Great Activity for Kids Organizing a Yard or Tag Sale

Most people think of yard, tag or garage sales as a way to raise money and clear out clutter. But organizing and holding a sale is also a great activity for kids. It gives even young, elementary-school-age children the opportunity to learn some skills, as well as learn how to coordinate a complicated project from start to finish. And, they might just make a little extra spending money while they're at it!

Spring and summer are the prime seasons for yard and tag sales, and this just happens to coincide with the kids being out of school and needing something productive to do. Some experts suggest that it takes a good 3-4 months to really make the most of holding a yard sale-starting with going through every room in the house to clean and clear out what needs to go, picking the right date, laundering, cleaning and pricing items, etc. While you may not be able to hold a child's interest for 3-4 months, there is still plenty to do to organize a sale to consume at least a couple week's time.

To start the process, encourage kids to sit down with a calendar and a notebook. A list should be made of all the tasks associated with coordinating the sale, and a timeline created using the calendar so kids can learn to stay on track. This can be a great group project or something for only one child to do. A group of friends or siblings may want to go in together so they will have more "stuff" to sell and they can divide up the duties and tasks.