You may not need to look any further than down the street to earn extra money. You can be your block’s master leaf-raker, do chores for elderly neighbors, run a dog walking business, or take a job delivering the newspaper.

But before you do this, make sure you talk to the adults in your family. You’ll need to make sure they know all about what you’re doing, approve of it, and give their permission. Here are some questions you may want to discuss with them:

• Is the job right for your age? This is a big one. If you’re 10, you might be old enough to help a neighbor with cleaning or yardwork, but you’re probably a couple years too young to handle babysitting duties.

• Are there risks involved? Will your job or business mean working with anything that could be dangerous, like a lawnmower? Will you need to travel out of the neighborhood, spend time around strangers, or be by yourself? Your family will need answers to these questions before they can sign off on your moneymaking idea.

• Do you have a good business plan? Adults will probably want to know how you plan to make money with your idea. Will you need to have “start-up” money for equipment or supplies (like a lemonade stand), or is this something you can get going on right away without spending money first (like a petsitting business)? Is this an idea that makes sense, or is it a wacky scheme that probably won’t work out?

Remember: Be honest about everything when talking to a parent or guardian. Explain your ideas, including exactly what you plan to do, who you will be working with, and who you will be working for. If they listen to everything you have to say and think the job is a good idea, they can probably help with the details. If they think the job isn’t right for you, they might be able to help you come up with an idea that fits you better.

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