How to Earn Money (for Tweens)

Last Updated: March 14, 2023

As a pre-teen, you're most likely not going to be able to take on a regular job like a teenager can. However, pre-teens need money sometimes, too! Once you're a pre-teen, you can take on some of your newly-gained independence to earn some money that you can do what you want with. There are many things you can do to make money, and that will help people out at the same time!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Earning an Allowance Doing Household Chores

1
Set goals for the things you want or need to save up for. When trying to make money, it’s smart to have a goal in mind to keep you diligent about how you spend the money you are earning.
- Write down what your goal(s) is. What are you are trying to earn money for? It could be anything from a new video game console to new clothes.
- When asking your parents about earning an allowance, knowing why you want one can help you. You can explain that you are trying to save up for something special. Also, explain that earning an allowance is a great way to learn responsibility and build good work habits.
2
Ask your parents for an allowance. See if your parents are willing to pay you for doing certain chores around the house on a weekly basis.
- Before asking your parents to pay your for completed chores, come up with a proposal. Make a schedule for the week. Write down what sort of tasks you are willing to do, and what you think those tasks are worth. Then, you and your parents can negotiate your allowance.^{[1]
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- Your parents need to agree to pay you for chores. If your parents expect you to help out anyway, try coming up with ideas that go beyond the standard list of chores. Offer to clean out the basement, do all the yard work, etc.
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3
Negotiate payment for larger and seasonal outside housework. Certain outdoor projects can take up a lot of time your parents may not have. Offering to complete these chores may be another way to earn money.
- Offer to mow your lawn, rake leaves, shovel snow, and weed gardens, only if you are capable to do so. If you already provide this kind of service to the neighborhood, explain to your parents that you are trying to expand you client base. And that you will treat your house like any of your clients'. If you want to start your yard work business, explain that having your parents be your first client is a great way to get started and show good work. Then you will be able to get more business.
- For seasonal, recurring chores like mowing the lawn or shoveling your driveway, talk to your parents about a set rate.
4
Babysit your siblings. If you have younger siblings, babysitting is an easy way to make some money.
- Talk to your parents about letting you babysit your siblings instead of hiring an outside babysitter. Explain that you already know your siblings well, are responsible, and can take care of the house you live in.
- You may have to offer to take a smaller payment than an outside babysitter to start. But if your parents are on the fence about letting you babysit, offering a lower rate may help. Although some parents may believe that they shouldn't pay their son/daughter for babysitting.
- You can also take your babysitting skills elsewhere once you gain some experience. Babysitting can be a very lucrative job for tweens.
- If you do expand and start babysitting for other families, consider treating it like a business. Pick a name and create a social media page that people can go to for information.
- There are also websites that you can sign up to that help you find babysitting jobs. Sites like sittercity.com will let you create a profile and start getting work. ^{[2]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Getting a Neighborhood Job and Working for People You Know

1
Go to local stores and ask about any part-time jobs. Many jobs require you to be a certain age, often 16, to work. But, sometimes you can find work like at your local grocery or hardware store.
- Ask the manager at your grocery store to let you help bag. Don't ask for too much money, but be smart on how much you are asking for. You can start out by asking for $3-7 an hour. How much you earn depends on how comfortable the manager is with the idea.
- Another potential way to make money is to be a lifeguard or park manager. Go to your local pool or park and ask if there are any positions available and what you need to do to get hired.
- Lifeguards have to have special training and be certified. Make sure to get the right training, such as through Red Cross. It’s good to find out if your local pool or beach is hiring before getting certified. Ask your trainer for tips on landing a job.^{[3]
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- You can also contact your local park district to see if there are any summer park jobs that you can work. Sometimes these consist of overseeing weekly events for kids, or managing sporting events. During the winter, you may be able to monitor an ice rink.
- If your parents own a business, you can see if your parents will let you work part-time. It may be easier than finding another job if you have less experience, or are still too young.
2
House sit for your friends and neighbors. If you have friends or neighbors who are going on vacation, ask to house sit.
- Offer to water plants. Check that the house is secure and that things are working properly, such as pipes during winter and light bulbs on timers.
- Ask older siblings to pay you to do their laundry or clean their room.
3
Pet sit for your friends and neighbors. Offer to pet sit for people you know so that the pet doesn’t have to go to a kennel, and your friends or neighbors don’t have to pay for one.
- Depending on the pet, try charging around $4 per pet, per day. Make sure you know the pet(s) and the owner(s) well. Do this only if you know how to prevent accidents and what to do in an emergency.
- Be confident that you have the skills to take care of a pet before taking on a job. Don’t ever forget to feed, let outside, and walk the pets. Make sure your parents know the duties you are asked to perform before taking the job.
- Consider washing or grooming pets as well, or instead of pet-sitting.
4
Become a dog walker. If you have a lot of people in your neighborhood with dogs, offer a dog walking service.
- Make sure you know the people first. Charge $2-$5 depending on how far you walk the dogs and how often.
5
Provide a yard and driveway maintenance service. Mowing lawns, raking leaves, and shoveling snow are great ways to earn some cash.
- Since you are under 18 years of age, you’ll need your parent or a guardian to give you permission. Your parent may want to supervise your use of dangerous equipment.
- Treat your services like a business and come up with advertising and a name for your yard services. Post flyers around the neighborhood advertising your services and a way to contact you. Ask your next door neighbors directly as well. you can also put flyers in mailboxes.
- Providing your own equipment is best. But, you may find certain clients who already have equipment you can use.
- Offer a fair price that’s related to the size of the lawn or driveway. Factor in how long it takes you to mow or shovel too.
- For mowing lawns, set up a consistent day and time every week when you will come and mow the lawn. For shoveling, be able to get the job done in a timely manner after it snows.
6
Wash cars in the neighborhood. Hold a car wash in your neighborhood with other kids. Get together in a group and decide on a day to host the car wash. Then advertise by posting flyers around the neighborhood. You can also put flyers in your neighbor’s mailboxes. Only wash cars for people you know. And have an adult present to supervise.
- Make sure you have the correct materials like sponges and soap suitable for car washing. Charge between $5-10, taking into account how dirty it is.
- Be careful to not rub or spread any mud or dirt, or it may scratch the paint like liquid sandpaper. Hose mud and dirt and soak it off carefully.
- Consider charging for washes according to car size. For example, $5 a small car, $7 a medium car and $10 a large car.
- Ask for specific instructions on any special requirements that may need to be used for particular cars.
- Rinse thoroughly. Don't allow soap or detergent to dry on the paint.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Money by Selling Goods and Services

1
Sell your good clothes and shoes that don’t fit anymore. As a teen or kid, you are growing at a pretty quick pace. So you probably have some clothes that don’t fit you. Go through your wardrobe and pick out nice pieces to sell that you no longer wear.
- You can take your clothes to a thrift or secondhand store. These consignment stores will go through your clothes and offer you money for the items that the store decides to buy from you. Selling old clothes is a great way to make some extra money. It can also help you pay for new clothes.
- Make sure that any clothes you plan to sell are clean and ironed. And that your shoes are shined and without too much wear. You will have a better chance of selling your clothes if the pieces look nice and presentable.
- Don’t spend all your earnings or savings. If you sell your old stuff or even make things to sell, don’t spend all the money you earn. The importance of a goal is that it helps you stay committed to earning money for a specific purpose. Instead of spending all the money you earn, put at least 10% of it away. Don’t spend that money until you have reached your goal.
2
Sell your clothes and other items at a garage sale. You can easily gather up any toys or clothes that you no longer have a need for and sell these items right from your front yard.
- Get your friends from the neighborhood to help you as well. The more of you there are, the more appealing your sale will look as it will have more items to browse. Your friends probably have things that can be sold and will probably be willing to help.
- Post signs up around your neighborhood advertising your sale a few days before the sale so people can learn about it. It’s also a good idea to hold the garage sale in the spring. Garage sales are popular in the spring as people are typically cleaning out junk that accumulated over the last year or so.
- Before you sell anything that you think is yours, make sure you get permission from your parents. You shouldn’t sell clothes, toys, or other items without permission. Especially if your parents were the ones who bought you these items.
3
Make crafts or art to sell. You can learn to make great products that are desirable enough to customers. Things like jewelry to handmade clothes, to even furniture, can make you a good profit.
- If you know how to make something that people will enjoy or use, you can start a little business for yourself and start selling your product. Before you get too invested, you will need to budget for your materials.
- Write down how much every individual item will cost. Then add up these costs. Your total cost is how much you will have to pay before you can make anything and earn any money. And when you sell your item, you will have to sell it for more than the cost.
- Try making jewelry. If you have a good eye for fashion and jewelry you can make your own jewelry to sell online, to your friends, and even at some consignment stores. There are sites that you can purchase costume jewelry components from at a wholesale price. Wholesale means that you will get a large quantity, but for less money than the retail price. You can then make and sell your beautiful jewelry for a profit.
- Perhaps you’re already a very talented artist. Create art that you can sell. If you don’t know what to create, you can try asking people for requests. Your friends may pay you to draw or paint something specific. Create a social media page that showcases your art, and use it to get people to notice your talents.
4
Tutor other kids. If you’re very attentive at school and organized you can help tutor people in your school or community for money.
- Tutoring for a profit may not always be allowed at your school. It’s best to find out what your restrictions are.
- Take accurate study notes. When you’re finished, type the notes out and print copies. If you are allowed to offer tutoring or study aid for a profit, you can use your notes to aid the people you are helping to study. You may even be able to offer a tiered pricing structure. Meaning that people have to pay more for more of your time and resources.
5
Provide a lemonade stand for your neighborhood. Lemonade stands are popular in the summer, and help you earn some extra money. Gather your friends and make lemonade to sell in your neighborhood.^{[4]
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- Make your lemonade stand more sophisticated with a range of drinks as well as some cookies, brownies, and cupcakes.
- Place your lemonade stand somewhere where there isn’t a lot of competition. It should be somewhere busy and in a visible part of the neighborhood. A street corner always works well.
- Make your stand unique and inviting. Get creative, build an old-fashioned stand. Decorate it with ribbons and a banner with the name of your lemonade stand company on it.
- Keep track of what you spent on ingredients, and charge enough so that you can make a profit. But don’t overcharge. You won’t make any money if no one is buying your product.
- Include a menu of your offerings. Treat your stand like a business. A nice chalkboard sandwich board will look attractive and let passersby know what you offer.
- Make signs and send some kids walking around the neighborhood and standing at the ends of the block advertising your stand. Have some people making more lemonade and other treats so you always have enough stock to sell. (Note that these kids will probably want to be paid for their time.)
- You could also try to sell some art or handmade jewelry at your stand as well.
6
Offer to edit photos for people. If you know photography and graphic design, you can offer your services to people who want photos taken or edited.
- Take and edit photos of used goods for online sales. Offer to transfer people’s old physical photographs and create digital backups. You can also offer your services for parties, dances, and even class photos.
- Certain websites like fiverr.com allow you to post your talents online which people can pay you for. Talents like photo editing, coding, and social media help are popular. Just make sure you are allowed to do this and your parents know.
7
Invest some of the money you earn into business ventures. View yourself as a business. You will have to spend some of your money to get new and better supplies.
- Invest in a skill like singing by taking voice lessons, or music lessons on an instrument. If you know how to sing, play music, or even produce and MC, offer your services up for parties. The more you learn about your talents and crafts, the better you’ll become. And as you get better you can begin to charge more.
- You can also offer to teach your friends some of your skills as well. For example, if you are good at playing the guitar, you can charge a small fee to give lessons.
8
Make how-to videos on YouTube or Facebook. Make videos about how to do something you’re skilled at. If you have skills or hobbies, you can incorporate a video aspect to get more exposure. For example, if you’re already selling handmade jewelry, you can post tutorials on how other people can make jewelry at home.
- Note that making videos isn’t usually a direct way to earn money. If you do end up getting a lot of followers you may be able to include advertisements before your video plays. This can sometimes earn you money. Your videos should be made to help you get exposure and showcase your talents and products. Not as a way to earn a lot of money.
- Your videos can cover plenty of topics like doing hair and makeup, assembling furniture, or making jewelry or other crafts. You can make videos that showcase your products or work.
- For example, you can make a funny and informative commercial about your dog walking business. Or make videos where you explain how easy certain tasks are. Maybe you are really good at assembling Ikea furniture. Perhaps you could make simple tutorials for kids and adults on how easy it is to put furniture together.
- Make sure that the video is well-made, and that you look as professional as you can. Your videos need cover something that you know how to do really well. So you can give people good information and sound like an “expert” in your field.

Expert Q&A

Question

What types of products or services tend to make the most money on social media?

Melissa Newman
Social Media Strategist & Content Developer
Melissa Newman is a Social Media Strategist & Content Developer based in Bristol, Pennsylvania. With six years of experience, she specializes in social media strategy, content development, and community management. Melissa earned an MS in Digital Innovation in Marketing from the Fox School of Business at Temple University and a BS from Temple University. She also holds certifications from Facebook, Google Analytics, Hootsuite, and HubSpot Academy. Melissa has won awards for her social media campaigns, including the Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Use of Social Media, a Hermes Creative Award, and an Azbee Award for Best Social Media Campaign.

Melissa Newman

Social Media Strategist & Content Developer

Expert Answer

Any type of digital product that's tied to your niche. For example, downloads, courses, ebooks, or any type of template, where you can monetize your knowledge.

Warnings

Ask your parents before taking jobs from people your parents don't know.

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If pets or children that you are babysitting are injured while you are taking care of them, your parents could possibly be held responsible for expenses. And you might be grounded for a long time. You could offer to work as a pet sitter to get more experience, or take a babysitting certification class to feel comfortable in case of emergencies.

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Make sure any food you're selling isn't out of date.

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Don't let people you don't really trust borrow any money or valuables.

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Don't waste money on silly, odd, tiny expensive or cute stuff you don't need.

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