing and grooming dogs
• bathing dogs
• training dogs

Once your kid has decided what pet services to offer, you can start by advertising these services to your friends and family.

If parents want to help, they can sign up with a company like Rover. Rover is a national network connecting pet sitters/dog walkers and customers.

You have to be 18+ to join Rover. Parents can sign up and have their kids help them.

An advantage of going with Rover is not only getting access to customers, but also having the “Rover Guarantee” (insurance coverage for certain injuries or damages during the visit).

They also provide 24/7 vet assistance and an online platform for making secure payments.

You have the flexibility of establishing your own schedule, pricing and pet preferences.

Here’s how you can sign up to become a Rover Pet Sitter.

Related: Here’s an interview with a Rover Pet Sitter including her experience with Rover and tips to get started.

22. Host a garage sale

Let your kids declutter the house and then sell the items they clear out at a garage sale.

It’s a great way to get them to clean the house and reward them for their efforts by letting them keep the money they make at their sale.

To set up a garage sale, they’ll need to gather up the items they want to sell, display them in your garage or yard, and price everything.

The rule of thumb when pricing items for a yard sale is to make the items 25% of the price you paid when you purchased the item.

Don’t price anything below $0.25 as it’s not worth your time to sell it.

Here’s a list of reasonable prices I’ve seen at yard sales.

In this post, I’ve also included dozens of tips to successfully host a yard sale like what to sell, what not to sell, the best day and times etc.

I go to yard sales regularly (every weekend in the summer) and I’ve hosted a few as well.

These are all the yard sale best practices I’ve seen over the years.

23. Set up a lemonade stand

This classic money-maker is another great way for kids to make money at home.

Simply set up a stand in front of your house for your kids to sell their lemonade, create a sign to let your neighbors know what you’re selling, then let your kids earn some money throughout the day.

Your kids can also do this during a garage sale!

Your kids don’t just have to sell lemonade!

From baked goods to hot chocolate, the possibilities are endless for this kid-friendly business opportunity. In addition to creating a lemonade stand, your kids could also sell:

• Baked goods they make themselves, such as cookies, cupcakes, and brownies
• Baked goods they purchase at the store, like donuts
• Drinks, such as punch, coffee, hot chocolate, and soda
• Snacks, like candy bars and bags of chips (Buy this in bulk at Costco and then sell it for double the price.)

Having more selection means you could sell more product!

24. Sell vegetables

If you have a backyard, your kid can start a vegetable garden and sell fresh vegetables. All you have to do is buy the seeds and then plant and water accordingly.

Outside of earning money, your kid can learn a lot by growing vegetables like patience, responsibility, and discipline.

While your kid could sell these at a Farmer’s Market, you can also just set up a stand near the road if your house is on a busy street.

Your kid doesn’t even have to stay there all day. I know local farmers that just put up a sign advertising organic vegetables with pricing and leave out a money box (It’s an honor system).

They put out the vegetables in the morning and collect the proceeds at the end of the day.

25. Start a lawn maintenance service

You might be thinking this just involves grass cutting services.

As part of this business, kids could also offer to pull out weeds, rake leaves, plant flowers or vegetables…even shovel snow in the winter so the business operates all year round.

Managing the weeds in our lawn feels like a full-time job, especially if you want your weeds pulled out manually. This is important to us because we don’t want to use chemicals because we have children.

This is a task I would gladly pay a kid to manage!

With this type of business, if you live on a busy street (particularly with walking traffic), I recommend putting up a sign on your own lawn.

Other than word of mouth, there’s no better advertisement than your own lawn to prove you can do the job well.

To make it even more enticing, your kids could offer these services for free to a few neighbors.

If your kids do a good job, your kids could ask them to be references. Your kids could also start a referral program and give a free lawn cut for every referred customer.

26. Start a cleaning business

If your kids love to clean, they could start a cleaning business.

It could involve cleaning houses or specifically be for deep cleaning furniture, carpets, or windows. Your kids could advertise offering an organic cleaning service to set them apart from competitors.

There’s a lot of demand for cleaning services. I know I would rather pay a cleaner than clean my house, especially with 2 kids at home.

The start-up costs are low. You likely have everything you need already at home!

One thing I would recommend getting if you don’t already have it are these microfiber cleaning cloths.

When your kids are cleaning other people’s property, you don’t want them to scratch or damage surfaces. Microfiber cloths are soft, absorbent and non-abrasive.

27. Paint rooms

If you have an older kid that’s artistic and likes to paint, offering a painting service might be a good fit. Your kid can paint indoors (e.g. walls on rooms) or outdoors (e.g. garage doors).

Having a painting business does have an investment cost like different size brushes/rollers, a paint tray, a ladder, a mask, painting tape, a tarp, and a mask.

Reach out to your local realtors and paint stores. Have your kid start by contacting the realtor and paint store your family has already given business to and then branch out from there.

28. Do Chores to Earn Money

One of the easiest, traditional ways for your kids to earn money at home is by doing chores.

Helping out around the house gives your kids a sense of responsibility while they’re at home and helps reduce your household workload. As your kids work, they can earn money!

There are two basic ways for your kids to earn money from doing chores:

1) Link their allowance to weekly chores

One way to pay your kids for doing chores is to link their allowance to the chores they do.

This technique is perfect for families that require their children to complete daily or weekly chores. When the chores are done, you pay your kids a set amount of money. If the chores don’t get finished, your kids don’t get their allowance.

2) Pay on a per-chore basis

You could also assign a dollar amount to each chore and pay your kids once the chore is complete.

This tactic works well for families who don’t want to link their kids’ allowance to their weekly chores or for families who don’t require their kids to complete a set list of chores each week.

Paying on a per-chore basis also allows your kids to pick and choose which chores they want to complete and when they want to do them, giving them a little more freedom when it comes to helping with housework.

No matter the option you choose, you’ll need to figure out the type of chores your kids will do to earn money and the amount of money you’ll pay them for the work they complete.

When picking chores for your kids to do around the house, it’s best to consider your kid’s ages and abilities. These age-based chores are a great starting point when deciding the tasks to assign to each of your kids:

Chores for preschoolers:

• pick up their toys
• dust surfaces they can reach
• sort laundry
• match socks
• put plastic dishes away
• straighten their bed
• tidy up their room
• water houseplants
• fold towels and washcloths

Elementary aged chores:

• feed and water the pets
• make their bed
• put their clean clothing away
• set the table
• put silverware away
• dry the dishes
• assist with meal prep
• pull weeds
• water the garden
• dust baseboards
• clear the table after dinner
• take out the trash
• take the trash cans to the curb and bring them back on trash day
• put groceries away after grocery shopping

Chores for preteens:

• rake the leaves
• shovel snow
• clean the bathrooms
• walk the dog
• wash and fold the laundry
• change the sheets on their bed
• vacuum
• sweep the floors
• clean the garage
• mop the floors
• wash windows
• clean the front and back porches

Teenager chore ideas:

• mow the lawn
• cook dinner
• babysit younger siblings
• help with household repairs
• grocery shopping
• painting both inside and outside
• vehicle maintenance

All that said…

Some say if you link chores to money, kids will think they should always be paid for chores.

In the book The Opposite of Spoiled, the author disagrees with giving kids money for completing chores. His rationale is that chores should be done for the same reason parents do them – because they have to be done.

If chores are done poorly, parents can take away something kids view as more valuable than money like a phone or game.

He does discuss giving kids money for researching and solving a household problem.

For example, if a child notices his grandparent’s dirty car, this kid can offer to clean it for an agreed upon price. It encourages your child to be entrepreneurial.

If you’re interested in the book, here’s my full review and breakdown of The Opposite of Spoiled including all of the key learnings.

Other Ways Your Kids Can Make Money

Here’s a list of additional ways your kids can make money. All of these options are close to home and will likely work within your kid’s schedule.

29. Return glass bottles and aluminum cans

Some states or provinces have programs where you can return empty glass bottles and aluminum cans for $0.05 or $0.10.

The place you return the items could be grocery stores or convenience stores. Your kid can check if this way to make money is available in your area and then where the nearest collection spot is.

Some people don’t bother collecting these items (and just recycle them) or simply don’t have enough to make the effort worthwhile. Your kid can ask friends and family if they have applicable glass bottles and aluminum cans to kickstart their progress.

28. Be a referee

Your kid can get hired by the school or local young kid’s sports leagues to referee games.

A forewarning: This job is not for the faint of heart! Your kid will be yelled at, challenged, and possibly given dirty looks and called names. It will thicken your kid’s skin or do the opposite.

29. Deliver newspapers

My husband did this when he was a kid. It’s ideal for students as they can deliver papers first thing in the morning before school starts.

Reach out to your local newspaper business and see if they’re hiring.

You can also research local direct mail companies as they might be looking for people to help with hanging up doorhangers.

32. Pick fruit

If you live in a rural area filled with farms, your kid might be able to find a local job picking fruit.

This job won’t pay a lot of money. I once picked blueberries for 1 day. I worked steadily on a 4 hour shift and only made $20!

On the bright side, picking fruit will give your kid an appreciation for the harvesting process. Depending on the farm’s policies, a perk is often being able to eat fruit while on the job.

Final Thoughts on How to Make Money as a Kid at Home

With a little bit of creative thinking and some hard work, your kids can be well on their way to earning an income all on their own.

Thanks to today’s technology, your kids have tons of options when it comes to finding ways to earn money at home. These job ideas are a great starting point for any kid that wants to earn some extra spending money without leaving their house.

Recap of ways for kids to make money from home

1. Start a Blog
2. Start a YouTube Channel
3. Make money on Twitch
4. Start an Instagram account
5. Start a Tik Tok account
6. Sell used items online
7. Manage social media accounts
8. Make things and sell them online
9. Be an online tutor
10. Rent out their stuff
11. Become an author
12. Make their own app or game
13. Design t-shirts
14. Teach their skills to other kids online
15. Sell stock photography
16. Odd jobs online
17. Bake some treats to market online
18. Take surveys
19. Babysitting
20. Wash cars at home
21. Pet sit
22. Host a garage sale
23. Set up a lemonade stand
24. Sell vegetables
25. Start a lawn maintenance service
26. Start a cleaning business
27. Paint rooms
28. Do Chores to Earn Money
29. Be a referee
30. Deliver newspapers
31. Return glass bottles and aluminum cans
32. Pick fruit

Related Work at Home Articles:

• How to make up to $4000/month as a Scopist
• 9 steps to achieve financial freedom for your family
• 11 Flexible Work-from-Home Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms
• Become a Real Estate Virtual Assistant
• How to become a Proofreader
• How to become a Virtual Bookkeeper

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