Your child is growing up and is ready to take on more and more responsibility. If the summer months seem never ending, and your tween is looking for something to do, suggest he find a summer job. There are plenty of job opportunities out there for enterprising tweens. Sit down and discuss what he'd like to do, and then plan a marketing strategy to make it happen. Below are a few summer job ideas with tweens in mind.
Find a Job for Your Tween
Run a Lemonade Stand:Running a lemonade stand can teach your tween a lot about budgeting, marketing and customer service. Help her plan where the stand will go, the hours it will be up and running, and how much to charge. It's a good idea to sell more than lemonade, consider having her bake some cookies or brownies to sell along with the lemonade. Be sure to go over safety precautions before she begins.Pet Sit: A lot of tweens find their first job as pet sitters. Your tween should make a brochure and maybe even some business cards that she can hand out to the neighbors advertising her services. Make a list of the animals your child has experience caring for, along with the services she'll provide: feeding; walking; exercising; etc. In the brochure, list experience as well as any testimonials she might have from people she's worked for before.House Sit: Your neighbors and friends will likely vacation at some point during the summer months and that's an opportunity for your child to make a little money house sitting. As a house sitter, your tween will check on the house everyday while his client is away. He'll bring in the mail, water plants, feed the fish or other animals, water the garden, and make sure that all is well until the owners return home. Organize Spaces: Some tweens are really good at organizing and that's a great way to make money. Your tween can approach busy parents with the idea of helping them organize their garage, their playroom, or even their kitchen. An organizer will clean, throw away items that are broken or useless, and help find ways to organize gadgets, toys, and other items. You might even want to hire your tween to help you organize a closet, or another part of your home.Wash Cars: High school clubs and other organizations like to organize car washes as a way to raise money. But it's also a great way for your tween to earn a dollar or two. The best time of day to wash a car in the summer is either in the morning, or in the early evening. Have your child fill a bucket will all the supplies he'll need (car wash soap, soft brushes, sponges, etc.) and then go with him door to door to see if any neighbors think their vehicles need sprucing up.Be a Mother's Helper: Younger tweens aren't old enough to babysit, but they can serve as mother's helpers. Mother's helpers keep little children occupied so that mom can do other things, such as clean the house, make dinner, work in the yard, or spend an hour or two relaxing or attending to other matters. A good mother's helper will like children, and will know how to keep them busy, safe and happy while mom's occupied.
