So you’re looking for how to make money as a kid at home. Read on to discover our top picks of easy ways to start earning as a kid.
In many countries, entrants to the physical labor force must meet the age requirement, usually stipulated at fifteen.
However, many parents or guardians need to educate their children about entrepreneurship, independence, or finance to prepare them for their careers and adulthood.
The twenty-first century’s aids concerning technology have boosted the chances of kids earning good cash.
Kids are legally making money within the comfort and security of their homes at free periods while they engage in academic activities and carry out their regular home chores.
Getting acquainted with money-making skills is helpful for parents who want their children to be more financially savvy.
On the other hand, kids can get some of the things they need or want without asking for extra cash.
Here is a well-researched resource highlighting twenty legal ways to earn money as a kid at home.
How to Make Money as a Kid at Home
1. Esports
A handful of parents are against their children playing video games. You might need to change your perspective if you’re among the lot as a parent.
You can help your child play video games to earn money via eSports.
This form of sport has just become mainstream and is mostly contested amongst professional gamers.
However, there are a handful of gamers who became professionals at a very young age.
The most prominent of all is Victor De Leon III (Lil Poison), who became a professional at seven after signing with Major League Gaming (MLG).
In 2020, Joseph Deen, eight years old, signed a $33,000 contract with Team 33, which included a $5,000-worth world-class gaming setup.
The eSports industry is expected to continue its tremendous growth for the foreseeable future.
It was valued at $694.2 million in 2017 but is currently worth $1.09 billion. That figure could increase by 100% within the next two years as spectatorship and popularity increase via streaming.
According to statista.com, the age distribution in the eSports industry shows that under 18s makeup 21% of the industry, behind 34–54 (26%) and 18–34 (38%).
The above statistics show that the eSports industry is one for all — children can make it like their adult counterparts.
Joining the eSports world requires joining a league and entering competitions, and cash might begin to roll in.
Your child could make the next gaming headline with just their skill, active participation, and extraordinary record in competitive titles.
2. Brand Influencing
Like eSports, media brand influencing is one income source where kids and adults can regularly make a decent amount of money.
Many kids have risen through the ranks in this industry by photographing their lifestyle, doing comedy, covering travels, and talking about sports, fashion, and beauty, amongst many other things.
The primary aim of social media influencing is gaining viewers, subscribers, or followers to the extent of monetizing the account to promote brands via ads.
Media brand influencing might apply more to older kids because of age restrictions on many social media sites.
Age restrictions usually affect those under 13 years, requiring parental guidance.
However, older kids can operate independently.
Gaining followers requires active participation and creativity to become prominent amongst other users.
Social media sites like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tik-Tok have become a source of wealth for many.
An example that readily comes to mind is 2020’s highest-paid YouTube Star of the Year, Ryan Kaji (nine years old).
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Ryan’s net worth is currently valued at almost $32 million.
Ryan airs toy reviews and other fun things, and his channel has recorded over 47.4 billion views since first airing in 2015.
3. Make crafts to Sell Online
Some kids are artful; they sketch, paint, draw, or do various handcrafts.
So monetizing this gift is not a bad idea at all.
Some children learn household crafts like crocheting, embroidery, and knitting from their parents or grandparents.
Others can craft wall decorations, garden stakes, make beautiful throw pillows, and design birthday or wedding cards to sell online.
Sites like Esty, eBay, and Amazon Handmade are notable online markets to sell such crafts and make money.
4. Software Testing
Many young kids might not understand the art of software testing. But older kids between the age of 13-15 can sign up to download unreleased programs.
They can then give feedback to the developers so that the developers can fix glitches or improve operation mechanics for a better-running program upon launch.
The gaming industry encourages testing amongst all age groups since there are no specific educational requirements.
The most significant skill required of game testers is flair and experience in playing video games.
Also, a good internet connection, a functioning computer system, and above-average communication skills are required.
Young aspirants of a game testing career may read game testing content online or search for more information about it.
Game testers might earn between $10 to $20 per hour, making it lucrative enough for kids.
5.Self-Publishing
Unlike older generations, books can be written in the comfort of one’s home and published digitally.
Kids with the gift of writing can showcase their skills by writing poems, short stories, series, and novels.
Digital stores like Amazon have made publishing easy, and virtual books can generate as much revenue as their printed counterparts.
6. Video Game Streaming
The Video Game industry has opened many employment opportunities for millions with an uneven age distribution.
Video Game Streaming is just becoming a mainstream sector of the gaming industry, and it’s a good income source for children.
It entails recording game actions and uploading them to video-sharing sites.
Some streamers use Twitch, YouTube Games, and similar sites to record their games live.
Many Twitch and YouTube streamers make good money playing games and recording the action.
All that is required is streaming hardware, passion, and skill.
Video game streamers also make their money through subscription sales, brand promotion, and advertisements.
H1ghsky1 is a fourteen-year-old game streamer and one of the most prominent in the industry.
He has about two million followers on Instagram, 740k followers on Twitch, and 2.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
H1ghsky1 began streaming as a thirteen-year-old when he was signed to the FaZe Clan.
7. Blogging
Kids have a whole lot of ideas as they imagine many fantastic things.
Success stories have shown that even kids have been involved in blogging, writing on various topics; food, history, traveling, lifestyle, wildlife, and so on.
Marabird is an example of such blogs created by a child; this blog was created by Mara in 2013 when she was just eight years old.
The sixteen-year-old has done an excellent job maintaining her blog despite her transition from elementary to high school.
Bloggers make money by monetizing their blogs after gaining a large audience.
Gaining traffic all depends on the choice of content; some blogs gain an audience fast if the content centers on what people want to see.
Sponsored posts, ads, and affiliate marketing are means bloggers use to monetize their blogs.
8. Content Writing
One of the surefire ways on how to make money as a kid at home is content writing.
Freelance writing seems to be gaining ground amongst many young people these days, and for good reasons.
It’s a “work from home job” requiring writing skills and a means to connect to websites, publication owners, or companies looking for young ideas and viewpoints.
Young people with creative freedom can engage in this discipline and earn decently.
It’s also an alternative for those who want to express their elite perspectives without starting their own blog or website.
9. Sell Digital Goods
Most kids are technologically savvy, using their knowledge of technology to their advantage by selling digital products online.
Digital products do not require a physical point of sale for exchange; shipping can be done online through emailing or downloading.
Custom logos, eBooks, streaming media, digital subscriptions, ads, and fonts are examples of digital products that kids can sell to make money at home.
10. Photography / Photo or Video Editing
Starting digital photography these days might not require so much professionalism as it can be done with a good smartphone camera.
All that is needed is taking nice shots, usually rare pictures or pictures that portray things.
Kids with a flair for photography and with the essential tools can start earning decently by signing up to an online stock site where other websites can purchase rights to use uploaded photos.
This can prompt a much-profitable career with time, professional training, and more sophisticated tools like a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera.
Photo or video editing is also a lucrative branch of freelance cinematography that kids can do from home.
Many YouTube vloggers need video editing services.
Editing photographs to portray a new story or enhance them is also valuable for bloggers.
Related: How To Make Money Online As A Teenager (26 Legit Ways)
11. Online Surveying
This sector is usually stirred towards adults because firms use the statistics collected on nominal scales for specific market demographics.
However, some sites require kids’ honest opinions — children aged 12 or younger.
Children can earn from these sites through rewards in points, cash, or gift cards.
Sites like surveyeah.com, surveyjunkie.com, swagbucks.com, and surveyjury.com employ market survey services online.
You can check these sites to see if your child qualifies.
12. Online Garage Sales
Hosting an online garage sale is a convenient way to earn extra cash by selling old stuff.
Small children can engage in garage sales under the supervision of their parents.
Older kids can register on trading platforms where they can advertise their items.
Amazon, Decluttr, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, and Nextdoor are examples of trading platforms to organize online garage sales.
13. Making Music
Some kids are musically adept—instrumentally, lyrically, or vocally.
If you fall among the number, use technology to your advantage by uploading your homemade performances on musical platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, or YouTube.
With the required audience, you might start getting paid or gain prominence for a full-time music career.
14. Creating Games
Video game streaming and eSports might seem more accessible, but creating games is not as difficult as you think.
The ability to code is the usual requirement in creating games.
But some game titles have creator programs that make it possible for players to develop user-made contents where they can earn from.
Roblox readily comes to mind in this regard as many Roblox game developers are full-time earners and are still very young.
If you have a flair for games, you can try game development; it might even be more productive if you have coding knowledge.
15. Become an Online Tutor
Kids with top grades at school can utilize their knowledge to boost their financial capacity.
How?
Tutoring kids and other people online is a brilliant idea.
All that’s needed is signing up to tutoring sites where students are connected to tutors.
Studies have shown that personal interaction with a peer helps struggling students be more relaxed and assimilate faster.
You might be surprised how many people are willing to pay to learn what you know.
16. Affiliate Marketing
This is one of the best and easiest ways to make money online at home as a kid.
Affiliate Marketing involves referrals to online products and services using generated links.
Purchases through these links result in the referrer earning a commission.
Affiliate Marketing is readily available these days because several companies develop affiliate programs to gain popularity.
It is not a complicated process that requires many digital tools, but specific strategies go into it.
17. Flip Products
Some costly goods can be found at meager prices at flea markets, thrift stores, or yard sales.
Kids can purchase these goods with the help of their parents and sell (flip) them on digital markets (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Amazon, and so on) at higher prices.
18. Second-Hand Consignment
Unlike adults, kids have many things they’ve outgrown or no longer use.
Old clothes, shoes, books, and toys can be sold to other people through a second-hand consignment store or online thrift store.
Kids might also receive things from charitable donations like the Craigslist Foundation and sell them to thrift stores.
Other online stores like eBay can also come in handy for a wider audience.
Parental guidance will be needed as regards store policies for much younger children.
All that is necessary is picking the right store whose standards do not exceed the quality of your products, making an appointment to transfer the goods, and getting paid.
Maximizing buyback programs is also a brilliant idea.
Buyback programs allow you to sell your used products by providing the products’ information and getting a valuation.
abebooks.com is an example of book buyback programs.
19. Entering Draws and Contests
Cash prizes can be earned online by entering draws and contests.
Albeit cash prizes, vouchers and gift cards are also awarded to winners regardless of their age.
Nevertheless, kids should alert their parents before participating in any online contest to validate its authenticity.
20. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is one of the easiest ways to earn money as a kid.
It doesn’t require much skill, talent, or intelligence as most of the other money-making methods considered in this article.
But it’s an excellent source to turn to when there are stirring reasons.
The idea of crowdfunding involves raising money for ventures or projects via the internet, as many volunteers donate meager amounts.
Prominent examples of crowdfunding platforms are Kickstarter and GoFundMe.
Kids can register on these platforms and create modified pages where family members and friends can donate to their fundraising cause.
Kids with brilliant ideas but no funds can use crowdfunding platforms to raise considerable amounts to fund their projects.
Fund-raising has continued to establish itself as one of the easiest ways to raise funds if your cause can move an audience.
The crowdfunding market increased by $50 billion between 2015 and 2018 and is expected to hit over $100 billion by 2021.
How effective is crowdfunding?
GoFundMe donators raised over £1,400 of a £500 goal for eleven-year-old Alfie Chadwick to get a new bike after an accident with his old bike.
Such random experiences show that crowdfunding is an excellent money-making source for kids.
Unfortunately, crowdfunding cannot be viewed as a regular source of income and cannot always be relied on.
Wrap Up
Hopefully, you found this article on how to make money as a kid at home helpful.
Technological inventions are like bricks; kids can use these bricks readily available to build solid foundations for their future.
Kids can be mainstream beneficiaries of technology with respect to employment, earning sufficiently as freelancers without leaving their homes.
The money-making skills they’ll learn will also help them become better investors, freelancers, entrepreneurs, or employees as they grow older and enter the labor force full-time.
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