Do you have an 11 year old who wants to start making their own cash? Maybe that $10 per week allowance is great, but it just isn’t cutting it for your son or daughter’s wants and needs. While your child may be too young to seek out formal employment, if you get creative, you can find many jobs for 11 year olds. From entrepreneurial opportunities, creative gigs and paid market research studies, there are more options than ever for your son or daughter to start making their own money.
Let’s go over the best jobs for 11 year olds, spanning:
- Traditional jobs (babysitting, dog walking)
- Creative jobs
- Online jobs
- Seasonal jobs
Read on to learn about the top jobs for 11 year olds that pay.
Jobs for 11 Year Olds That Pay and Labor Laws
What jobs hire 11 year olds? In most states, 11 year olds are too young to seek out formal employment. However, they can still take on informal work. Before diving into the list of the top part time jobs for 11 year olds, let’s be sure to keep the law in mind. Since many jobs are done in an informal manner, children won’t be remitting taxes or subject to conventional labor laws. Be sure to check with your local state or country to make sure you’re following the law about:
- What jobs your child can do
- How many hours he or she can work
- If your child is allowed to work for the family business – and if so, in what capacity
- How to pay taxes on income – if any
Traditional Jobs
Pet Sitting
How can an 11 year old make money while taking care of pets? First on our list of jobs for kids: pet sitting! If your child knows anyone with a cat or dog who is going on vacation and your child loves animals, why not have them watch your neighbor’s pet for a day or two?
If you don’t know anyone who needs pet sitting services, you can help your child make posters and put them around the neighborhood. Posters should provide information like how much it costs per hour, which areas you’ll drive to and your phone number and email address. Since your child is a bit young to supervise pets on their own, you’ll want to supervise your child. If you don’t want to travel, you can ask the pet owners to come to your place and drop his or her pet off.
Dog Walking
What jobs can 11 year olds get who love animals? If you know anyone with a dog, why not help your child ask them if they’re in need of a dog walker? These days, everyone has a lot on the go – regardless of whether they’re single, married or have a large family. Dog owners need to walk their pup at least twice a day. Some people don’t mind outsourcing this task to others.
On a weekday night after dinner time, walk with your child around the neighborhood. Knock on a few doors and ask if: 1. The homeowner has a dog and 2. Is the owner interested in dog walking services? In addition to cold-calling by knocking on doors, you can ask people walking their dogs if they want a dog walker.
Walking dogs is one of the best jobs for 11 year old kids. Why? Firstly, watching a pet is good for mental health. Secondly, after your child completes a job, he or she will feel a sense of accomplishment.
Plant Sitting
If your child isn’t interested in pet sitting or dog walking, plant sitting is another one of the best jobs 11 year olds can do. Many plant owners are in need of someone to water their plants – indoors and outdoors – while away for 2 weeks or more. If you know any snowbirds who go off to Florida during the winter for 1 month or more, ask them if they’re in need of a plant sitter. Plant sitting is a great way to take care of someone else’s possessions in a low-risk environment.
Gardening
Aside from watering plants, your child can also re-pot plants and weed for others! As gardening is a bit too advanced for 11 year olds, gardening is a great alternative job. Gardening is one of the best summer jobs for kids because it gets your kids out of the house and away from the computer screen for hours. Not only is your child making money, but he or she is staying active! If your child is new to gardening, take some time to show him or her how to pull weeds and re-pot plants.
Babysitting
Jobs that hire 11 year olds are hard to come by. However, there are many informal jobs that your child can take on that will help him or her develop valuable life skills and pocket some cash, and babysitting is one of the best ones out there! 11 year olds might be a bit young to stay at another person’s home and watch their kids – especially if they’re new to it – so you might need to tag along. Another alternative: let the child being babysat stay at your place while you and your child watch him or her. Babysitting is one of the best jobs for 11 year old kids because it’s a great way for your child to:
- Decide whether they like working with kids or not
- Develop interpersonal skills by interacting with parents and children
- Manage the cash received for completed jobs – will it be saved, spent or both?
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Helping a Neighbor
If your child isn’t interested in watching other kids or you live in an area with an older population, being a neighbor’s helper is a great way to help seniors in the area.
Seniors often need help with daily tasks. From shopping to cleaning and cooking, if they don’t have family or friends nearby, they might need to hire someone. Hiring professional help can be expensive. If your child is willing to help out, he or she can provide services at a reasonable rate!
After work, go around the neighborhood and knock on doors to see if anyone is in need of help. Take it one step further by checking with a local retirement home to see if you can go in and ask the residents if they’re in need of help. Even if the answer is no, you may be able to ask about other services, like gardening or car washing (if your child is interested in doing these!).
Helping With the Family Business
Do you or a member of the extended family own a small business? Helping out at the local family business is a great way for your child to gain some real-world work experience and pocket some cash. Here are some of the best mini jobs for an 11 year old that can be done at the family business:
- Watering plants
- Sweeping
- Dusting
- Watering plants
- Taking out the trash
- Organizing files
If you’re not sure where to start, ask your child to pick one or two tasks for 1 or 2 hours per day. If all goes well, you can assign more tasks – with the business owner’s permission, of course! As mentioned earlier, be sure to check your local employment laws to make sure it’s ok to have a young family member informally helping out at the business.
Creative Jobs for 11 Year Olds That Pay
Creating and Selling Online Prints
If your child is creative and you’re wondering how to make money as an 11 year old online (or even if he or she is a bit younger – 8, 9 or 10 years old), look no further! Creating and selling prints is a great way for your child to put their creativity to use in the working world. Your child can create designs and sell them on an online marketplace.
Help Your Child Decide on What to Sell
Firstly you’ll need to help your son or daughter decide what they want to design and sell. While it might be fun to go crazy and design as many different types of merchandise as possible, its best to keep it simple with one type of product and one design. If all goes well, you and your child can choose more later. To get started, help your child decide:
- What type of merchandise to sell (t-shirts, posters, mugs etc.)
- Which design he or she will choose
If you need inspiration, go on a platform like Etsy and browse the most popular designs.
Manage Expectations
While creating designs and hoping they’ll generate tons of money is exciting, creating and selling designs is competitive. Be sure to tell your child that there are no guarantees with creating and selling prints. Since your child is only 11 years old, it might be difficult to understand how competition works. You can explain that it might be challenging to make money at first, but it doesn’t mean that your child did anything wrong. In general, find a balance between being both encouraging and realistic about profits!
At the same time, be sure to make sure your child is creating designs they’re enjoying. Don’t push him or her into making designs for the sake of profit. If your child isn’t selling anything, it isn’t the end of the world – he or she has gained valuable experience!
Create Unique Merchandise Designs
Once your child has decided on what he or she will design, choose a design platform. Canva is my favorite platform. It lets you create graphics, posters, logos and tons more. You can create designs for:
- Notebooks
- Posters
- Coloring pages
- T-shirt designs
.. and much more!
The free account contains many different options, but if you are serious about design, go for the Canva Pro subscription, as the free products have a watermark. If your child is designing products to sell, you don’t want watermarks on your products.
Look through Canva designs to get inspired – just be sure not to copy any designs. Start from scratch with a blank template!
Set Up an Online Platform
Next, help your son or daughter create an account on an online merchandise platform like Etsy. Next, upload your designs from Canva. If your child is selling posters or t-shirt designs, also consider Redbubble as this platform will handle sales for t-shirts, posters, mugs and many other designs – all you have to do is upload your designs. Be sure to investigate the fee structures and services for any platform you choose. Pick the merchant that works best for you and your child.
Monitor and Assist with the Business
Once the business is up and running check in with your child once a week or so to see how the designs are coming and how your child is feeling. Since you need to be at least 18 years old to sign up for Redbubble or Etsy, you’ll need to be comfortable taking time out of your week to manage the admin for these accounts.
Photographer
Is your child always taking your phone and snapping beautiful pictures of people and nature? Photography is one of the top jobs for an 11 year old with a creative streak. Ask your child if he or she is interested in owning a camera. If so, why not get a camera for your child at his or her birthday or for Christmas? Your child can take pictures of nature or other people to build a portfolio. He or she can build his or her portfolio by taking photos at weddings and birthdays for family and friends.
Once your child has a good amount in his or her portfolio, he or she can start charging money. Help your child become an even better photographer by finding kid-friendly photography and photo editing courses in your area. Once your child becomes more skilled and develops a steady clientele, he or she can charge more money. Photography is one of the best jobs for 11 year olds that pay well. If your child can charge higher rates, he or she can make more money in less time!
What better way to express creativity, develop entrepreneurial skills and make some extra cash by becoming a freelance photographer?
Creative Media Jobs for 11 Year Olds that Pay – Starting a YouTube Channel
If your child is creative and outgoing, a YouTube channel is a great option to potentially make money. These days, people of all ages are making money online by documenting their lives or showcasing their creative skills. Help your child sign up for an account, give them access to a camera and video editing software, and he or she is good to go!
How Can My Child Make Money on YouTube?
How do kids make money on YouTube – really, how does anyone make money on this platform? While becoming a YouTuber is incredibly competitive, it is possible to make money from this venture. There are two primary ways to make money from YouTube views:
- Affiliate marketing
- Ad revenue
Affiliate Marketing Revenue
You can make money from affiliate marketing by getting a percentage of a sale for any products you promote on your YouTube channel or specific video. Viewers click on your link and make a purchase for the product you promote.
Ad Revenue
If a channel reaches a certain number of views, you can monetize it – aka, place ads on your channel. When viewers click or view the ad, you’ll receive commission.
Is Making Money as a YouTuber Easy?
Jobs for 11-year olds that pay aren’t limited to conventional employment – making money on YouTube is possible but not easy. If your child wants a quick way to make cash, go for another side hustle or job, like raking leaves or walking dogs. However, if your child is a creative hard worker, YouTube is a great option.
Online Jobs for 11 Year Olds That Pay
Paid Market Research Online – User Interviews
What is User Interviews?
Jobs for 11-year-olds that pay aren’t limited to traditional gigs like dog walking or even setting up a photography business. How can kinds make money at home? There are tons of jobs for 11 year olds to make money online, including User Interviews.
User Interviews is a website that hosts paid market research studies. Companies post paid market research studies where they interview customers and those who are within a specific demographic about feedback on their products and services. Interviews aren’t just for adults. Sometimes, companies want feedback from kids and teens on products relevant to them! Paid studies are one of the best jobs for 11-year olds as they can be done on their own schedule – before or after school and after homework is done.
How Do You Participate in User Interviews?
To participate in User Interviews you’ll need to first sign up for an account on your child’s behalf. Before you get started on User Interviews, chat with your child about participating in online studies. Be sure to confirm that your child is comfortable in participating in interviews over the phone and/or on video chat with strangers. If so, User Interviews is a perfect option for them!
After you sign up and confirm your email, look through currently available studies. For the best chance of being chosen for an interview, undertake the following steps:
- Apply every single day – ideally 3 times a day. In my experience, I’ve received the most invitations by applying to studies at 3 different times of the day – in the morning around 9 am, at lunchtime and after dinner. If you apply soon after a new study is posted, the researcher will see your application first over others who apply a day or two later.
- Keep your email open. Since studies fill up on a first-come, first-serve basis, you’ll want to sign up as soon as you receive an invitation.
How Much Money Can My Child Make on User Interviews?
The amount your child can make can vary drastically. If you apply to studies every day, you might be selected for 1 or 2 studies a month ranging in pay from $50-100 per hour – maybe even more. There are no guarantees with how much your child can make, so it’s a great side hustle for your child to make some spare cash. In general, be consistent with applying to studies and accepting invites as quickly as you can, and your child will have the best chance at making some extra cash.
Seasonal Jobs for 11 Year Olds that Pay
Lemonade Stand
You can’t make a list of the best jobs for 11 year olds that pay without including a lemonade stand business! A lemonade stand is a great way for kids to learn how to manage their own business in a low-risk environment. If you have more than one child, it’s a great way for the whole family to learn about running a small business. When your other children see your child working a successful business, it’ll get them inspired to work hard as well!
Think a lemonade stand is overdone? Understandable, but it’s popular for a reason. Lemonade stands are easy to set up. All you need are advertising and booth supplies and a place to sell the lemonade! You can either decide to sell on your own driveway or another place – maybe the community centre parking lot or at a church garage sale? Just be sure to ask permission before using someone else’s property.
Car Washing
Another great seasonal business for 11-year-olds is washing cars in the summer – or even the fall or spring – if the weather cooperates. Running a car washing business is easy to set up and only requires a bucket, soap, sponges and access to water. Try asking the neighbors if they’re in need of a car wash. Additionally, why not drive over to the nearby neighborhood to ask customers there? If you don’t want to go door-to-door, you can help your child make flyers and poster the area.
Car washing is a bit more involved than a lemonade stand and requires some skill. If your child has never washed a car, be sure to show them how to do it before they serve their first customer.
Jobs for 11 Year Olds That Pay in the Fall – Raking Leaves
If your 11-year-old needs some cash in the fall, why not help them set up a job raking leaves for the neighbors? Raking the lawn is a great way to get some cardio and steps in. Additionally, you don’t need too much equipment to get started. All you really need are leaf bags, gloves and a rake! Spending time outdoors is also great for your child’s mental health. Getting exercise AND making some spare cash? Win-win!
Baking and Selling Pies
If your child loves to bake or cook, baking and selling apple pies, apple crisps and other seasonal baked goods is a fun way to make some spare cash. Who doesn’t love a warm apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a cool fall day? Your child can pull a cart around the neighborhood and sell to nearby homes and those going on walks.
If your child is new to baking and making pie crusts sounds a bit overwhelming, he or she can bake chocolate chip cookies – one of the easiest and most popular treats to make and eat!
Conclusion – Jobs for 11 Year Olds That Pay
There are tons of jobs for 11 year olds that pay. Your child doesn’t have to be the legal working age to find gigs that will help him or her make some spare cash for treats and saving up for the future. Not only will your child have their own funds and become more confident and self-sufficient, but they’ll also learn financial management skills for life!
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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.
