7 Ways to Teach Your Kids How to Make Money for Themselves
7 Ways to Teach Your Kids How to Make Money for Themselves
Tired of doing all the work at home? Are your kiddos begging for toys, money, clothes, or their favorite teams’ jersey? Now’s the time to teach your kids how to make money for themselves so they know the value of a dollar and how far a dollar goes (we know it’s not that far already, right?!
I compiled the seven ways that you can teach your kids how to earn money – and they all can be done fairly quickly, too.
- Sell toys. Let’s be honest – this is really for us, right?! Cut down on the clutter and have your kids earn some extra money at the same time when they sell toys that they’re not playing with anymore. This can be at a garage sale that you’re hosting at your home or on the local Swap page if you’re able to facilitate the process for your kids. This also lets the kids see the depreciation of toys. When I do this with our son (he’s 8) I’ll check Amazon to see the value of the toy “new” and help him understand how it goes down (or sometimes up) in value.
- Do chores. If you struggle with this one, you’re not alone. At our house you cannot earn money by simply taking your dirty dishes to the sink. You earn money for chores that go above and beyond – meaning above the “normal” things – or like I tell our son, you earn money for the things done above what is expected of you, like feeding the dog everyday, taking out the trash, helping my husband shovel, and more.
- Do work for neighbors or grandparents. While we hope that the kids will want to just help out to be a good neighbor or grandchild, it might not hurt to have them earn a bit of money on the side when they’re doing it. As couponers and money-savers we know that every little but helps and every penny, nickle and quarter adds up, so have them make a list of “services offered” to start earning some cold, hard … coins. Some ideas include: raking leaves, shoveling the sidewalk, checking the mail, dog sitting, etc.
- Make a Hobby into a Business. Do your kids love to build LEGOs? Have them make Christmas villages out of LEGOs and sell them around the holidays. Or, if they love playdoh, make homemade playdoh in crazy colors and sell it to the neighborhood kids.
- Searching for Games, Information. Swagbucks is one of the most popular ways for teens to make money online. They can take surveys, watch videos and even play games to earn free gift cards to Amazon, Paypal and more.
- Housesitting. Of course with your help and support, this is a great way for kids to earn money! This is a great way for kids to learn how to be responsible and how to have respect for personal items. This is also a great way for your kids to be comfortable with the neighbors.
- Odds and Ends. Put game day flags in yards on the day of the game, take down holiday decorations, blow away leaves in the fall. These are all things that adults are willing to pay for if they don’t have time to do them on their own.
Most of all, help and teach your kids get creative and have fun. There are ways to earn money all over, help them look for it and maybe you’ll have your own little entrepreneur on your hands. 😀
