There are many jobs for 12 year olds to make money and gain valuable life skills. While you may think that starting a job this young is a bit too aggressive, it has many benefits.
When I was 12 years old, I partook in many of the opportunities I’ll discuss in this article. Thanks to these gigs, I was able to save over $2,000 for trips to the mall and fund my college savings account. Additionally, I learned invaluable skills such as how to:
- Manage my time
- Work with people of all different ages
- Budget my limited, hard-earned cash
- Save for short-term and long-term expenses
… and much, much more.
Read on to learn about the top jobs for 12 year olds to make money today.
Why Should Your Child Start a Job at 12 Years Old?
There are many reasons why your child should start a job at 12 years old. Below are the top four reasons why it’s a great idea.
Reason #1: Learning How to Manage Money
When your son or daughter is no longer handed a weekly allowance, he or she will understand the true value of a dollar. If your child spends two, three or more hours doing hard labor, they’ll think twice about spending their hard-earned cash all in one go. Instead, he or she will become more intentional about saving money whether they’re 9 years old, 12 years old or even older.
Reason #2: Interacting with Other Generations
As a 12-year-old, your child has likely had limited interactions with people outside their age group. Besides their parents, grandparents and teacher, they likely only chat to friends and classmates who are their age. Starting a job at 12 years old is an ideal way to gain wisdom from older generations and work with children younger than them.
Reason #3: Being Exposed to Future Career Possibilities
Taking on a job at 12 years old is an ideal way to learn different skills and learn about different interests. When your child washes cars and completes gardening tasks, they’ll know firsthand as to whether or not they enjoy labor-heavy jobs. Spending a summer doing administrative tasks at the family business is a great way for your child to decide whether or not they can tolerate office work.
Reason #4: Getting Exercise
Another unexpected benefit of starting a job at 12 years old: getting exercise! When your child works outdoors, he or she will automatically get a workout. Exercising will reduce stress and keep your child fit, healthy and energetic. Even indoor jobs such as doing activities with seniors at a nursing home will keep your child moving.
Recommended Books for 12 Year Olds on Finance
It’s important to inspire your child to be the best he or she can be. If your son or daughter is interested in starting his or her own business, gift him or her with a book. Education is a powerful tool, and reading books is a great way to get started on the path of entrepreneurship! Here are some great books to get your son or daughter started:
- Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can Become an Entrepreneur by Mark Cuban, Shaan Patel and Ian McCue
- If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz
- The Essential Money Skills Handbook for Teens by Scarlett Rivers and Richard Meadows
- The Everything Kids’ Money Book: Earn it, Save It, and Watch It Grow! by Brette Sember
- How to Turn 100 Dollars Into 1,000,000: Earn Save Invest by James McKenna
Should I Keep Giving My 12 Year Old an Allowance?
After your child starts and commits to a steady job, should you keep giving an allowance to him or her? The choice is up to you. Teaching money skills by giving your child a finite amount of cash to spend per week is still a worthwhile exercise. Alternatively, you may want to set an end date to handing out an allowance – or gradually hand out less and less until your son or daughter becomes completely self-sufficient.
Once I started earning my own money, my parents completely stopped giving me allowance. In my opinion, they made the right choice as they had already taught me:
- How to budget money
- The difference between needs versus wants
- How to practice delayed gratification
- The importance of never spending more than you earn
As long as you teach your child these principles and to eventually become financially independent, it’s fine to continue giving them an allowance for as long as you feel comfortable.
The Top Jobs for 12 Year Olds to Make Money Outdoors
Helping Your Child Choose a Job
Below are the top jobs for 12 year olds to make money outdoors. Have a discussion with your child about their interests. Suggest one or two jobs he or she may do well at based on his or her personality and interests.
Once you and your child have decided on an outdoor job, it’s time to pound the pavement and find leads! Spend an evening or two with your child simply knocking on doors in your neighborhood. Ask the homeowner or tenant if he or she is interested in whatever job you have decided on. Give the homeowner a poster or business card with your child’s contact information.
If you’ve exhausted all your neighborhood leads, hop in the car and drive to nearby suburbs. Alternatively, post an ad on Facebook Marketplace using your account. With this method, you’ll be able to vet leads and keep your child’s safety as the number one priority!
Seasonal Jobs for 12 Year Olds
Cleaning Pools
When the weather gets hotter, many pool owners would rather outsource their maintenance tasks. Cleaning pools is another great job for 12 year olds who can swim as it keeps them active and teaches them responsibility. This job is flexible – it can be done after school and on weekends. Additionally, skimming pools only requires two types of equipment: a swimsuit and a skimmer pole. In addition to these two pieces of equipment, consider requiring your child to wear a life jacket and supervise them at all times while cleaning pools.
Painting Fences
If your child doesn’t mind braving the heat and getting their clothes a little dirty, painting fences is another one of the top jobs for 12 year olds to make money on a seasonal basis. Painting – and general home maintenance – is something that many homeowners would much rather outsource. Go to the home supply store with your child to stock up on all the necessities such as paints, paintbrushes, sanding paper, buckets, gloves and rags. Additionally, help your child decide on an hourly rate of pay. Not sure what rate to charge? Go with your state or region’s standard minimum wage.
Running a Garage Sale
Helping your child run a garage sale – either alone or with other friends or siblings – is a great way to get rid of things cluttering your home, all while helping them earn their own in cash. If you live in a quiet neighborhood or have a large of stuff to sell, consider renting out a room in a community centre or hold it on the lawn of a local church.
Raking Leaves
If you live in an area that experiences leaves falling during autumn, take full advantage of this season. Raking leaves is a great way for your child to get exercise, meet others and help them with this tedious task. All you’ll need to buy are leaf bags, gloves and a rake. Raking leaves is an ideal job for 12-year-olds that can be done after the busy start to the school year and before the hectic winter final test schedule.
Packaging Presents
During the holiday season, people are busy. Wrapping presents is an important tasks that’s often left to the last minute. Your child can help a stressed-out family member or friend with this task! Being a gift wrapper requires:
- Gift wrap and gift bags
- Ribbons
- Tape
- Scissors
- A workspace with a table and chair
If you can, save money by purchasing gift wrap in the off-season or right after Christmas, when it’s on sale. Additionally, check your area to see if there are any liquidation warehouses that stock gift wrap and gift bags.
Shovelling Snow
After fall has come and passed, shovelling snow is another fantastic seasonal job that can be done temporarily. Be sure to teach your child proper posture when shovelling so he or she doesn’t strain his or her back. The last thing you want is for your child to get hurt!
Car Washing
Washing cars is another one of the top jobs for 12 year olds out there. This side hustle can be done in spring, summer and fall, alone or with friends or family. Get a group of your kid’s friends together and set up a special car-washing event. If your driveway isn’t big enough, rent out a church or community centre parking lot. Alternatively, instead of recruiting your child’s friends to help out, get your other kids on board. When your younger children see your 12-year-old making his or her own money, they’ll be inspired to work hard and understand the value of a dollar.
Gardening and Mowing Lawns
Gardening, weeding and mowing lawns is another side hustle that can be done in spring, summer or autumn. Additionally, it’s a flexible job – your child can do it on weekends after he or she has completed his or her homework for the upcoming week.
Starting a Gardening Side Hustle
Spend a Saturday at the local gardening or home improvement store to purchases gardening supplies such as a spade, soil, watering can and gloves.
Preparing for a Lawn Mowing Side Hustle
If your child plans on mowing lawns, he or she will need:
- A reliable lawnmower
- Fuel and oil
- Earplugs or earmuffs
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- A rake and garbage bags
Why Bring Your Child on a Supply Shopping Trip?
When you involve your child in process starting from purchasing supplies, they’ll become more interested and engaged in the tasks they’ll be responsible for.
Year-Round Jobs for 12 Year Olds
Jobs for a 12 year old to make money aren’t limited to seasonal gigs. Here are the top year-round opportunities for your child to earn their own cash.
Babysitting
Looking for easy jobs for 12 year olds? Search no further than babysitting. It’s easy to get started and doesn’t require a lot of setup – all you need is kids to watch, a space to take care of them in (either your home or the parents’) and a little patience! Furthermore, taking care of other children is an ideal way for your son or daughter to:
- Determine whether or not they enjoy working with and taking care of children
- Learn time management skills by arranging playtime, coordinating naps and timing snacks and meals
- Working with people of different ages by tending to children and communicating with adults
Getting Started with Babysitting
Before your child contacts families about watching their children, he or she should enrol in a first aid or babysitting course. These types of courses will equip your child with emergency preparedness skills. Additionally, taking a course will help them become more confident on the job. Check with community centres in your area to see what courses are available in your city or region.
After your child has taken a course, it’s time to find clients! Babysitting jobs for 12 year olds can be found anywhere from asking family or friends if they need a sitter to posting ads at a local community centre. If your child is new to babysitting, start by having them watch children they know. Once they’ve completed a few jobs, they may be comfortable watching children they don’t know as well.
Dog Walking
Walking dogs is one of the best part time jobs for 12 year olds. This task can be done after school and on weekends. Additionally, walking dogs, playing with them and cleaning up after them will teach your child responsibility. Walking dogs will give him or her insight into whether or not he or she would want the commitment of owning an animal in the future. Plus, walking dogs is an easy way for your child to beat loneliness!
Pet Sitting
Are you open to travelling to other homes with your child or hosting an animal at your place? If so, your child can pet sit for a longer period of time. Animal owners often need someone to tend to their cat, dog or bird while they’re away. Oftentimes, couples and families will go away for a month or longer. Rather than taking their pet to a mass petsitting facility, they’d prefer to temporarily hand their pet over to someone they know and trust.
If your child is brand-new to pet sitting, ask a family friend if your child can watch his or her dog overnight. Once your child has completed a job well done, they can ask the pet owner to be a reference.
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Housesitting and Plant Care
While pet owners often need someone to take care of their pet, some homeowners want someone to take care of other tasks. Short term and long term house sitters either live at the residence they’re taking care of or come check up on it on a daily basis. House sitters can be responsible for anything from:
- Watering plants
- Weeding
- Gathering mail
- Ensuring the house and valuable belongings are secure
… and more. Your child can get started with housesitting by watching a family friend’s home overnight. In the same way as pet sitting, after a job well done, your child can ask for a reference.
Cleaning Houses
Doing odd jobs around peoples’ homes is another one of the best jobs for 12 year olds to make money. Aside from making extra cash, your child will develop valuable customer service skills. Additionally, he or she will learn how to manage his or her time effectively. When your child has multiple rooms to clean and only two or three hours to complete the job, they’ll need to do it efficiently!
Some of the types of cleaning jobs your child can undertake include:
- Doing a seasonal cleanup of a basement or garage
- Cleaning out cupboards
- Re-organizing home office files and decluttering a home library
- Washing windows
- Doing a deep kitchen and/or bathroom clean
Help your child get ready to clean others’ homes by getting them to complete different cleaning tasks at home. Start with one room or type of job. Once your child has mastered one type of chore, he or she can move on to another more challenging task.
Based on my experience cleaning others’ houses when I was younger, the best order to go with from least to most difficult task-wise is:
- Cleaning out cupboards
- Re-organizing home office files and decluttering a home library
- Doing a seasonal cleanout of a basement or garage
- Doing a deep kitchen and/or bathroom clean
- Washing windows
Baking and Cooking Meals
Another one of the best jobs for 12 year olds to make money and develop their skills: baking and cooking. Your child can start by baking cookies or muffins and offering them at garage sales or community centres. If your son or daughter enjoys cooking, expand to cooking! Additionally, choose meals to prepare that require inexpensive ingredients. This way, you’ll be able to maximize profit margins on every sale made.
Becoming an Elderly Neighbor’s Helper
What Do Seniors Need Help With?
As the population ages, more and more seniors are in need of help with everyday tasks. Many have family that live too far away to help them, or cannot afford to hire a professional caretaker. That’s when your child comes in! Your son or daughter can help seniors with many different tasks, including but not limited to:
- Shopping using either a pre-prepared grocery list or a list that your child prepares in advance
- Cooking meals
- Doing everyday chores such as dusting, vacuuming, gardening, mowing the lawn, collecting mail and feeding a pet
- Answering emails or helping a senior reply to emails
- Helping a senior get a new TV, cell phone or tablet set up
- Organizing and cleaning shelves, cupboards and other hard-to-reach places
- Doing laundry
- Serving as a companion and listening ear
How Helping a Senior Benefits Your Child
In addition to earning some spare cash and gaining valuable skills such as cooking, grocery shopping and learning how to complete chores, your child will also benefit. When your child spends long periods of time with a person of a different generation, it’s inevitable that they will receive life advice they otherwise wouldn’t!
How to Get Started with Finding Clients
Get started finding senior clients by going around door-to-door in your neighborhood. If you’ve exhausted options in your area, try contacting a local retirement home. Ask for permission to post ads in an online newsletter or place flyers in the common areas and hallway bulletin boards. If you’re allowed to, go door-to-door and ask seniors if they’re in need of help.
Being a Parent’s Helper
Aside from elderly people, parents often need a helping hand around the house. This is especially true if a family has just had a new baby or has recently adopted a child. Your child can lend a helping hand to a busy mother or father in your neighborhood by:
- Cooking or baking and dropping off meals – or doing the meal preparation at the customer’s home
- Grocery shopping
- Cleaning and decluttering
- Babysitting the older siblings of the newborn or newly adopted child
- Dropping off mail at the post office
- Walking dogs or tending to pets
Being a parent’s helper is another fantastic opportunity for your child to develop skills through doing various chores and interact with both younger and older people.
Helping Out at the Family Business
If you, a spouse, cousin, aunt or uncle owns a small business, your child can help out with the family venture. He or she can help with anything from cleaning, organizing files and landscaping work.
Be sure to check with your local labor laws to ensure you’re not breaking any laws surrounding 12-year-olds working and doing labor for a family business.
The Top Jobs for 12 Year Olds to Make Money Online
Can 12-Year-Olds Work Online?
While there are many offline side hustles that will help your child learn how to work with others, get physically fit and become more confident in their abilities, can they make money without stepping outside the door? Absolutely! There are many jobs for 12 year olds to make money without leaving their room or your home office. Below are the top five online jobs for 12 year olds to start today.
Freelance Employment Jobs for 12 Year Olds
The jobs listed below are freelance gigs, which means that you and your child will be responsible for creating products or offering services and marketing these goods and services. If your child is ambitious and willing to accept that this type of work isn’t stable nor guarantees an income, it’s a great way to learn valuable entrepreneurship skills.
1. Tutoring Students Online
If your child is gifted in math, science, music or another subject area, tutoring students is another fantastic way for them to make some spare cash. Help your child sign up on Facebook Marketplace and advertise their services. Additionally, never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Don’t be afraid to pitch your son or daughter’s services at your morning yoga class or weekend Saturday morning brunch.
Alternatively, help your child sign up on an online tutoring platform such as Preply or Fiverr. However, be warned that these platforms generally charge large commissions. Some platforms take an 100% commission fee for trial lessons. After the trial, platform commission fees can be up to 33% a lesson. If that’s something you or your child are willing to deal with, you’ll benefit from exposure to a large pool of customers.
2. Selling Artwork
Painting and making crafts is another fun side hustle for your creative pre-teen. Help your child invest in supplies such as paints, brushes, canvases and craft supplies. Check for craft fairs and other opportunities for your child to sell artwork publicly. Many community centres offer seasonal craft fairs around the fall and Christmas seasons.
Selling artwork should be undertaken primarily because your child loves to express his or her creative side. While it shouldn’t be relied upon as a full-time source of income, it’s a great way for a 12-year-old to dip their toes into the world of entrepreneurship.
3. Selling Digital Prints
If your child has a creative streak and loves graphic design, selling digital prints is another side hustle to consider. Your child can create beautiful designs on Canva and upload them to a platform such as Etsy or Redbubble. These platforms allow customers to buy products with unique designs on them such as:
- T-shirts
- Mugs
- Posters
- Stickers
- Tote bags
- Banners
- Flyers
…. and much, much more!
Selling prints online is the perfect example of passive income. There’s a lot of upfront work involved in creating a product, marketing it and learning from mistakes. However, once you create a good customer base and have a strong recurring flow of customers, you literally make money while you sleep!
In addition to creating prints to sell en masse, your child can sell special commissions. Many businesses need branding kits for their venture. Rather than going with a mass-produced, generic package of logos, they’d rather pay someone to design a unique branding kit of logos, notebook templates and banner graphics. This way, they’ll stand out from the crowd.
4. Running a YouTube Channel
Outgoing, ambitious and creative 12 year olds should consider starting a YouTube channel. Your child can create content around anything from their daily life, their favorite musical artists, travel and more. Competition is fierce and this hustle requires a lot of upfront work. However, if your child surpasses a specific amount of views (currently 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of public watching time within a 12-month period or 10 million public YouTube Shorts views within a 90-day period), he or she can monetize the channel. Monetization means that ads will be placed on the YouTube channel and your child will be paid for every person that clicks on the ad.
In the same way that creating and selling prints is hard work, YouTube is incredibly difficult to break into. However, if money isn’t the number one priority, starting a YouTube channel is a fun and exciting way to practice video and editing skills, hone public speaking skills and build resilience.
There are thousands of people who are making a living off of passive advertising income from YouTube. Why can’t your child be next?!
5. Starting a Blog
Blogging is another creative side hustle for ambitious and driven teens.
While you may think blogging is oversaturated, think again. If you can find a competitive niche, write using high-volume, low-competition keywords, follow a sound SEO strategy and stay on course, you can make passive income through many different streams, including:
- Advertising revenue
- Affiliate income
- Digital products
- Speaking and conference engagements
.. and much more.
Starting a blog isn’t a guaranteed source of income nor is it a steady job. However, it’s a great opportunity for creative kids to hone their writing skills, design an eye-catching website and graphics and learn about the world of digital marketing.
Other Online Jobs for 12 Year Olds to Make Money
Paid Market Research Studies
Paid online jobs for 12 year olds aren’t limited to regular employment and freelance work. Companies around the world are constantly looking for feedback on new and existing products and services. Since their goal is to generate as much profit as possible, they’d rather cut costs upfront than go back and spend tons of money fixing problems.
What are Paid Market Research Studies?
Paid market research studies are interviews between representatives of a company (often the market research department) and people within the demographic of the product or service they’re working on. Companies host interviews that include anything, but not limited to:
- Asking what people like about their current product or service
- Inquiring about whether there is anything the interviewee currently doesn’t like about the product or service – for example, if the company wants to test out a new website, they’ll get the interviewee to walk them through their experience on the website and provide live feedback on the interface.
- What types of products or services they should offer in the future – for example, if an online photo editing software company currently has a desktop version of an app, they may ask if you’d find a mobile version useful.
How Do I Sign Up for Studies?
Get started by going to the website’s signup page. Fill in your details, verify your email address and complete the initial demographic survey. Once you’ve completed these essential steps, you’ll be able to apply for survey screeners. These are quick surveys you’ll fill out that will go straight to the researcher. The company researcher will review your survey. If you’re a good fit and if there’s room left in the study, you’ll receive a study invitation via email and/or text message. As slots fill up on a first-come, first-serve basis, sure to answer as quickly as possible.
Since most platforms usually require the account holder to be 18 years of age or older, you’ll need to hold an account on behalf of your child and apply for studies on their behalf.
Completing these details as accurately and completely as possible is important. When you finish this survey as much as possible, researchers will be able to identify whether or not you’re a good fit for their study.
Which Platforms Should I Sign Up For?
The top platforms to find paid market research studies on are User Interviews and Respondent. Why? In my experience, I’ve received the highest amount from these two platforms. Other great market research platforms include Mindswarms and dScout. While you’ll also need to submit a video survey screener for dScout, if your child is selected for a study, it’s well worth it – studies pay $50-150 or more per hour-long session.
A Final Word on the Top Jobs for 12 Year Olds to Make Money
There are many jobs for 12 year olds to make money – and lots of it, if they’re ambitious and have the time. Be sure to invest some time to help your child choose a job. If things aren’t going well with one particular side hustle, try another one – there are so many out there! Most of all, be sure your child is enjoy themself and learning life skills. Money is great, but keep the big picture of both learning and earning in mind!
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Janita is a frugal living expert and owner of Frugal Fun Finance. With over five years of personal experience finding and trying out the best ways to make and save more money, she's eager to share her knowledge. Janita's strategies have helped her save thousands of dollars for funding investments and traveling to over 20 countries.
Janita completed training in personal finance at The University of Western Ontario and McGill University, two prestigious Canadian universities. Her expertise has been shared on GoBankingRates, Yahoo Finance, and NASDAQ.com.
