5 Cool Ways Your Kids Can Earn Money This Summer

Summertime is often viewed as a time for fun and frivolity. It is a time when kids are supposed to let loose and enjoy the freedom of not being in school. However, summertime is also a great time for kids to explore being entrepreneurs. They can use their newly found free time to have fun AND earn money. Here are a few cool ways your kids can earn money this summer.

Lemonade Stand
I know this probably seems a bit cliché’. A lemonade stand seems like the default summer business. However, just because something is common doesn’t mean it is a bad idea. People love a cold cup of lemonade – especially during the hot summer months. If you are worried about your child’s lemonade stand being one of many, you can help them brainstorm ways to stand out from the crowd.. For example, if you are on top of the legalities of getting a permit, you can secure a prime location to set up shop. The best places are ones that get a great deal of foot traffic. Your child can get creative with the lemonade flavors by adding in different fruits and herbs, such as strawberry, blueberry, mint, and rosemary. They can also offer edible treats to go along with the lemonade, such as cookies or brownies.

Pet Care
A lot of people might be willing to pay kids to walk their pets, take them out to play, or even give them food and water if the family needs to go on vacation. As long as the pets are not aggressive and your child is old enough to safely handle pets, this can be a great way for your child to earn some extra money and show some responsibility. This could even become something that they can do beyond the summer months.

House-sitting
Speaking of people going on vacations, some of your neighbors might be happy to pay your child a bit of money to take care of things around their home while they are gone. Especially if they are going on an extended vacation. For example, they might need someone to water the plants and garden, feed and clean up after any pets they leave behind, bring the mail in, and sign for any packages that are delivered.

Yard Work
Another great way for your kids to make money during the summer (and year-round) is to offer to do yard work for people in your neighborhood or town. In the summer, they can offer to mow the grass, rake leave leaves, collect nuts and fruit that fall from trees, and even help to tend people’s gardens. In Fall, raking leaves will be even more important. Then, of course, winter is prime snow-shoveling season in many parts of the world. If your kids do a good job, they might be able to secure loyal customers throughout most of the year. It could become a legitimate and very profitable business.

Yard Sale
Finally, a fun way to make money and get rid of things that they don’t need is to have a yard sale. Your kids can go through all of their clothes, toys, books, and other belongings, and make a pile of things that they are willing to sell. They can do the research into pricing each item, setting things up, and even advertising the yard sale. If they don’t have much luck selling their things at a yard sale, you could also consider helping them sell their things online on websites like eBay or Amazon.
These are just a few ideas of things your kids can do to earn a bit of money over the summer (and beyond). Do you have some money-making ideas that didn’t make the list? Feel free to share them in the comments below.