How to Involve the Kids at your Yard Sale

A lot of people ask us the best ways to involve their kids at their garage sale. While yard sales can usually be a family event, be sure your kids are mature enough so they don’t have to be watched or checked on every 5 minutes. We recommend that a good age for kids to participate and learn would be around 8 or 9 years old. 

Here are some good kid tips:

 

1. Be sure your kids don’t have any emotional attachment to any items that they once possessed such as toys, clothes or dress up accessories. If they are cool with selling their old items that they have no attachment to then you’re off to a good start. Teach them the value of selling or donating their secondhand items and then saving that money or putting it towards a new item or reward for their effort in the family’s sale.
2. Use a child’s creativity to your advantage! Put them in charge of coloring and decorating the garage sale signs and picking out the best telephone poles or trees to tack the signs to. Then, be sure to revisit all those trees and telephone poles at the end of your sale and have your kids help you remove them.
3. Don’t go as far as providing food at your sale but if you’re kids are old enough to handle a simple lemonade stand, have them open up shop nearby. It will be fun for them and fun for your customers. At a dime or quarter a cup, you’re kids can make some easy money!
4. Put your kids in charge of something, whether it be assisting shoppers by carrying an item to their vehicle (only if all vehicles are visible within your sight), or watching over the money box, give them a sense of responsibility.
5. Reward your kids! A garage sale can be just as stressful for your kids if they’re around all day as it can be on you, be sure you reward your kids by taking them for ice cream or to a fun restaurant after your sale.
6. Be sure you explain to your kids before and after the value of having a tag sale in their terms. Perhaps you’re saving towards a family vacation or you’re just looking to make some upgrades around the house by clearing some clutter. Make sure they understand this too, all they know is what they’ve grown up with. For most kids under the age of 12, a garage sale is a new thing for them. Make it a fun day for everyone.
7. Lastly, if you think your sale will be more stressful on you and the kids by having them around, you should kindly call a relative or arrange a play-date for your kids at a friend’s house.