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Boredom Busters
Spice up Your Tween's Summer
By Kendeyl Johansen
"Sit down with your child and talk about his or her likes and dislikes to find an idea for a business, or look around and spot a need in your community," says 18-year-old Michael Stahl, CEO of Careers4Teens.com. He adds that the possibilities for young earners are only limited by imagination.
Recently, middle-schoolers in Park City, Utah, distributed flyers advertising their "Super Pooper-Scoopers" business. The kids offered to scoop up doggie droppings for $8 per week, and they found people couldn't sign up fast enough.
Another popular job idea for tweens is a weeding/yard care business. Twelve-year-old Sam Jordan of Aspen, Colo., is planning to pull weeds for the third year. "Last year I saved up my money from weeding and bought a snowboard," he says.
Other ideas for tween businesses include: a pet care or plant-watering service for families on vacations or baby-sitting while a parent is home, freeing up time for moms to enjoy a book in the sunshine or return phone calls without interruptions.
Kids find cooking is all fun and no work if recipes are easy and delicious, says Gwen McKee, the author of 43 cookbooks.
McKee says up-and-coming chefs need to be organized and prepared. "There is nothing worse than beginning a recipe and then finding out you don't have one of the ingredients," she says. It helps to have the ingredients out before your child begins cooking. If McKee's grandkids require cooking help, she dubs them "the chefs" and calls herself the "seu chef," declaring she's their helper.
It's not difficult to make cooking special for your child this summer. Your tween can prepare a surprise treat for a grandparent, other relatives or for a friend's family. Other ideas include helping your child set up a lemonade and homemade cookie stand or encouraging your tween to cook something special for a bake sale fundraiser.