I’ve been a work at home mom for almost 10 years now and it’s still crazy to me how many options there are to earn money at home. I get asked all the time what the best work at home jobs are and with summer upon us I wanted to give you a few ideas if you’d like to earn some money from home.

Having kids home from school requires a bit of creativity when it comes to work at home jobs but there are still some great options available to you.

Provide Summer Childcare

I fully recognize that childcare is not for everyone but before you cross it off your list consider a few things. I ran a home daycare for several years while my kids were young and not only can you make some really decent income (especially when you pull in some of the state grants and child nutrition programs that are available to childcare providers) but you get to be there doing fun things with your kids. I was way more fun as a mom when I was a daycare provider than I am now that I spend most of my working hours on my computer. If you have younger kids this may be the way to go. Be sure and consider what your state regulations are as far as family childcare goes. Look to see if you have a childcare resource and referral agency because they can help you out with the details and they are great for finding new families. Cities and states each have their own rules so you’ll need to make sure you are compliant with both.

Remember that as a childcare provider, you are running your own business which means to a certain extent, you get to set the rules. If you have school aged children, you may want to consider only accepting school aged children so your own kids have someone to play with and you can cater activities to a single age group. Need Friday’s off? Look for families that just need care Monday-Thursday.

Become an Emergency Preparedness Educator

I’ve never been a huge fan of home party sales (although I did have a stint as a Pampered Chef consultant) but there is some serious money to be made if you can find the right company. Thrive Life (formerly Shelf Reliance) has created an opportunity for consultants that is unlike any other that I have seen. I’m not much of a salesperson but I have been using their line of top quality freeze dried foods in my regular cooking to save time and money for years. I became a consultant primarily to build up my own food storage and emergency preparedness supplies but I’ve found that it’s a really easy sale and the commission structure can’t be beat.

You do not have to be an expert on emergency preparedness to be successful as a consultant for Thrive Life. Imagine spending your summer chatting with friends over some good food and earning an income for that. My 9 year old is a huge fan of the freeze dried foods because it makes it easy for him to cook so he will even join me on parties to teach people how to use it. It’s a great way to spend some time together and for both of us to learn important skills.

If you are interested in details, check out my new website, Providently Prepared, or drop me an email and we can chat.

Resell Unused Items

Summer is a great time to declutter your house by getting rid of things you don’t need any more. You can earn some money as you clear out your junk by selling things you no longer need. You can sell on Craigslist or Ebay but there are also some great Facebook groups that will help you resell your stuff. To find them, search in the Facebook search box for your city combined with words like garage sale, yard sale, or resale. You could take this a step further by hunting for great finds at garage sales and reselling them online for a profit.

Offer Summer Tutoring

Summer vacation is a long time for kids who may be struggling in school. Without daily practice, basics like multiplication tables and spelling rules are quickly forgotten. You can earn some great money by offering your services as a summer tutor for the subjects that you feel comfortable in. If you are good with kids and have an expertise (or even just an interest) in certain subject matters tutoring could be a great fit for you.

If you don’t want the hassle of running your own business, consider signing up with a local tutoring company as a contractor. They’ll send clients your way and you can earn some income with a flexible work at home job. You could even consider online tutoring on a site like Tutor.com if you have older kids that will allow you to work on the computer for a few hours a day.

Work in Customer Service

Many companies have work at home opportunities for customer service jobs. These jobs do require a quiet workspace so if you have young children at home this may not be the best fit for you but I know several moms who work when their children go to sleep for the night or hire a mother’s helper to come in so they can work while still having their children close by. You can go through a company such as Alpine Access which connects customer service reps with companies who have available projects or contact companies directly to see if they have work at home jobs available. Companies such as 1-800 Contacts and Jet Blue are known for their work at home force and I’ve talked to several moms who have loved working for them. Be aware that some jobs may require onsite training for a period of time before you can transition to a home-based job.

No matter what you decide to do to earn money from home, be sure it’s something you love. Many moms have turned small hobbies into serious businesses that seriously benefit their families.