Good Neighborhood Jobs for Young Kids
97Do your kids ask you to buy them something every time you walk in a store? Then it is time to teach kids about money. By the age of two or three your children can start learning about money and how it works. There are a few options when it comes to getting money into your kid's hands.
The first option is to just give them money whenever they ask for it. The second option would be to give them chores and pay them money as they complete chores. Some people like to pay a different amount of money for different jobs, and some people like to pay a set amount regardless of the job, figuring it all evens out in the end. There is a very common third option. Many people give there kids allowances - a set amount, on a set day each week. Sometimes expecting the child to do some chores throughout the week and sometimes not.
At a certain age, your child might want to earn more money than you are willing to give them in allowance or chores around the house. At this point a job outside the home is a good idea. A young child, though, has very limited options. Sticking within your neighborhood or apartment building is a good idea. If you have extended family around, your child can offer to do jobs for them as well. Now I am not talking about a 5 year old here, but maybe between the ages of 7 or 8 and 15 or 16 - the point in which they could really go get a job. Of course the younger your child is the more help or supervision they will need from you.
There are many jobs that kids can do that go along with the seasons of the year. In the summer a child can mow someone's grass, sweep the porches, wash cars, have a lemonade stand, weed the garden, water the grass or garden, take care of animals and/or get mail while someone is out of town. Depending on the child's age, the parent might have to be with them while they do their job. To me this is a good trade off. Teaching our kids about money is such a worthwhile thing to do, that if it involves some of my time that is fine with me.
In the fall kids can rake leaves, pick up sticks (something that always needs to be done in our yard), weed and/or pick the garden and other outdoor things. In the winter shoveling snow instantly comes to mind. In the spring yard cleanup and car washing are must haves for most people.
There are also many jobs a child can have any time of year. Taking care of animals really lends itself to children. Every afternoon we take a walk down the street to let the dogs out for our neighbor. They work long hours and find it helpful if their dogs are let out to run and use the bathroom at some point each afternoon. I like this job because I am hoping it will bide me some time before we have to get our own dog. There are some teenagers in the neighborhood that walk dogs each afternoon. They do this for several families and I see them circling the block with different dogs each afternoon.
Babysitting is a job that is good for both girls and boys. Kids as young as 12 are typically able to babysit, of course it depends on how responsible they are. Housecleaning is a job that many people would love to pay someone to do. A young child can vacuum and dust pretty well.
Many jobs that a child can do could really benefit an elderly person or family. Even carrying the mail up to their door each day could really help them. Many elderly people want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible, but need help doing so. Many of these people are on a fixed income and don't have a lot of money to pay someone to help around the house or yard.
Children love to work and get very excited about a little money. An arrangement between children and elderly can really benefit everyone involved. Developing relationships between neighbors and between children and elderly are very positive benefits to allowing your child to get a neighborhood job. Allowing your children to have a job from a young age will give them plenty of opportunity to learn about money. Not just learn about it, but also to handle it, to spend it, to mess up with it (much better for a child to learn from money mistakes at age 9 when that mistake costs him $20 than at age 29 when that mistake costs him $2000 and his credit score), and to save it for their future. It really isn't ever too early to start!
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When I was a kid I went door to door and cleaned houses for 2 bucks each, I started out just doing bathromms or such then they raised my pay as I got more "jobs".. the neighbors knew me and so fed me while I worked, I got some pretty good (and nutritional) food while I worked, great conversation and made new friends (their kids).. some of the kids made fun thill they watched their parents shell out cash every week. I had 30 clients and it took me about 6 hours a day to complete them all, were talking 2.00 worth of work, and since my parents made me clean the crap out of our house this was second nature to me.
I tookt he money I made from that self employment and would funnel it into my second business (I was entrapeneurial from anearly age) candy. I would buy blow pops at costco (was price club) 5.00 per box of 100 then when I went to school I would fill a demand. The "venders" of my school sold blow pops as a fund raisor, but the venders always sold out at 25 cents each, I networked them all (about 5) and made them an offer. when they sold out all of their stock (and only after so we woudlnt get caught) they would start selling my blowpops but I limited how much they could sell to keep it low key (I know it was against the rules but schools arent designed to teach kids to actually survive in the world so much as to turn out template college graduates who get ajob who work yahha I was the other type, the person who made those jobs people get so I felt breaking this rule was just living up to my future)
I made abot 100.00 a week in sales split between my venders and minus the overhead of buying more blowpops, I earned from that business about 35.00 a week in profits.. I used the money to buy (blow it) student store candly which I passed out to the poor kids (I was probably the poorest kid in the school) and at lunch I bought some kids food from the pizza cart and so on I still had over 10.00 a week to myself (whcih was all I needed back then) I didnt get an allowance, I never got money from my parents, not even for doing chores that I was told was my responcibility anyway (even extra stuff which to me is teaching a kid the world is never going to give you anything for your hard work, so why do extra anything?)
I also would walk home sometimes and see people picking cherries out of their trees for no other reasonthan so they didnt fall off the tree and polute their grass with nasty rotted cherries.. these were delicious cherries and they had them in bags and were throwing them away so I saw opportunity. I got my brothers and I to help them pick the cherries and for our help we got to take them away (heled them not have to fill their garbage can with cherries) and we washed them (ate a bunch of them, then sold htem door to door) these are the same cherries you buy in the store.
The lemonaid stand is a great way to teach kids about enterprising.. its what got me going.. I sold lemonaid, iced tea, cool aid and water was free to clear their pallette for the next drink.. hehe I had a juice bar!
YOu gotta bea careful these days though with any door to door stuff people are not always safe even in good neighborhoods.
one more thing.. Robert T. Kiosaki has some wonderful books and courses even games that teach kids finantial responcibility, the wealth mindset, investment and hard work mindset and more.. I'd definately check it out.. the best book I read first was rich dad poor dad, he made one for kids called rich kid poor kid! this will teach them not to ask you for money but to find ways to earn it (or take allowance and invest it for more!)
Jerrico Usher - sounds like you were on top of things as a kid. Way to go!
I had to earn money so I had some to spend.
Nevertheless a great hub
Thank you
my daughter is doing paper delivery every Tuesday, she gets between $18-20 dollars a week. the money goes straight to her account, good for a 14 year old and it only takes her 45 minutes to fold and organise the paper and one and half hour to deliver. Not bad at all.....
I agree that children need to learn money management young, otherwise, they'd be like my boyfriend who spends it as soon as it's in his hand. Or when it's not, say '20 bucks that's nothing,' even though he may not have a job...
I like the idea of delivering the paper. Most local papers are always looking for someone to deliver.
Jobs teach children responsibility, even if it's just jobs around the house, earning them a few bucks.
plez tell me parents about this i wantt o get 1 and im 13 they say money doesnt groe on trres so let me make$$$
great tips but are there any kid jobs that invlove business? I cant deliver paper im to young.
Good Hub, Jennifer!
I have included you in my review Hub ...
http://hubpages.com/hub/Kids-Money-Hubs-Review
Jenny
Good but i'm a ten year old almost turning 11 and I need a neighborhood job to make money for college.
thanks
that really helpful
Im 10 but i dont know what to do. im going to try a raking service with my friend and im trying to get a dog siting job. Is there any other jobs? plzzzz help
All these ideas are wonderful. But what if you live in a neighborhood where its not safe for your kids to go outside. Or you really cant pay them for the chores they do cause everything has to go to the bills.
im trying to save up for a nintendo i do a pet sitting buisness but every body doest go on vacations
im 15 now and ever since i was 11 i have mowed and weedeated my neighbors ditches and their lawn. i get about 30-50 dollars per.
All are so good .But for me,it is not sure,not the kids,all of the man are wnt to get a money better than child.For a little part is ok
These are great ideas. We live very rural though so we allow our kids to raise chickens for eggs and veggies as well. We then take them to a farmers market to sell their wares and make some money. It is a good lesson in work as well as business for them.
well if u can see me in this well send me a e-mail at mayra_ss_4_life@yahoo.com..can u help me faind a jod iam 15 going to 16 help me pleas that can help me get pay good and for me to start saving monye to go to callege....thamks i live in Irving Tx
My parents assgined me gardening I am 11 years old I think this will be manageable. I need to earn the money
I'm 11 and i just started a bank account. i need a good job that i could make a good $20.00 a month and then combined with the money i earn with my chores would be $40.00. I already take care of my neighbors dog on Monday and Friday and that is $5.00 a day and thats $40.00 a month but sometimes she doesn't need me. I also mow lawns for $5.00 a yard including mine. I'm a very athletic and well built kid and If you know anything that requires alot more physical labor don't hold back. I'm saving up for a trip that our school takes us on in 8th grade. Its either Costa Rica or D.C. I want to go to costa Rica but that costs $2,000.00 dollars and when i first heard the price i was astonished. So please help me.
thanx
now i can make money again. u know if children like me want to work thn they should be able to as lon as they are over 10 i also have a very legall lemonade stand at the pool.
can i please have a job iam 14teen
try babysitting and charge 4 to 5 bucks an hour. Dont get too greedy or else people wont recomend you! :)
can we plz get a job were 12,11,and 8 years old.
h ha ha lol i know right i need a job!!!
THIZ YO BOY LIL CURIT I NEED A GOOD PAYING JOB YOU FILL ME
That is so funny that you wrote about gardening for kids! I work with Fast Growing Trees Nursery, and we just published a website dedicated to sharing ideas on how parents can teach kids about gardening. I'd love to hear what you think about our site:
http://www.gardeningforkids.org
Thanks!
we are 11 years old and we are saving up for our dream. We have $35.43 and we need about $2.000 more we walk dogs everyday and they are 1 to 2 dollars each. We need a way to make money fast any ideas would be greatly appreciated.We also sell jewlry for $6 to $15 dollars each. Send any ideas to samsoncali105@hotmail.com you could also send it to samsoncali105@yahoo.com these are my email adresses (samantha) my email adress is kelli.prescott@yahoo.com (kelli)
helenathegreat says:
2 years ago
Kids need to learn about money management as soon as they are old enough to ask you to buy something for them! Great hub.. it's given me an idea for a new one myself. Thanks!