Even though we know it is for the good to be “safer at home”; if you are anything like myself or my family – we are all getting a little stir crazy.  Did you ever imagine that at the beginning of 2020, this is what our year would be like?

This is the perfect time for kids to create inventory and marketing materials for their business idea.

To put a little joy and fun into your stay at home adventure, I thought I would put together a list of business ideas kids can start while they are at home. This is the perfect time to start creating their inventory and marketing materials so that when this is over, they can put it into action. To get you going, here are 13 business ideas kids can start during “Safer at Home”.

Note: If you are a kid reading this – make sure you have your parent’s permission before starting. If you don’t have the money, work with your parents for how you can earn the money by providing extra help at home 😊!

1. Making Lizard Soap (or bath bombs, candles or slime) – Business Idea # 1 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Okay, so you are probably thinking – what in the world is lizard soap (lol). It’s really soap that has a plastic lizard (or bug or fish) inside of it. It’s a fun way to make soap so that when you get down to the end of the soap, you have a toy! Everyone is washing their hands right now (and hopefully will continue), so it’s the perfect thing to create an inventory for. You can make soap with other things in them also such as a loofah sponge so it’s more like a spa soap – get creative!

Making soap is super simple. You will need clear soap base (I use Clear Glycerin that is in smaller squares or broken up into smaller pieces such as this clear glycerin base on Amazon. Next, figure out what you want to put in the soap – lizards, fish, frogs, or you could use loofah sponges cut up to fit in the soap. Get Creative!  You can use items you have around the house or go to Oriental Trading or Amazon and search for party favor lizard or frog or fish and you will find many options. The Dollar Store usually has many options also but you may not be able to get them during “safer at home”.

You will also need molds, scents and coloring. For the molds – just make sure they are large enough to fit in the lizard, or whatever you want to put in the soap. I usually use oval or rectangle shaped ones. Amazon has many molds to choose from. For the colors, you can purchase a kit from Amazon,  or you can just use food coloring if you already have some at home. For the scents – pick a scent you think will appeal to most people and don’t make it too overpowering. Again, there are many kits from Amazon.  You could also purchase individual scents. Hobby Lobby also has many options for soap making supplies.

Once you have the supplies and have them out – you are ready to go.  Check out our Infographic on How to Make Lizard Soap to the left for the Exact Steps (you can copy the image and paste it in a word doc and print it if you want).

What else goes with making soap?  You can use the scents and colors in Bath Bombs and even Slime so be creative!

2. Making Jewelry – Business Idea #2 of 13 Business Ideas Kids can Start

Making jewelry is a great way to spend your time while at home and usually sells well. When you are thinking about what type of jewelry to make, try to think of something that is unique. Etsy is a great site to find ideas of what is selling and how much people are charging.  Maybe it’s a beaded bracelet with letter beads that spell an inspirational word or name or a beaded headband. One idea that I’ve seen that is cool is using large washers (you get from a hardware store) and painting them with different colors of nail polish and then attaching a leather strand to make a necklace.  Once you know what you want to make, research what you need and how much it costs. You can work with your parents to get what you need to get started.

3. Taking photos and videos – Business Idea #3 of 13 Business Ideas Kids can Start

If you love taking photos and or videos, then this might be a great business idea for you.  If you have been doing this already – you might already have photos and videos you can use and you may already have a camera (current phones also take great pictures and videos). If not, you may need to purchase a camera. If you get really serious, some editing software, a microphone and a light kit for video is helpful.

It helps to come up with a type of photo or video you want to take so people know it’s you when they see them. If you like to go outside, then maybe landscapes and nature photos would be a good focus.  If you like teaching people, then how-to videos would be a good fit. If you are a natural comedian, funny videos to entertain would work. Once you have the photos, you can print them, if you have a printer, or order prints at Walgreen’s or other places online, so you have inventory to sell. Put them in a mat or frame and they are ready to go. You can sell them on Etsy or wait until we Quarantine is lifted and set up a stand in front of your house.

If you have your parent’s permission, you can start a YouTube Channel and post your videos there. You might not make money at first, but you will learn a lot about getting a channel up and running and getting subscribers.  You will also find out what people like and what they don’t like.

4. Card Making and Artwork – Business Idea #4 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

This is the perfect time to start a card making business!  People want to stay connected with each other and sending a card to your friends and family is a great way to do so.  If you like drawing, you can create your own designs. If you like calligraphy or have always wanted to learn it, you could add your own touch with your lettering. You could also use inked stamps to create and decorate your cards. Think of what people send cards for – Birthday is probably the most popular but there are many reasons to send a card.  You will need paper, some art supplies, envelopes and possibly stamping supplies. Many of these you may already have at home, so it is very low cost to get started. Once you create them, you can put a pack of cards together and come up with a price. If you have access to email, you could email your friends and family to see if they will order or have your parents help you. You could put them on Etsy, or you could save them for when you can sell them door-to-door or a business fair later this summer.

5. Music and Dance – Business Idea #5 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Do you love playing an instrument, singing, or dancing?  If you do, think about what you can do to share it with others.  Ideas could be how to videos on YouTube (make sure to have your parent’s permission). Or you could create some lesson plans of how you would teach other kids what you already know.  You could create your own songs and dances and record them so that you can share them with others and enroll them in your classes later this summer.

6. Pet Care and Treats – Business Idea #6 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Do you love animals? If so, this might a great business idea for you.  So many people have pets and could use help with them. You could offer to take your neighbor’s pets for a walk (Just be sure you are staying safe and using social distancing). You could also do some research on the internet and come up with a fun pet treat recipe. Then you could bake pet treats and sell packs to your neighbors and friends (or keep for inventory to sell later). Here is one that most kids don’t want to do but I’m sure people would pay you for! Pick up Dog Poop!  Before you do this, research how to dispose of it properly and have the supplies you need to do it with such as a “pooper scooper” and pail. You will need to research on pricing to find out what a reasonable price is for the services are in your area.

7. Sports – Business Idea #7 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Do you love a specific sport (and are probably missing it greatly right now)? Then choose something you can do with your sport and turn it into a business. If you have learned some drills or warm-ups that will help kids be better at the sport you could write them up or create a how to video.  Or maybe there is some skill development you can help them with.  Create a video explaining how to practice it. With your parent’s permission, start a YouTube Channel then you can start building your audience by sharing them with your friends and family (and asking them to share them also). Then, later in the summer, you can start teaching kids in person or selling them the instructions you created.

8. Love to Teach – Business Idea #8 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Do you love to teach?  Yes, there are kids that love this, and I was one of them. When I was young, I played school with my brothers and I was always the teacher. They thought I was just being bossy, but really I always loved teaching!  If this is you, then teaching others would be a great business idea for you.  How to videos and online courses are really a great way to earn money. You could teach pretty much anything you are good at.  You just must be able to break it down into simple steps so others can learn what you are teaching.  I call it the “kindergarten principle”! You could post videos on a YouTube Channel or you could set up a course on a platform such as Udemy (with your parent’s approval of course).  Then when you can go out and about again, you can take what you developed and teach it in person to kids and friends in your community.

9. Lawn and Garden Maintenance – Business Idea #9 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Do you mow or trim your own yard or help with weeding and mulching? If so, this is something your neighbors would most likely like help with (and will pay for) also.  If not, ask your parents if you can start doing some of these tasks for them so you can learn how to do them and then transfer those skills into a business. You will need to think about what supplies you need (do your customers have a mower or will you use yours) and what services you want to provide.  Then think of how much time it will take for each service and how much you want to get paid. That way you can come up with pricing for your services.

10. Selling Stuff you already have – Business Idea #10 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

Have you ever heard the saying, “one person’s trash, is another person’s treasure”? If you have stuff around the house that you are not using, they may be useful for someone else.  Maybe you have toys that you played with when you were younger but rarely even look at them now.  Maybe your parents and siblings have shoes, clothes and purses that are barely worn. You may be able to sell these items on ebay.  With your parent’s permission and their help, you can set up a free ebay account.  You will need to take good pictures of the items and you will need to figure out how much to charge and how you want to ship them to your customers.  There are a lot of really great tutorials on YouTube to teach you how to sell on ebay and ebay has lots of good information on their site. If your parents don’t really want you to do this, you can gather your items up and then when the “safer at home” is over, you can hold a garage sale!

11. Writing Poems and Stories – Business Idea #11 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

If you love to write, then this might be a great business idea for you. People love poems and stories, so put your writing talents to work for you. If you love drawing, you can illustrate them too! Poems can be written or made into an inspirational graphic (Canva.com is great site to do this). If you print and frame them, they would be great for someone to purchase for their self or as a gift. Stories can be made into an e-book (can also use Canva.com for this). If you have a favorite topic, you could also start a blog and publish it (there are several free blogging sites you can research on the internet). You could also set up a store on Etsy (with your parent’s permission) and sell them there. If you do some research online, you may also be able submit your poems and stories for publication.

12. Baking and Cooking – Business Idea #12 of 13 Business Ideas Kids Can Start

If you love baking and/or cooking, this is a great time to perfect your recipes and test them on your family.  That way, you can come up with your favorites and be ready for your summer bake sale stand (hopefully, you will include lemonade too 😊). Once we can go out again, you can take orders from your neighbors and friends and sell your baked goods and/or your specialty dishes!  Food is a little tricky as you want to make sure it is completely safe, and no one has allergies to it.  You will want to check with your local municipality to see if there are any special rules.  Baked goods are usually okay to sell but cooked meals usually have to be made in a commercial kitchen. Another idea is to create videos of you baking or cooking – these are very popular on YouTube (please make sure to get your parent’s permission before setting up a YouTube channel).

13. Sewing – Business Idea #13 of 13 Business Idea Kids Can Start

There are so many things you can make if you know how to sew! If you are a sewer, then use your creativity to make things for others. You could make doll clothes (American Girl Dolls are very popular), baby blankets, pillows, place mats or tablecloths.  The possibilities are endless. Once you have items made, you could set up an Etsy store (with your parent’s permission) and sell them online.  If you would like to give back – sewing face masks can really help others out. Check your current area to see if there is a need.

This is just a short list of business ideas kids can start while we are all practicing “safer at home”. I even thought of one more to add as I was finishing up this blog post. Woodworking – duh! This is a great one for kids who love to build things. Building napkin holders, cutting boards or even decorative boxes can be great sellers on Etsy and at children’s business fairs. The possibilities are pretty much endless!

All of these ideas can be started now, while at home. And, if you want to learn more about branding, selling, marketing, financials and how to get your business started and running, then you should take our Online Business Bootcamp for kids. You can try it out for free with our free preview course.  and you can enroll for the entire course for only $49 through April 30 .

Check out the Eseedling website for more free downloads and resources to help empower young entrepreneurs and change our world for the better!