25 Best Jobs For an 8-Year-Old to Make Money

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Children love pretending that they are grown up.

Much of their make-believe play surrounds the idea of having a job, a family or a house that they manage themselves.

Having a real job great way to feed their desire to grow up while also teaching responsibility.

25 Best Jobs for an Eight-Year-Old

An 8-year-old cannot hold a typical job, nor should they.

Still, there are numerous ways for an 8-year-old to make some money with only a little bit of involvement from their parents.

The following list will give you some inspiration for jobs that can be done by a child starting at age eight.

1. Household Chores

The most logical place to start is with chores around your own home. Give your child an allowance for managing easier cleaning activities in the house.

This might include sweeping, dusting, putting away laundry, making beds, setting the table or even vacuuming.

2. Chores for Others

Once your 8-year-old has proven that they are responsible doing chores in your home, you can consider letting them do these light chores for neighbors.

Busy or elderly neighbors might not have the time or ability to dust or sweep each day. Your child can earn some money while helping others.

3. Lemonade Stand

The tried-and-true lemonade stand is a fun way to teach children about business ownership and entrepreneurial endeavors.

Help them set up the stand and teach them how to make the lemonade they are selling. Give them some start-up money for cash and for buying cups and any other needed supplies.

4. Other Sales Stands

Lemonade is a popular choice but it isn’t the only choice. Juice, punch, baked goods, bottled water and small crafts are great options. J

ust make sure your child doesn’t need a permit for selling these items.

5. Raking Leaves

Raking leaves is neither difficult nor dangerous. It is the perfect outdoor job for an eight-year-old. They can start by raking leaves in your yard.

If they do a good job, have them ask neighbors if their leaves need to be raked as well.

While leaf removal services can charge up to $30 per hour, your eight-year-old can charge only a fraction of that, which is a win-win for your child and their customer.

6. Recycling

Help elderly neighbors recycle their items. It lowers the impact of garbage on the planet, which is arguably the biggest benefit to this job.

An 8-year-old can also help that neighbor by taking their garbage out for them or collecting their garbage and recycling bins at the end of refuse collection day.

7. Seasonal Decorating

I don’t know about you, but I get tired of decorating for every season.

The children in my neighborhood love to help me decorate and they each get paid for their efforts. Your child could do the same for holidays throughout the year.

8. Removing Decorations

What’s worse than having to decorate for every holiday?

Having to take down all of those decorations! Your 8-year-old can help remove outdoor decorations for friends, family members and neighbors.

9. Pet Companionship

People sometimes find themselves unable to spend the kind of time they should with their pets. Dogs need a lot of love.

Someone who is ill, has a new baby or has a demanding job might not be able to play fetch or tug as much as their dog wants.

Your child can monetize their love of animals by asking for compensation in exchange for playing with someone else’s animal.

10. Modeling

Modeling is a real possibility to make money in some locations.

Smaller towns might not have the modeling opportunities of bigger cities, but that shouldn’t stop you from looking.

I was approached by a photographer who asked to use my son as a model for her child-focused photography business.

He earned a little bit of money for just a couple of hours of posing. Your child could offer similar services.

11. Cleaning Cars

Everyone with a car needs someone to clean it, inside and out. Your child could start their own car washing service or they can offer to clean out cars’ interiors for a small sum.

You will need to keep a watchful eye on your child while they do the cleaning, but you can also reap the rewards by not having to clean your own car yourself.

12. Magic Tricks

Believe it or not, magic is not that difficult to learn. I learned some magic tricks to put on a show for my daughter’s third-grade classroom.

It was such a success that I was asked to return and teach the class how to perform their own tricks.

The group of kids, aged eight and nine, learned the tricks simply and easily.

Some of them went on to perform for others. Your child can learn some slight-of-hand and card tricks to make money.

13. Busking

I was already performing and fully entrenched in the entertainment industry by the time I was eight. I never busked but I knew plenty of kids my age who did.

The amount of money they made varied, but they worked hard for those tips that came their way.

Busking is difficult and often requires permits. It can also be dangerous. Make sure you take all precautions if your child wants to busk.

SPECIAL NOTE
Busking or any other form of entertainment needs to be your child’s choice, not yours.

Too many stage parents force their children into the entertainment industry without considering their child’s thoughts or feelings.

14. Puppet Show

When my son was young, he had a great idea to put on a puppet show and sell tickets to anyone in the neighborhood who wanted to attend.

He made the tickets himself, advertised to friends and their parents, practiced for the performance and set up the scene. It was cute, fun and entertaining for everyone.

15. Driveway Movie Theatre

My daughter and some of the neighborhood children decided to earn money by setting up a “drive-in theatre” in our driveway.

They used a projector to show a movie on our garage door. They didn’t sell tickets for admission but they did sell popcorn and drinks.

Not only did it give the neighborhood something fun to do, but it also provided them with some spending money.

16. Weeding

Pulling weeds out of a lawn or garden is tedious work. Let your child do it for you and anyone else you know who hates weeding.

17. Garage Organization

Do you have a garage? If the answer is yes, you know how quickly it gets cluttered.

Your 8-year-old can offer to help any other garage owner they know get their area tidied and organized. They may need close supervision because garage tools can be dangerous.

18. Tie Dye

I often recommend tie dye because I love tie dye. Even as a 40-something-year-old I find myself tie-dying clothing about once a month.

Teach your child to tie dye and they will almost certainly build a customer base. T-shirts, socks and bandannas are all common choices for tie dye.

However, my young daughter has also tie dyed her bed sheets, pillow cases and even her curtains.

19. Influencing

Yes, your child can start a career as an influencer. They just need to have an idea, a charming personality and the ability to make fresh content every day.

Eventually, your child can start monetizing their social media while having a lot of fun. You will need to be extra vigilant about making sure they are safe and not being exploited for your own personal gain.

20. Collecting Sticks

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of old trees. This means I live in a neighborhood that has a lot of sticks in every lawn.

My husband and I collect the sticks that fall, let them dry, and then use them in our fire pit. When young kids want to help, they get paid for every stick that they pick up.

21. Digging for Worms

Do you live in an area with a lot of recreational fishing? If so, your child can sell worms for bait. They only need access to a few jars and a lot of mud.

22. Painting Rocks

Rock painting is a popular hobby that continues to grow. Children can paint rocks and sell them to anyone who loves art or rock collecting.

23. Yard Sitting

It might seem a little far-fetched, but it is a valuable service. When I go on vacation, I invite children from my neighborhood to play in my yard.

The presence of their toys and laughter makes the house look lived-in, which deters any thieves who might be looking for empty houses to rob.

When I return from vacation, each of the kids receive payment and souvenirs.

24. Garage Sale

A garage sale is more work for the parent than it is for the child. Still, your 8-year-old can earn a decent amount of money by selling their outgrown clothing and toys.

They can also use this time to set up a stand selling lemonade, baked goods or artwork.

25. Good Grades

It’s not a typical job, but it is a way to earn cash while learning. Some parents offer to pay their children for getting good grades at school.

Sometimes the payment comes with each report card or tests with high scores.

You may want to go in a different direction and reward your children for reading a certain number of books or improving in an area where they have been struggling.

Key Takeaways

Learning and earning are two important skills that come from having a job. Any age is a great time to gain these life lessons.

What are some jobs you can think of that would benefit an 8-year-old? Tell us in the comments!

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