Simple Ways for a 10- to 12-Year-Old to Make Money

Just because you are too young for most employers to hire you does not mean earning money is out of the question. As long as you display a desire to earn income, you can probably find some way to make money. If you fail to find anything, parents might be willing to offer a job.

Become an Entrepreneur

You can start a business at any age, but you may need your parents to teach you about operating a company or assist with some duties, such as putting up bulletins. Simple ideas include baking and selling cookies, watching pets for neighbors and running errands for a toddler's birthday party. Tutoring could be an option if you excel in a certain subject. This has the added bonus of allowing you to learn more about the subjects and earn money at the same.

The Parents

Ask your parents for any odd jobs around the house, such as pulling weeds, organizing around the house and hauling trash. If you are an indoors person, work out something that involves that. One child made a "read for a fee" agreement with his parents. Every time the child read a book he would do a report and the parents offered a few dollars, suggests Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine. You could even just agree to spend the evening reading as a family.

Volunteering

When all else fails, The Motley Fool suggests, volunteering at any number of needy charities, especially ones that lobby for causes you believe in or a potential profession. Food banks might allow a young kid to stock goods or make food baskets. If you want to be a doctor, ask a hospital if they would allow you to perform simple tasks, such as hauling trash, or even shadowing a doctor. This does not earn money, but you gain real-world experience that could be useful later in life.

Tip

Once you earn a little bit of money, ask your parents for advice on investing or help finding websites and materials that educate you about saving and growing money wisely. You could earn passive income and distribute small loans, called "microloans," to people in impoverished countries to start their own small business. One such microloan charity is Kiva.org, suggests Dan Kadlex of CBS Money Watch.