Who doesn’t love a bit of extra cash? Whether you’re saving up for a shopping spree or just putting money aside for the future, every extra dollar you can earn as a kid goes a long way. And while doing chores at home might get you a little bit of pocket money, there are plenty of other ways to make money as a kid in Canada.
Here are side hustles, hacks and ideas to help you earn extra cash as a teenager or younger kid.
Play Games & Take Surveys
Best for Mobile
Paid Surveys
How it works: Love dogs or pets in general? Turn your passion for pets into a rewarding side hustle. Provide dog-walking services in your neighbourhood or, if you get the OK from your parents, consider offering overnight sitting services in your own home.
Tools you need: Poo bags, treats, and an extra leash and harness, just in case.
How it works: From baseball and basketball to hockey and soccer, community sporting organizations are often on the lookout for umpires. If you complete the relevant training, you can get paid to referee sporting clashes in your spare time. And as you get older, your experience increases and you advance through the grades, your pay rate will increase too.
Tools you need: Depending on the sport, you may need protective equipment, a uniform, a whistle, a watch and shoes or skates.
How it works: This old favourite is still as reliable a money-making option as ever. Parents of young kids are always glad for a night off, and if they know they can leave their children with a reliable babysitter, they’ll treat themselves to nights out a lot more often. Start by offering your babysitting services to friends and family, then rely on word of mouth or some basic promotion to grow your business.
Tools you need: None.
How it works: Another classic side hustle, starting your own mobile car-detailing business is a simple way to make money. You can start out by offering basic washes, then graduate to more complex detailing jobs like polishing or cleaning the interior upholstery as your skills and client base grow.
Tools you need: You can start out with a bucket, sponge and some detergent. Offering more advanced services might require specialist cleaning products, a wet/dry vacuum and brushes or cloths for different surfaces.
How it works: You know those annoying or occasionally disgusting jobs around the home that lots of people hate doing? Stuff like cleaning out garbage bins, picking up dog poo in the yard, pressure washing the driveway or even cleaning the pool? If you don’t mind getting dirty, you might find plenty of people in your neighbourhood who are willing to pay you to take care of those chores for them.
Tools you need: Basic cleaning supplies like a mop, bucket, microfibre cloths and cleaning products.
How it works: Print-on-demand offers a simple business model for young entrepreneurs. It allows you to create your own unique designs to get printed on t-shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, posters and more. The best part is that you don’t have to worry about storing or shipping any inventory; print-on-demand platforms like Printify and Gelato can do that for you.
Tools you need: You’ll need some sort of design software. A free Canva plan is a good place to start.
How it works: Do you have toys you no longer play with, video games you’ve finished, and clothes you’ve outgrown? If they’re in good condition, turn them into cash by selling them to people in your area. You could set up a yard sale at home or get a parent’s help to list them on a platform like Facebook Marketplace.
Tools you need: None.
How it works: If you’re an older teen with a strong academic background, you could offer tutoring services to high school and elementary school students in your area. From mathematics to biology, use your specialist knowledge and study skills to help your young proteges improve their grades.
Tools you need: It depends on the subject. Some require nothing more than basic stationery supplies, but math (for example) could require a scientific calculator.
How it works: Fancy yourself as a great home cook? Put your baking skills into action to bring in some extra pocket money. Bake a few batches of cookies and other sweet treats, secure yourself a high-traffic location, then let your mouthwatering displays of baked goods attract one buyer after another.
Tools you need: An oven/stove, cookware and cooking utensils.
How it works: From calendars and diaries to budget planners and educational worksheets, printables are digital products that people can buy, download and print out. You can design your own printables using a design program like Canva or Adobe Creative Cloud, then sell them on sites like Etsy.
Tools you need: A computer and graphic design software. Start with Canva Free, but you may want to upgrade to the advanced tools of a Canva Pro account.
How it works: It’s not particularly glamorous or exciting, but delivering flyers for money is simple, honest work. Find a delivery route in your neighbourhood and apply for the role. If you’re hired, you can stay active and get paid at the same time.
Tools you need: Some sort of bag, satchel or cart for transporting flyers. Comfortable shoes and a hat are important too.
How it works: Are there any elderly people in your neighbourhood who could use help running errands and doing odd jobs? We’re talking about things like small grocery shops, picking up prescriptions, weeding and watering gardens, providing in-home tech support, posting letters and collecting mail. By offering to help out, you could earn yourself a little extra spending money.
Tools you need: Depends on the odd jobs you’re asked to do. Many don’t require any equipment, but some do. For example, you may need some basic gardening tools to help an elderly neighbour maintain their garden, but they might provide the tools you need.
It depends on the side hustle you choose. On the most basic level, you might make a few bucks a week doing odd jobs for your neighbours or playing games online. Sell toys and clothes you don’t need and you might make a couple of hundred dollars, while holding regular bake sales and selling handmade crafts will probably make you a little but not a lot.
Where your money-making potential really starts to increase is if you can find a side hustle that produces consistent income. Let’s say you’re a dog walker and you build your business up to five regular customers that need their dogs walked three times a week. At $15 a walk, that’s $225 a week.
Or let’s say you’re tutoring local high school kids for $40/hour. If you tutor 3 kids in individual 1.5-hour sessions every week, you’ll earn $180 per week.
And if you work an $18/hour part-time job for 15 hours each week, that’s an extra $540 in your bank account each fortnight.
The best ways to make money as a kid vary depending on factors like where you live, how old you are and what skills you have.
If you’re a teenager in the suburbs who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty, mowing lawns, doing yard work and taking on other seasonal jobs can be quite lucrative. If you love animals, offering your services as a dog walker and pet sitter can be a nice little money spinner. If you’re a people person in a big city, things like tutoring gigs and babysitting will help you earn a decent hourly rate.
Maybe you want to make money online with minimum effort? If that’s the case, you could look into playing games and completing surveys for money. Just note that you’ll need to be at least 13 years old—or 16 or 18 in some cases—and these methods won’t make you rich.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to find the most lucrative side hustle that’s a good fit for your lifestyle and skills.
There are lots of simple ways to make money as a kid or teenager. Some of them aren’t for everyone, and some require more work than others, but all of them are realistic options if you want to boost your bank balance. So if you’re keen for extra cash, get out there and start hustling.
You can’t use Scrambly in Canada, but these alternatives offer a legit way to make money.
Check out sites like MTurk where you can earn extra income online.
Get a $40 bonus through Finder when you sign up for Freecash.
Compare legitimate cash bonus offers to get $40 to $200+.
Discover the strategies, benefits, rebates and bonuses you can use to put more money in your bank account.
Find out how to receive a bonus from get-paid-to platform Freecash.
Discover how to make $500 fast with these 11 strategies.
Check out real ways to earn extra income at home without having to spend money upfront.
Discover legit game apps that pay real money in Canada.
We put Swagbucks to the test to find out if it offers a legit way to make money online.
