How to Make Money as a Preteen: Real Opportunities

Preteens often look for ways to earn their own money, and many opportunities exist for them to do so responsibly. Engaging in these activities can teach valuable lessons about work ethic, responsibility, and basic financial concepts. This journey allows young individuals to understand the connection between effort and reward, fostering a sense of independence.

Service-Based Opportunities

Preteens can find success by offering services within their community. These opportunities often involve tasks neighbors or family friends need assistance with. Getting started might involve asking neighbors if they need help or creating a small flyer to distribute.

Yard work is a common avenue for earning, including raking leaves, watering plants, or assisting with basic garden maintenance. Pet sitting is another popular service, where preteens can offer to walk dogs, feed cats, or play with pets while owners are away. Washing cars or taking out trash bins on collection day are also straightforward household chores offered for a fee.

For preteens demonstrating maturity and trustworthiness, babysitting for younger siblings or children of close family friends can be a suitable earning method, always with explicit parental consent and supervision. Preteens who excel academically might offer tutoring or homework help to younger children, leveraging their knowledge into a valuable service.

Product-Based Opportunities

Earning money through product creation allows preteens to showcase creativity and entrepreneurial skills. Handmade crafts are a versatile option, including custom greeting cards, friendship bracelets, or painted decorative rocks. These can be sold at informal family events, local community fairs with adult supervision, or through online platforms managed by parents.

Traditional options like setting up a lemonade stand or selling homemade baked goods remain popular. Success comes from selecting a good location, ensuring appealing presentation, and pricing items fairly to cover material costs and time. Pricing should always consider the effort and resources invested.

Preteens can also earn money by selling items they no longer use but are still in good condition, such as outgrown toys, books, or clothing. These can be sold at family garage sales, through online marketplaces with parental oversight, or at local consignment shops.

Handling Your Money

Understanding how to manage earned money is a fundamental skill for preteens, establishing a foundation for future financial literacy. Saving a portion of earnings is an important habit, allowing preteens to accumulate funds for specific goals. Simple methods like a physical piggy bank or a dedicated savings jar can make saving tangible.

Making informed spending choices is another important aspect of money management. Preteens can learn to consider the value of money by budgeting for small purchases and distinguishing between wants and needs. This practice helps them understand that resources are finite and encourages thoughtful decision-making.

Introducing the concept of giving back can also be a meaningful part of a preteen’s financial education, whether through charitable donations or contributing to family needs. To maintain financial awareness, preteens can track their earnings and expenditures using a small notebook or a basic spreadsheet.

Important Considerations for Young Earners

Parental involvement and supervision are paramount for preteens engaging in money-making activities. Parents should provide guidance, grant explicit permission for all ventures, and ensure appropriate supervision to protect the preteen’s well-being. Establishing clear boundaries regarding tasks, hours, and client interactions is a necessary step.

Safety must be the primary concern for young earners. Preteens should never go to unfamiliar locations alone and must always inform parents about their whereabouts and who they will be with. When engaging in online activities, it is crucial to avoid sharing personal information and ensure parents manage or closely supervise all online transactions.

Choosing tasks appropriate for the preteen’s age, maturity, and physical capabilities is important to prevent undue stress or risk. Balancing earning money with school, homework, and other activities helps ensure financial pursuits do not negatively impact overall development.

Regarding legal and tax considerations, the IRS generally requires a dependent child to file a tax return if their unearned income exceeds $1,300, or if their earned income exceeds $14,600 for the 2024 tax year. If a preteen has both earned and unearned income, these amounts are combined to determine if a filing requirement exists. The “kiddie tax” rules apply to unearned income above a certain threshold ($2,600 for 2024), where it may be taxed at the parent’s marginal rate. However, for most casual earnings by preteens, formal tax implications are usually minimal. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets minimum age requirements for employment, but generally exempts casual work like babysitting, performing minor chores around private homes, or delivering newspapers from its child labor provisions.

References

1. “Topic No. 553 Tax on a Child’s Investment and Other Unearned Income (Kiddie Tax)”. Internal Revenue Service. Accessed August 25, 2025.
2. “Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)”. U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed August 25, 2025.