8 Ways for Kids to Make Money During Winter Break
Winter break is just around the corner, which means the kids will be home for a few weeks with plenty of free time to fill. This spells “opportunity”—either to spend some extra cash or, better yet, to make some. And these fun business ideas for kids might inspire her to keep going well after the break has ended.
Nurture your girl’s inner entrepreneur by encouraging her to earn some extra coin with one of these eight money-making endeavors.
How to Make Money as a Kid During Winter Break
Pet Sitting
Getting paid to take care of pets without the commitment of having one? Sounds like a perfect way for an animal lover to make a few bucks during this time of year. A lot of families go out of town during winter break, either to spend the holidays with relatives, go skiing, or head south for a few days of warmer weather. A simple Facebook post and maybe some flyers around the neighborhood listing your daughter’s availability and rates may be all it takes to drum up some pet-sitting business.
Wrapping Gifts
While many people are flexing their Amazon Prime memberships right now, they may find themselves needing a little support once all those gifts are delivered. If your daughter is a bit of a perfectionist and loves to make things look pretty, as a good way of making money she could offer her gift-wrapping services for friends, family, and neighbors, charging either per gift or per hour. Bonus points if she can make her own cute gift tags to sell to those who need them.
Helping Host a Party
‘Tis the season for gatherings and parties, now through early January. If your daughter is either comfortable making her way around the kitchen or making small talk with strangers, she could offer her services to ear some extra coin as a behind-the-scenes mini hostess (helping prepare food, serve beverages, clean dishes, etc.) or offer to greet guests as they arrive and take their coats. She could also keep the little ones entertained and occupied in a playroom (if kids are invited) so the adults can enjoy their time together uninterrupted. Have her advertise her hosting skills via social media, email, and through word of mouth (that means you, Mom and Dad).
Making and Selling Candy (or other DIY products)
Nothing says “holiday season” better than delicious, mouthwatering sweet treats. You and your daughter can take advantage of this time of year by learning how to make some simple candies and selling them via social media. In fact, you can let your friends try them first for free, and then ask them to spread the word that you’re making more and taking orders.
Teaching Other Kids
Does your daughter have a hobby she’s especially good at? Or a subject in school that she excels in? Tutoring is a great way to make some extra money as well as new friends, connections, and teaching skills that may come in handy down the road. Learning doesn’t have to be confined to the walls of a classroom, and during a school break, parents may be especially interested in taking advantage of the downtime by hiring a tutor.
Host a Parent’s Night Out/Babysitting
Whether they’re holiday gift shopping, attending a party, or just spending time at home decorating/cooking for upcoming festivities (and wish to be uninterrupted), many parents might appreciate having a time and place they can drop their kids off without having to call a babysitter. You and your daughter can advertise a Parent’s Night Out via social media and take reservations for parents to bring their kids to your place for an evening of good old-fashioned kid-centric fun, including games, special treats, and maybe a holiday classic like Elf or Frosty the Snowman. This is also a great way to drum up potential babysitting business for the years to come.
Hot Cocoa Stand
Who says lemonade is the only beverage that deserves a stand? Another good way of making some extra money as a kid is setting up an outdoor hot cocoa stand with thermoses full of chocolatey goodness, to-go cups with lids, and assorted toppings, like marshmallows, crushed candy canes, and whipped cream. She can advertise it via social media, but if you live in a fairly high-trafficked area, she may get quite a few customers and earn some extra money just based on the appeal and ingenuity of the idea.
Household Helper
From shoveling snow to taking down holiday decorations, from de-icing sidewalks to cleaning up after a New Year’s Eve party, your daughter can advertise an hourly rate for her services to help other families “get stuff done” during what’s typically a chaotic time of year. She could list the types of chores she’s willing to take on, the dates she’s available to help, maybe partner up with a friend or two and create a fun name for their little cleaning crew—there are all kinds of ways to make a “handy girl” service work. And busy parents may line up to pay for the much-needed extra pairs of hands.
Bonus tip: Parents, do you like using or want to use coupons, but lack the time to clip them? Employ your daughter! ‘Tis the season of spending, and she can help you find coupons and offers that you may not have the time to look for. Let her help you save some money (there are both apps and websites with significant savings) and pay her 10 percent of your savings back in cash.
Like these ideas? Inspire your kid to get started with their own copy of The Startup Squad books. We have more ideas in this article with ideas for young entrepreneurs for summer as well as our other lists here and here. Also, check out these girls who’ve turned their money-making ideas into business opportunities. No matter what her age, she can start her own business!
23 Comments
Meghan parry
- November 15, 2019 at 1:27 pmHi I was wondering what is the recommended age for all of these jobs …… thanks
The Startup Squad
- November 15, 2019 at 1:54 pmIt depends on the job and the child but most of these jobs are appropriate for tweens and teens.
keerin
- February 8, 2020 at 1:26 pmI need to raise money so I can go to a camp, and I got some great ideas for this, thank you!
avery
- February 22, 2020 at 12:22 pmIts helpful to find and breed ladybugs, spiders, lizards, and other things. crickets are helpful to if you sell them for a dollar each you can get rich because spiders have tons of babies.
Nori Elshamyi
- March 15, 2020 at 2:53 pmI don’t understand why the bugs are in this.
The Startup Squad
- March 16, 2020 at 12:03 pmIts a very (unusual but) interesting business idea!
karson farber
- November 29, 2020 at 1:28 amwhat can a 12 year old do during the winter to earn money that is easy and simple
The Startup Squad
- November 29, 2020 at 3:20 pmWe’ve got a lot of suggestions here but stay tuned for our updated suggestions for this holiday season!
karson farber
- December 2, 2020 at 12:23 amwhat can a 12 year old do during the winter to earn money and help the neighbors.
The Startup Squad
- December 10, 2020 at 5:53 pmCheck out our new COVID-approved list for 2020 here: https://www.thestartupsquad.com/8-winter-break-business-ideas-for-kids-tweens-and-teens/ !!
The Startup Squad
- December 10, 2020 at 5:52 pmCheck out our new COVID-approved list for 2020 here: https://www.thestartupsquad.com/8-winter-break-business-ideas-for-kids-tweens-and-teens/ !!
Steven Gann
- November 25, 2021 at 9:37 pmA dog walker/pet sitter is a very easy job for 12 year olds but it depends on their skills
kallie jane smith
- January 7, 2021 at 3:17 pmSAME!
Mason
- January 9, 2021 at 7:14 pmI’m a 10 year old kid who wants to make money for me and my dad to go to bruce mound so he won’t be as depressed and bored and so we can also do somthing fun and I think you have some pretty good job ideas so thank you. 🙂
Newton Onukwusi
- March 1, 2021 at 3:50 amWow these are things school never teaches us, thanks a lot for this lecturing about how to make money…
Ashley
- March 30, 2021 at 8:08 amHey,
This is so wonderful post for me. Such an amazing ways you have shared here for making money during holidays. Thanks a lot for this informative content. Keep it up.
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- July 7, 2021 at 12:33 amSuch an amazing blog, I love reading all your blogs. They are super amazing and informative at the same time. Bookmark your page already, keep posting more.
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- August 19, 2021 at 12:53 amThanks for delivering such an exciting post. I hope to see more great posts like this in the future and keep the good work going on.
Ella
- September 10, 2021 at 11:27 pmthese are some things i had no idea i could do!! thank you for helping!
RaeLynn
- November 23, 2021 at 10:21 amWhat are the exact ages for these jobs thank you
The Startup Squad
- November 23, 2021 at 7:51 pmIt depends on the child but some jobs can be done by kids as young as six and virtually all of them can be done well into the teens.
amyar
- December 7, 2021 at 6:30 pmim 12 and i see some pretty good ideas but just don’t know how to start like i dont have a group or anything any help
The Startup Squad
- December 7, 2021 at 6:47 pmYou don’t need a group, all you need is to find something you are interested in and then just start! Pick one of the jobs that excites you the most and reach out to friends and family to see if they would be willing to hire you to do that job. Once they do, ask them to tell their friends and family about your business and so on and so on. Good luck!