If you are a parent, you have probably heard the two words “I’m Bored”!
One way for kids to prevent this and earn some money during the summer is to start a business. With school just getting out it is a great time for them to learn about entrepreneurship and business. Some kids take on summer jobs while others try to create their own. Summer entrepreneurial activities provide kids with lots of opportunities to keep them from getting bored and to start their own business. No matter what age your child is, here are a few ideas to help them get started.
We broke down each business idea by category and by grade level of the child. Some summer entrepreneurial activities can be done by more than one age group or might be fine with supervision.
The first of the summer entrepreneurial activities for kids is landscaping.
Lawn work and landscaping are great ways to earn money. If you have neighbors with yards, you can take advantage of helping them with their landscaping. Take a walk around your neighborhood and look at the yards. Do any of them have long grass or have gardens that have lots of weeds in them. Those are perfect potential clients.
Elementary: Gardening or pulling weeds – no matter how old you are you can pull weeds. It just takes a little education from the owner of the garden to learn what plants they want and what they don’t.
Middle School: Mulching – Any age can really mulch but it does require some strength and size to move the mulch to the right location. Once the weeds are pulled lay down the mulch to prevent more weeds from growing.
High School: Lawn Mowing – Depending on the size of the yard and type of mower this can be better for older kids. However, if this is a job your younger kids can do it can also be a good one for them. This is a consistent source of work (and money) since every 1-2 weeks you will need to mow yards. You can also add on trimming and edging for extra money as well.
The second of the summer entrepreneurial activities for kids is cleaning.
Everyone needs some type of help with cleaning and so it is an easy way to find customers.
Elementary: Sweeping Sidewalks – If your neighborhood has sidewalks or driveways you can offer to sweep them. This can be needed in the spring when the flowering tree petals fall and late summer when the fruit trees like crab apples and cherry trees lose their fruit.
Middle School: Car Wash – You can either put on a car wash a couple times during the summer to make some money or you can start a detailing company. Clean people’s cars inside and out to make even more money with each customer.
High School: Pressure Washing – Things get dirty over time. Houses, sidewalks, driveways all get dirty and can need to get washed from time to time. Do some research to see the best ways to power wash and how to properly use a power washer.
The third of the summer entrepreneurial activities for kids is selling items.
This can be anything from something you make yourself, to something you buy and sell at a higher price or something you fix up and sell.
Elementary: Sell Lemonade or other simple food items – Start simple by starting a lemonade stand. This is one of the easiest ways to start a business. (It is always good to check any local laws before selling food items).
Middle School: Selling Sports/Trading Cards or Shoes – If you have some extra cash, you can purchase some sports cards or shoes and then resell them. There are a lot of options when it comes to selling so make sure to do your research.
High School: Buying and reselling furniture – This is a great way to make some cash. Learn how to refurbish furniture and resell it using Facebook marketplace or find a consignment shop where you can sell the items.
The fourth of the summer entrepreneurial activities for kids is teaching.
Think about what knowledge you have, what you are good at. Then put that into action and help others to learn what you already know.
Elementary: Reading or spelling – You can teach kids younger than yourself. If you have younger siblings or neighbors with younger kids, you can offer to help teach them how to read or work on spelling.
Middle School: Sports – You might know some younger kids who really love sports. Run some mini camps in your back yard or a nearby park to teach them the skills they need to become good at their favorite sports.
High School: Math and Science – As you get older you can start to tutor kids in a lot harder subjects this also means you can make more money doing it. The more you learn yourself the more you can teach them. Whether it is algebra, biology or even upper-level classes like physics or chemistry you can help tutor kids in your school for extra money.
With any of these summer entrepreneurial activities, always make sure to get permission from you parents. And if you want to learn more about entrepreneurship and business, you can check out our youth entrepreneur camps or online business bootcamp at: https://eseedling.com/youth-entrepreneur-camp/
We also have a free download on the e-seedling parents page on how to build, start and implement a lemonade stand.
Julie Ann Wood is the Chief Cultivator of e-seedling and has been teaching young entrepreneurs and helping teachers with implementing curriculum since 2008.
