Better Than a Lemonade Stand: One Easy Way for Kids to Make Money this Summer
My 5 year old begs me every summer to have a lemonade stand. If you are like me, you:
- Don’t live in a neighborhood that would have much traffic to buy the lemonade.
- Know that most people won’t stop anyway.
- Don’t find value in selling lemonade to people
I love the idea. It’s cute. It is a way kids can try to be little entrepreneurs. But why not set your kids up for success by helping them come up with a product people actually want to buy?
My kids love helping in the garden. They love to dig in the dirt to plant the seeds and to harvest the plants when it is time. But most adults that live around me tend to buy their plants already sprouted from Home Depot or a local nursery. This year I suggested that my kids plant some starter tomato and pepper seeds. We currently have about 75 plants growing on our kitchen counter. The kids helped me fill each spot with dirt and plant the seeds. They help water it and in a couple weeks they will transplant each plant into a bigger pot so it can continue to grow. And in about a month, they will set up a stand and sell them to people in our neighborhood.
People will buy tomato plants. And if they are already going to buy one, they will definitely buy one from a little kid who worked hard to make some money off of it. I took some pictures and explained what I was doing in our local neighborhood group and received tons of responses saying to let them know when they were ready! If you live in a more rural area, you can always check around with friends on facebook or even see if there is a local children’s market where your child could sell them! My point is, if word gets out, people will support your child. Because they are offering a product they actually wanted in the first place. Not some lemonade that your kid probably licked the spoon while making.
We plan to sell ours for $4 per plant. It’s cheaper than Home Depot but still enough for my kids to make an easy $100 if they sell all of them! They are excited about it! I hope that this might spark some creative ideas that your kids can do to earn a little extra cash this summer! Picking up sticks, fresh garden food delivered, or a small pumpkin patch for the fall! The ideas are endless, but your kid will have more success if they sell a product or service that people wanted in the first place.
