If you live in the United States, the law says you can't have a full-time job until you are 16 years old. At 14 or 15, you can have a part-time job after school or on weekends, and during summer you can work 40 hours each week. Does all that mean that if you are younger than 14, you can't earn your own money? Of course not! Kids who are between the ages of 10 and 13 can earn money by doing lots of things.
Valerie, 11, told us that she made money by cleaning up other people's yards. Lena, 13, makes money by knitting (织) dog sweaters and selling them to her neighbours, and Reisa said she had started taking art classes and showing her works to people. People have asked her to draw pictures for them and they pay her for them. Jasmine, 13, writes articles for different magazines!
Earning is learning. By working to earn your own money, you are learning the skills you will need to succeed in life. These skills can include things like getting along with others, using technology and using your time. Some people think that asking for money is a lot easier than earning it; however, when you make your own money, you don't have to depend on someone else. The five dollars that you earn will probably make you feel a lot better in your hand than the twenty dollars you ask for.
