Your son or daughter has just turned 10 years old. Where has the time gone? Whether it’s the beginning of summer or the middle of the school year and you want your child to gain some practical experience while earning, there are many jobs for kids out there. What are the top jobs that 10 year olds can do? The good news is that there are many. In this article, I’ll lay out the top jobs for 10 year olds (or even 9 or 11 year olds) that will help your child learn both hard and soft skills.
Read on to learn about the top jobs that 10 year olds can do.
Is it Legal for a 10 Year Old to Have a Job?
Before I get into the list of gigs, I need to address the elephant in the room. A 10 or 11-year-old must be too young to make money, right? While kids of this age are generally too young to seek out formal employment such as working at the grocery store, there are still many ways for them to make money safely and legally.
All of the jobs I’ll review involve being paid cash or via electronic bank payment. Therefore, you’ll need to handle and keep track of all payments and any tax filing obligations. Some countries and states may require you to file taxes. Before you and your child choose his or her first job, be sure to consult your local laws to ensure you are aware of any tax obligations that may come up. Additionally, you may want to enlist the help of an accountant to keep your bases covered.
Benefits of 10 Year Olds Working a Paid Job
The benefits of starting a paid job from a young age cannot be understated. Here are the top ways that picking up a job at 10 or 11 years old can benefit your child:
Financial Management
Delayed Gratification
Arguably the biggest benefit to starting a job at 10 years old – learning how to handle money! When your child receives their first paycheck, they won’t be able to wait. Before you know it, they’ll will blow it all on that new toy they’ve been eyeing all week. However, your child will quickly learn that their funds are limited. While allowances have their place, when your child earns their own money, they’ll understand how long it took to earn that $10. If they only have $20 to spend this week, they’ll need to decide carefully if they want to spend it all on candy or are willing to save and buy a new Lego set.
Saving for the Future
In addition to learning how to spend money wisely, picking up a job can also help your child learn how to start saving for their future. Help your child open a bank account and educate them about the importance of saving. Explain that most things in life cost money and you need to save up to buy some things.
Provide examples such as buying a home or a car. Encourage your child to set aside a few dollars to deposit in a bank account for a future goal such as college. If you’re up to it, enlist the help of a financial advisor who can help you find resources to teach your child about interest. Alternatively, search Amazon for some books on this topic. Some great resources to help you get started include:
- Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can Become an Entrepreneur by Mark Cuban, Shaan Patel and Ian McCue
- The Essential Money Skills Handbook for Teens by Scarlett Rivers and Richard Meadows
- The Four Money Bears by Mac Gardner
- How to Turn 100 Dollars Into 1,000,000: Earn Save Invest by James McKenna
While $50 or $100 here and there may seem not like a lot, it all adds up. The benefits of learning how to save money cannot be understated. If your child learns how to save money, invest and budget from a young age, he or she will be a lot more likely to stick with these habits through adulthood.
Time Management
Another one of the top skills your child will learn when picking up a job: learning how to manage his or her time. When your child has several lawns to rake or cars to wash on a beautiful day, he or she won’t want to spend all day working. Over time, your child will learn how to complete tasks in 20 minutes instead of an hour.
Interpersonal Skills
Beginning a job at 10 years not only allows your child to make some money and learn how to manage their time. Working at a job requires one to interact with many different people. If your child is naturally shy or introverted, learning how to ask neighbors if they want their car washed or lawn raked can help them get out of their shell. Additionally, your child will learn customer service skills through doing different tasks.
Increased Confidence
There’s no better feeling than accomplishing a difficult task. When your child successfully watches the neighborhood kids for a couple hours or sells t-shirt designs online, he or she will feel proud and happy. There’s no better feeling than making money, learning skills and having fun.
The Top Online Jobs that 10 Year Olds Can Do
While all the jobs listed above are great ways to work in person, what about online work? When finding a job for a 10 year old in your life, don’t limit them to offline work. Online opportunities are abundant!
Paid Online Market Research Studies
Paid market research studies top the list of the best online jobs for 10 year olds. What exactly are these? Simply put, companies want feedback on products and services. They hold interviews with people from all ages and walks of life to learn how to improve their offerings. For example, a media company may want to interview children about what movies they like or snacks they enjoy at the movie theatre. Companies use feedback to change or modify new and existing products.
Get started by signing up on a platform such as Respondent or User Interviews. You’ll need to sign up on your child’s behalf and apply to studies for him or her. Every day, set aside 30 minutes to an hour to apply to studies. These applications are called ‘sceeners,’ After applicants complete the screeners, researchers review them. Researchers will send out study invitations to those selected for a study. If you are accepted, you’ll receive an invitation to a study session via text or email. Sign up for a slot for your child as soon as possible as studies fill up on a first-come, first-service basis.
Personally, I’ve seen the most studies for children on User Interviews, but do check out both platforms. Studies pay anywhere from $50-$200 per hour. While this isn’t a full-time job, it’s a perfect way for kids to earn some extra cash!
Selling Digital Products Online
Is your child creative and ambitious? Selling digital prints online is a fun way to make extra cash. Help your child set up a Canva account. Create some fun designs together on Canva that you can sell on Etsy, Redbubble or another platform. Many platforms such as these two allow you to upload designs. All that’s up to you is creating designs and advertising to drive traffic to your website or platform. When a customer makes a purchase, the platform will handle the printing, packaging and shipping for a fee. Rates and fees vary by platform, so do some research to find one that works for your child’s needs.
Don’t know where to get started? Help your child design a cute, eye-catching logo that can be re-printed onto t-shirts, mugs, posters and more. The possibilities are endless. While selling digital products is one of the top jobs for 10 year olds to make money because of its potential to generate passive income, it does take a lot of upfront work. Be sure to communicate with your child about the workload and set realistic expectations. Overall, creative jobs and pursuits are all about having fun!
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The Top In-Person Jobs that 10 Year Olds Can Do
The Top Jobs that 10 Year Olds Can Do Year-Round
Babysitting
No list of top jobs that 10 year olds can do is complete without babysitting. Arguably the most popular job for kids (and an ideal gig for teens as well), babysitting will help your child determine whether or not he or she enjoys working with kids. 10 year olds are too young to watch other children alone, so you or another adult will need to supervise them. Alternatively, invite the children to be watched over to your house.
Tutoring
Tutoring is a top job for kids who excel in a certain school subject and enjoy helping others. Ask other parents and friends if they have any children who need help with math, science, reading or other homework. Tutoring is one of the top jobs for kids as they’ll develop teaching skills, flexibility and patience. Your child may even make a friend or two out of it! Before setting out on tutoring, be sure to help your child choose an hourly rate of pay. Something near your region’s minimum wage is ideal, but it’s up to you.
Dog Walking
Do you know anyone who needs their dog walked? If your child loves pets, dog walking is a fantastic way for 10 year olds to learn responsibility. Dogs require regular and consistent attention and care. When your child spends just 30 minutes or an hour taking care of a furry friend, he or she will learn how to tend for an animal’s needs. Additionally, all that time spent walking outside = automatic exercise!
Pet Sitting
Similarly to dog walking, if your child likes animals, pet sitting is another one of the top jobs that 10 year olds can do. Go around the neighborhood with your child and knock on some doors to see if a neighbor needs help with their pet.
Helping with a Family Member’s Small Business
Does someone in your family own a small business such as a hair salon or garage? Your child can spend an hour or two helping their aunt or uncle out with cleaning or other tasks. At the end of the task, your child can be paid in cash as a thank-you for their hard work. Be sure to have everything agreed upon before starting the work and don’t take advantage of your child’s eagerness. Children are not replacements for employees. Before your child starts any kind of work in a licensed business, consult your local labor laws to ensure you aren’t breaking any regulations.
Being a Senior’s Helper
Know any senior citizens who live in your neighborhood? Becoming a senior’s helper is a great way for your child to get paid to make a difference. Seniors often need help with everyday tasks including cleaning, grocery shopping and cooking. Some seniors receive assistance from their siblings or children. However, many live far from family or may not get alone with them. Additionally, many older people are lonely and would love someone to talk to. Helping a senior out is a great way to learn responsibility and interact with a different generation. Your child may also learn a thing or two from the person they’re helping. Win-win!
The Top Jobs that 10 Year Olds Can Do in the Summer
Operating a Lemonade Stand
Is this side hustle for kids overdone? It’s always included the top lists of jobs for kids for a reason. Purchasing supplies, designing a booth and exchanging money with customers is a great way for your child to learn many different skills. If you have other younger children, they can also help out. Operating a lemonade stand can help your child learn how to interact with customers and manage money. Selling lemonade eliminates the worry and question of how to get a job at 10 years old – your child has created their own income source!
Selling Food
Tired of selling lemonade or simply don’t want to? Selling food is one of the best summer jobs for kids who enjoy baking or cooking. Help your child bake some delicious cookies to sell. Alternatively, assemble simple lunch foods like sandwiches and salads. Set up a booth in a high-traffic neighborhood where there are commuters on their way to work. The great thing about selling food? While making and preparing meals is more expensive and time-consuming, you’ll be able to sell them for a higher price than lemonade. If you prepare meals using relatively cheap ingredients, you’ll be able to pocket a higher margin.
Other Seasonal Jobs for 10 Year Olds
Washing Cars
Operating an at-home car wash is one of the best jobs for a 10 year old boy or girl who loves being outside. Feeling ambitious? Ask a local community center or church if you can rent out the parking lot for a morning. Be sure to advertise your services ahead of time by posting flyers around the neighborhood and writing ads on Facebook Marketplace.
Gardening and Other Yard Work
Another classic seasonal job. Gardening, weeding and other yard work is a fun way for your child to get active and be out in the sun. When your child spends a long period of time working on a task, he or she will learn the value of seeing a task through to completion. There’s no better feeling than seeing the previously weed-ridden garden now clear of plant pests!
Raking Leaves
If you live in a part of the world that experiences the leaves falling during autumn, raking leaves is a perfect side hustle for kids. All they’ll need is a rake, gloves, paper bags – and, of course, customers. Spend some time knocking on doors with your child to ask if your neighbors need their lawn raked.
Shovelling Snow
After the leaves have fallen and the snow has as well, how about changing from raking to shovelling? Shovelling snow is great exercise for kids and keeps them away from being in front of screens.
A Final Word on the Top Jobs that 10 Year Olds Can Do
There is a huge variety of work that a 10 year old can do. The top jobs for a 10 year old to earn money aren’t just limited to working in person. Help your child get involved in both online and offline work. If he or she does well with one or two jobs, try out a third. Most of all, make sure your child is having fun!
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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.
