17 Best Things for Kids to Make and Sell

For the second year in a row, my daughter is participating in a local event put on my town where vendors come together the first weekend in May to sell items…it’s kind of like a street fair meets flea market.

There are food trucks, craft items, pottery, jewelry, clothing, and more for sale at this event. Last year my daughter sold brownies and lemonade. This year we are brainstorming what to have in her booth. I want her to be able to make it herself mostly but also be PROFITABLE. 

Introducing Kids to Money Making Crafts & Real-Life Sales

While adults must pay for the privilege to have a booth at this event, the town is letting any 9- to 14-year-old who wants to participate set up a booth for free. Their section of the event is sponsored, and the kids get to keep all the proceeds from the items they sell.

Several kids from her school participated in this fun event.

It’s a great learning experience in entrepreneurship because the kids are responsible for buying all of the supplies, making the items, showing up on time to set up early in the morning, and manning their booth all day. We loved our experience last year and can’t wait to do it again!

Easiest Things for Kids to Make and Sell

If your kid has the opportunity to sell things for profit at any kind of event, school function like Market Day, or even on the sidewalk in front of your house, I thought I would list out some of the creative things I’ve seen the kids sell at this event to give you some ideas!

1. Gourmet Brownies – This is what my daughter sold last year. She’s 10 years old and they were the perfect level of difficulty for her to produce at scale. Next year we’re considering things for her to sell that are NOT food since we did this one two years in a row. But so far this seems like the easiest option at her age.  
2. Human Edible Dog Treats – I thought this was the cutest idea. I couldn’t tell if they were cookies for people to eat or gourmet dog bones until someone explained it to me.
3. Hand Carved Bird Houses – These take a special kid to pull off, but one boy sold these last year. They were truly impressive.
4. Bath Salts – Several kids sold bath salts with great success. I’d say this was a super hot craft idea at this year’s market. They sold well as they were popular with kids AND adults!  
5. Hand Squeezed Lemonade – We did this last year. Although it’s more labor intensive than brownies, the lemonade still sold well.
6. Essential Oil Infused Candles – These would take adult supervision to make, but would be great for selling at street fairs or school events.
7. Dog Collars – such a cute idea if your child knows how to sew!
8. Slime (of all kinds!) – I’m continually surprised by how popular slime is these days. It sells so well that the booth next to us nearly sold out of their slime stock. I think slime making kits would also do well. It’s probably the easiest thing to sell to other kids, which makes it a great idea for your booth if they’re priced reasonably. The old hard thing about this is that it requires a lot of advance planning and work to get all the containers of slime ready.
9. Suncatchers – Everyone loves a good suncatcher! They make great gifts.
10. Hand Painted Baby Dolls – Ok so these are kinda creepy, but one girl really sold these! Apparently they are super popular with older women.
11. All Natural Soaps – This could be soaps with a special ingredient like lavender essential oil or a special touch like flowers inside of the soap. These were a big money maker for some kids.
12. Friendship Bracelets – This type of jewelry takes some time to make, so start production with plenty of lead time.
13. Bead Jewelry – necklaces, rings, etc.
14. Snacks and Drinks – This is a great booth idea because it doesn’t require them to make anything, just provide much-needed items to help fair visitors weather the outdoors. Food is especially great to sell when there aren’t a ton of other food vendors to compete with.
15. Bookmarks – I don’t think these items were as popular as others, but I saw these at another booth.
16. Fridge Magnets – You can easily make these with tiny pictures of flowers, some mod podge, a brush, and clear glass magnets.
17. Custom t-shirts and tanks – You could put cute sayings on these or even make them specific to your home town so people will be interested in the novelty of wearing a custom shirt to show home town pride.

Finding Popular Things to Sell for Profit That Are Easy to Make

Finding a product that’s good enough for someone to buy yet easy enough for your tween or teen to make is easier said than done! I hope this list helps you identify some food items, small products, and DIY crafts that sell well. 

Before you finalize your product choice, make sure to keep in mind the effort level your child is ready to put in as well as their abilities. What a teenager can make and what a kid in elementary school can make are very different. 

The last thing you want to do is choose an item that’s frustrating for them to create either because it’s beyond their abilities or takes too long to make. If you do, you might be setting yourself up for a lot of work! 😊 Whatever you do, try your best to balance simplicity with profitability to make the most of your experience. 

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