Good Christmas business ideas for kids aged 10 to 13 are simple, cheap to start and timed for the weeks before Christmas: handmade cards and gift tags, a gift-wrapping service, potted plants as gifts, decorations, and holiday jobs like pet-sitting while families travel. The best idea matches something your child enjoys and something people nearby actually need.
Below are ten ideas with rough start-up costs, a six-step plan, and a free Christmas stall planning sheet your child can fill in before spending a cent.
It's late October and the school Christmas fair flyer is stuck to the fridge. Your 12-year-old taps it on his way past. "I want a stall. I'm going to make candles and cookies and cards and bracelets. Everything."
You love the energy. You can also picture the kitchen in late November: half-finished candles, a credit card statement full of craft supplies, and a very tired boy.
"Who would want this, and why?"
Asked early, that question turns "everything" into one good idea. This guide helps your child choose it, plan it and keep it small enough to enjoy.
The best Christmas ideas for 10 to 13-year-olds solve a real pre-Christmas problem, like finding gifts, wrapping them or caring for pets and plants while families are away. They should cost little to start and be easy to make in small batches.
| Idea | Rough start-up cost | Skills it builds | Who buys it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handmade Christmas cards | About $10 | Design, batch making | Grandparents, teachers, neighbours |
| Gift tags and wrapping paper (stamped or drawn) | About $10 | Design, pricing in sets | Anyone wrapping gifts |
| Gift-wrapping service | About $15 for paper and tape | Customer service, time planning | Busy parents, relatives |
| Potted succulents or herbs as gifts | About $10 from cuttings or seeds | Planning ahead, presentation | Teachers' gifts, Kris Kringle swaps |
| Decorations (painted pine cones, paper stars, salt-dough ornaments) | About $10 | Making, quality control | Families decorating |
| Personalised bookmarks | About $5 | Design, taking orders | Readers, stocking fillers |
| Photo calendar for next year | Printing costs; agree with a parent first | Planning, taking orders | Grandparents |
| Pet-sitting or feeding while families travel | $0 | Reliability, responsibility | Neighbours you know |
| Plant watering while families are away | $0 | Reliability, scheduling | Neighbours you know |
| Car or bike wash before family visits | About $10 for buckets and sponges | Service, pricing | Neighbours, family |
Season matters. In Australia and the rest of the southern hemisphere, Christmas falls in summer, so outdoor services and holiday pet and plant care are in high demand. In the northern hemisphere, indoor making and wrapping ideas often suit better. For year-round ideas, see our main guide to good business ideas for kids.
Christmas gives a child's business two things most projects lack: a firm deadline and customers who are already looking to buy. That makes it one of the easiest times of year to practise real selling.
The deadline helps too. A Christmas project starts in late October or November and finishes on a fixed date, so it doesn't drift on for months. Your child gets the whole cycle, from idea to sales to counting the money, in about six weeks.
No. Making a few samples and taking orders first is safer and teaches more. Stock that doesn't sell is money lost, and big batches turn a fun project into a chore.
Start with three samples. Show them to customers, take orders, then make what was ordered plus a few extras. If the samples don't sell, your child has spent a few dollars learning something, not fifty.
Use the JuniorCEO Lab method, Notice, Ask, Try, Improve, compressed into six steps that fit the weeks before Christmas. It's free and starts with a conversation, not a shopping trip.
Ask your child which idea they'd enjoy making or doing, and who nearby has that Christmas problem. One idea only. A second can come next year.
Your child asks three people who might buy: "What do you usually do about this at Christmas? What's annoying about it?" Our guide to market research for kids has better questions than "Would you buy this?"
Not thirty. Three good ones, to show customers and to find out how long each takes to make.
Add up what one item costs to make, then choose a round price that covers it with something left over. Check what similar items cost nearby. Our guide on how a kid can make money covers the family agreement to settle first.
Show the samples to family, neighbours you know or at a school event, and write down orders. Or use the planning sheet below for a stall.
After the first few sales, ask: "What did customers say? What's one thing to change?" Then change one thing.
Print this or copy it onto paper and fill it in with your child before buying anything.
| My one Christmas idea is | ___ |
| This is for ___, who wants ___, and it helps by ___. | ___ |
| The date I'm selling (or the last day for orders) | ___ |
| Cost to make one item | $___ |
| My price for one item | $___ |
| How many I'll make before taking orders | 3 samples |
| My budget (agreed with a parent) | $___ |
| What I'll do with anything that doesn't sell | ___ |
| The adult helping me is | ___ |
Here's how it might look: a 12-year-old chooses painted pine-cone decorations, asks three neighbours, and learns they'd rather buy them as a set of three tied with ribbon. He makes three sample sets for about $1.50 each, prices them at $5 a set and takes eleven orders before making any more. This is an illustrative example, not a JuniorCEO Lab student case study.
In the classroom: teachers running a Christmas market can have small groups complete the planning sheet as a business proposal, then present it to the class before any stock is made.
Yes, but food comes with extra rules, so check before your child bakes for sale. In Australia, Food Standards Australia New Zealand says food laws apply to food sold at fundraising and community events, and that food counts as sold even if you only ask for a donation (Food Standards Australia New Zealand). It suggests checking with your local council or state food agency about what applies.
Schools often have their own rules about food at fairs too, especially for allergies. Non-food ideas are simpler for a first business. Outside Australia, check your local food safety authority. This is general information, not legal advice.
Your child makes, sells and decides. You keep them safe, hold the money and handle anything online or official. Agree the Time, Money, Responsibilities and Success boundaries from our guide to entrepreneurship for kids before the first sample is made, especially how much you'll spend on supplies.
The JuniorCEO Lab activities work anywhere. The rules around selling at Christmas fairs and markets depend on where you live. Before your child sells anything, check three things on your government's small business or consumer website:
JuniorCEO Lab treats Christmas as a deadline, not a different kind of business. The same program stages apply: exploring products, researching customers, shaping an idea, building a brand, understanding money, and marketing and selling.
A Christmas project is a quick way to run through all six in a few weeks. Children who start with one idea and real customer conversations usually sell more, spend less and finish proud rather than exhausted. For help choosing the idea in the first place, see how kids turn a problem into a product idea.
About six weeks before they want to sell, so late October or early November for most school Christmas fairs. That leaves time to ask customers, make samples, take orders and fix problems without a last-minute rush.
Work out what one item costs to make, check what similar items sell for nearby, then choose a round price that covers the cost with something left over. Selling in sets, like three gift tags for $5, often works well.
It happens, and it's useful. Ask a few customers why, keep the leftovers for next year or give them as gifts, and talk about one thing to change. Making samples first keeps the loss small.
Check first. In Australia, Food Standards Australia New Zealand says food laws apply to food sold at fundraising events, even for a donation. Ask the school and your local council what applies. Elsewhere, check your local rules.
Only with an adult running it. In Australia, under-16s can't have accounts on age-restricted social media platforms since 10 December 2025, according to eSafety. A parent can share photos with people you know. Elsewhere, check your platform's age rules.
This week, ask your child: "Who do you know with a Christmas problem you could help with?" Then fill in the planning sheet together before buying anything. For more ideas beyond Christmas, read what are good business ideas for kids.
Su Stanyer is the founder of JuniorCEO Lab, an Australian program that teaches children aged 10 to 13 how a business works, from exploring products and researching customers to branding, money, marketing and sales.
Government references are general information, not legal advice, and do not imply endorsement of JuniorCEO Lab.
In just 6 weeks, your teen will launch a real product, build their brand, and start selling.
Get Started
Kids design good packaging by deciding what it needs to do, testing three cheap versions with customers and adding an honest label. Includes a free packaging plan card.
Kids design a strong logo by sketching first: choosing three brand words, drawing quick thumbnails, then testing the best one small, in one colour and with real customers. Includes a...
Kids can start a small, parent-supported business project as soon as they're ready, and for most children that's around 10 to 13. Includes a free readiness checklist for parents.
0 comments