Your 12-year-old wants to earn some cash, but he can't land a traditional job because he's too young. The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes 14 as the minimum age for employment, so your preteen has to find less traditional ways to make money. A little persistence and creativity can lead your 12-year-old to a number of money-making opportunities.
Every parent can use some help around the house, and a 12-year-old can offer a lot of help. Work with your 12-year-old to identify chores that he can successfully complete, either daily or weekly. Establish a per-chore payment scale so that he can earn a little spending money. For instance, he can earn $1 a week for unloading the dishwasher every day or $3 a week for keeping his room tidy. This money-making opportunity is easy because he can bring in some money from the comfort of home.
Encourage your 12-year-old to knock on neighbors' doors to drum up some yard work. Busy families will be happy to pay your preteen to cut the yard or weed. Help him make flyers advertising his yard work services, and establish a reasonable charge for the services he plans on offering. He won't need transportation to get to work since he's pitching his services to the neighbors, making this an easy job for a kid who loves the outdoors.
If your 12-year-old has caretaking instincts, babysitting is an easy money-making opportunity, as parents are always looking for a little help with their kids. Encourage him to start babysitting one child at a time, and make it easy for him by focusing on younger children but not infants or toddlers, who can be more demanding. Even if your friends and family aren't comfortable leaving the 12-year-old alone with the kids, they might welcome him into their homes to entertain the kids while they get things done around the house.
Your 12-year-old is probably growing out of the toys, games and DVDs that he loved as a child. If he doesn't have any younger siblings to hand these items down to, he can try selling them on online auction sites. Help him set up the auction and determine a price for each item. Your preteen will enjoying watching the bids roll in, and he'll see some money in return -- with little effort.
- mowing image by Jana Lumley from Fotolia.com