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Kids aren’t shy about asking their parents to buy them the latest toys once they hit the market. But unfortunately, for most parents, money doesn’t grow on trees.
While kids are expected to do chores around the house (regardless of whether they get paid or not), it’s not a bad idea to give kids the option to earn extra money for doing extra jobs. They can learn how to save their extra money inside a piggy bank until they have enough money to buy that new Lego set.
This will teach kids that if they want to buy that shiny toy, they will have to work for it. According to experts, financial literacy should be taught to children as early as 5 years old.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a kid, when you have to pay for something with your own money, you’ll appreciate it more. You can think of this as training them and by the time they reach their teen and college years, they’ll understand the importance of making their own money as a teen or a college student and cherish every dollar they earn.
So if you want to reward your kids for completing extra chores and helping out at home, here are 15 easy chores for kids to earn money and learn more about life!
By the way, we also encourage you to pick up one of these cool piggy banks for kids and young adults. These popular coin banks will motivate and encourage youngsters to save more with the money they earned at an early age!
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1. Pick Up Toys
Kids’ toys seem to take over your life. They’re often thrown into every room. Instead of wearing yourself out picking up every toy, get the kids to help.
Even if they’re two years old, they can help put toys where they go. This is a great way to instill a sense of responsibility, no matter the age. It’s also a wonderful way to teach children how the simple act of clearing things out of the way makes your home look much better.
Guide them along the way if they aren’t sure where to put the toys. This also teaches them organizational skills early in life.
2. Water the Plants
Most kids love to play with the garden hose. Let them water the plants in the garden or in pots outdoors. If you have houseplants, it’s even easier to water the plants. Besides watering these plants, they can also pull weeds and remove the dead leaves.
This is an easy chore that helps children understand that they must give nutrients to living things to keep them alive.
The best part about watering outdoor garden areas is they might get a little dirty, which is the fun part of any chore.
3. Take Out the Trash
Taking out the trash is no rollercoaster ride or pirate adventure, which means kids are probably not too keen on the idea. But it’s important for keeping our home clean and tidy, which is something that kids should learn as early as possible.
Although younger kids won’t be able to wrestle with heavy trash bags, they can start by helping with smaller tasks related to it. For example, they can help you gather trash from all over the house or help tie up garbage bags.
Since kids have a short attention span, it’s best to turn these small tasks into a game that makes them more enjoyable. You can challenge them to see who can collect the most trash! Not only are you teaching them to be responsible with the trash, but you’re making it a fun activity for them, too.
As they grow older, they can take on the responsibility of taking the trash to the dumpster.
When they get used to this chore, they’ll understand that keeping the trash emptied helps us avoid getting bad smells in the house. Make them acknowledge that if they don’t clean up and empty the trash, it can pile up quickly, what with all the papers, mail, and snacks that the whole household has.
4. Raking Leaves
Raking leaves is a blast once you get them all raked into a pile and get to jump right in.
By raking the leaves to get them into this fun pile, kids learn that sometimes you have to work before you can play. It might take a few hours or even a few days to get all of the raking done.
This is a great time to get quality time together as a family. You also get the tough work out of the way and get to share laughter as you take turns jumping into the piles of leaves.
5. Dusting
Dusting is a task that creeps up on everyone. One day you’ll notice your house looks like it was hit with dust bunnies.
Kids of all ages seem to love to play with a feather duster. They probably can’t reach the highest spots, but they can get to the lower areas while you take care of the hard-to-reach areas.
Dusting seems simple, but it helps them learn they can work and play at the same time. It helps them realize cleaning doesn’t have to be boring.
6. Clean the Bathroom
There’s no storage of chores for kids to do around the house for money.
Is cleaning the bathroom your most hated of chores? Soap grime and cluttered make-up aren’t fun. Towels are often thrown on the ground, just waiting to collect mold.
Teenagers should be able to clean their own bathrooms. This will give them a great appreciation for you and cleaning maintenance workers in general. They’ll see that cleaning up after them in the bathroom isn’t always fun. They can learn that mold, soap grime, and dirt accumulate if you don’t clean it up.
7. Wash the Car
Your spouse loves it when the little boys get out there with them to help wash the car. They get to scrub the tires and pour on the soap. You may cringe as some streaks might be left behind, but they’re truly trying to do a good job.
When they get older, teach them to polish and wax. Washing the car gives them another level of appreciation for the importance of keeping a clean, shiny car.
8. Vacuuming
How often you should vacuum your home depends on how often people are in that area. It’s recommended that you vacuum high-traffic areas twice a week and low-traffic areas once a week.
For some reason, vacuuming is a fun chore for most kids. Maybe it’s a blast to see things get sucked up!
If they can’t hold the cleaner to get a good cleaning of the carpet, they can help change the bag or empty the canister.
This helps them understand that they have to keep the floor clean for a reason. You can make it clear to them that you’ll vacuum up their Legos if they’re in your way!
9. Doing the Dishes
If you like to do the dishes by hand, the little ones can get in on this easily. They just need to wash or dry the dishes after meals.
This allows you to relax after cooking the meal. It also gives them a chance to learn why it’s important that dishes don’t pile up in the sink. They’ll realize preparing a meal doesn’t end after the meal is eaten.
10. Laundry
Some kids go to college without knowing how to do their laundry. It’s as simple as throwing in the clothes, putting in the soap, and turning on the machine. If you don’t trust them with this task, they can help fold and put away the laundry.
This is a skill they will need their entire lives. They’ll also realize why they shouldn’t change shirts three times a day because they’ll end up folding those shirts later.
11. Clean Their Room
Step into your child’s room. What do you see? A battlefield. The toys have escaped their bins, clothes are trying to overtake the dresser, and the floor has become a place of booby traps.
It’s common for children’s rooms to be like that, but that shouldn’t be the case.
Kids should learn early on that their personal space is their safe space, not a place for the world’s chaos. This is why cleaning is one of the best chores to do for money. It’s something that should always be done! Their rooms should always be clean so they don’t have to worry about bugs or losing their favorite toys in the clutter.
Let them know that cleaning isn’t only about putting away their toys and clothes. They should also dust and vacuum the area.
But please, let your child clean how they want (as long as they are cleaning). Don’t force your own standards because that won’t make the experience any fun for them. They may not clean the same as you do, but what’s important is that they’re learning!
12. Clear the Table
The last thing you want to do after a meal is to clean everyone’s dishes and take them to the sink.
It’s easy for children of any age to learn to pick up everything and take it away. If you fear something might get broken, don’t do it on the nights you use the “nice” dishes or china.
This chore is a simple one that helps children know that messes don’t just clean themselves.
13. Load and Unload the Dishwasher
The best chores to do to earn money are those that kids of all ages can carry out. Well, what better task than loading and unloading the dishwasher? It’s manageable for kids as young as five! So as early as that, you can teach your children valuable skills that they can use throughout their lives.
Loading the dishwasher is very simple. After they clear the table, they’ll just put the dishes in the dishwasher. With this step, they can already learn how to organize efficiently. If your child can handle it, let them put in the dishwashing soap for you, too.
However, you should remind them to handle fragile items with care. Plates, glasses, and other delicate dishes should be placed gently in the dishwasher to avoid any accidents. If you’re teaching younger children to work the dishwasher, make sure that you supervise them closely.
Unloading the dishes is more fulfilling because they get to see the results of their work right away. When putting everything back where it’s supposed to be, make sure to guide them so it’s clear where everything goes. Let them understand that plates, cups, and all other utensils should be in the right place so that they can easily find them the next time they need them.
As you can see, this simple task has a lot to teach kids! They will know how to be responsible AND organized!
14. Help With Dinner
You don’t have to slave over the stove all by yourself. Most kids love to help in the kitchen.
My mom always got frustrated with me and threw her hands in the air when I tried to help cook, so I never truly learned the skill.
Let them have a little fun, even if the recipe doesn’t come out perfect. Helping with dinner will let them learn how to read a basic recipe, how to measure ingredients, and how to put together a meal.
This chore can transform into them cooking one meal a week for you. Even if it’s just spaghetti, you get to relax for a night as the children play chef.
15. Help Putting Away Groceries
Does your two-year-old love to follow you out to the car and grab the bag of apples? He happily carries in the tiniest bag because he knows he’s a big, strong man helping with the groceries.
It’s not fun as a parent to get home and know you now have to put away dozens of bags of groceries, so this help is amazing. You can make it fun by making it a contest between the kids. See who can put up the most groceries the fastest.
This chore might drive you a little crazy if they aren’t putting the groceries in the correct place. If this is the case, just ask the kids to bring them in from the car and take them out of the bags.
As they take things out of the bags, talk to them about the nutrition of the items and tell them they can help plan the menu for the week.
16. Help with couponing and finding deals
Are you looking for creative chores for teens to earn money? Helping you with couponing and finding deals can be an excellent addition to a teenager’s collection of money-making chores.
We all know how important it is to save money on things like groceries and bills, but it takes a lot of time! Time we don’t always have. That’s where your child can step in.
By giving this task to them, you’re freeing up your time while teaching them the value of saving money. The more they use the deals and coupons they find, the more they’ll appreciate the effort it takes to stretch a dollar. They’ll also be satisfied to see the savings stack up like it’s a game of Tetris.
There are many ways your children can find resources for couponing and deal-finding. Local newspapers offer a lot of coupons and deals for nearby stores. There are even more coupons and deals to find online! Online coupon websites are a great place to start. You can also look at websites like Rakuten and Gift Card Granny for discounted gift cards that you can use for popular stores like Walmart and Target.
It’s never too early to teach your kids how to manage their money. Coming from someone a little late to the party, you can trust me when I say that the earlier they know money matters, the easier life will be for them.
17. Picking up groceries
If you want to assign chores for 13-year-olds to earn money, why not let them run errands like picking up groceries? This gives them a taste of what’s to come: adult life and responsibilities. As scary as that may sound to them, it’s better they get to experience it early on!
But that’s not all! Giving them this chore introduces them to the real-world tasks of budgeting and shopping, two very important skills to navigate life’s waters!
To sail the seas of their peak into adulthood, they need to create a shopping list, go to the store, compare prices, and pick up the items needed. It seems complicated, but they’ll quickly find it enjoyable once they’re doing it.
This is a big load off your shoulders!
But I know that it won’t be that easy for you to let them do it on their own, so it’s a good idea to accompany them on the first few trips to the store, so you can address any safety concerns. Also make sure you find a way to communicate with your child while they’re on the errand, whether it’s through a cell phone or a designated meeting point.
So, next time you need groceries, why not turn it into a learning opportunity for your kid? Who knows what other lessons they can pick up along the way?
FAQs about chores for kids to earn money
Here are some commonly asked questions that you may have about chores for kids to earn money.
1. Do kids do chores for money?
Yes, some kids do chores around the house to earn money. This is a great way to teach your kids from an early age that earning money isn’t easy, and that way, they don’t get spoiled and expect to receive whatever they want. It’s how you discipline them and teach them the value of hard work and responsibility. Not just that, but it’s also important to instill these values early on to help them become self-sufficient and respectful individuals in the future.
2. How much should a 12-year-old make for chores?
Figuring out how much to pay a 12-year-old for doing chores isn’t one-size-fits-all.
I would say this depends on what you can afford, but you also don’t want to hand over so much cash that they can just buy anything they want. It’s all about finding that sweet spot where they earn enough to realize that it’s tough not having enough money to pay for things you need or want.
Basically, you want to give them enough so they understand the struggle of not having enough money as an adult, but not so much that they get spoiled or you break the bank. The exact amount is for you to figure out, based on where you live, your lifestyle, and your financial situation.
Final Words
Letting children help with chores to make money and learn life lessons gives them an early start to learning responsibility. They can learn things that they can take with them throughout life.
The most important thing during chores is to have fun.
Chores don’t have to be something everyone in the home dreads. Let them listen to music while they work and laugh about the funny things that happen during chores.
When all hands are on deck, you’ll feel happier about tidying up and knowing your children are learning lifelong lessons.
