14 Market Day Ideas for School (Kids Can Make & Sell)

Simple, DIY Market Day ideas for school that will teach kids so much about business, entrepreneurship, and making a profit.

Looking for unique and sellable market day ideas for school easy enough for kids to make?

You're in the right place!

Psst: My son just had his third grade market day – read to the end to find out what he decided to make and sell. It was such a fun idea!

Market Day Ideas for School

I'm so excited because your child and students are about to learn all kinds of wonderful business and entrepreneur lessons – all while having fun making these simple DIY market day projects.

It's pretty much a win activity all around.

Hint: And once your child chooses an idea? Here's some help for them pricing their Market Day product or service.

1. Gourmet S'Mores Kits

People LOVE making s'mores. Why not give them the opportunity to make s'mores after your big market day event?

The selling point for these is to turn them into “Gourmet” s'mores kits.

To do that, you can include things like:

• Unicorn marshmallows
• Rolos to use in place of or along with the chocolate
• Sprinkles to roll the outside gooey, melted marshmallow into
• Cone Treat Bags + colorful Twist Ties

Hint: I actually got ALL these ingredients at the Dollar Tree. Here are five more ideas for Market Day Food Items to make and sell from Dollar Tree.

2. Classic Gameboard Bookmarks

Almost everyone feels nostalgic about a gameboard they used to play in childhood.

That's why these gameboard booksmarks can sell so well!

Here’s the gist of how to make them: choose a used/old gameboard that’s recognizable by lots of people, cut it into the shape of bookmarks, punch a hole in the top, and tie a ribbon on it with a game piece.

Here's the full tutorial.

3. Mystery Toy Soap Craft

What kid can pass up a hidden toy inside something?

I know I wouldn't be able to!

These are actual soap cubes that are safe to use.

And in the middle of each one? Is a surprise toy.

Here's the full tutorial.

4. Puzzle Cube Soap Craft

My 9-year-old son is like many others his age: he loves puzzle cubes. This is why I think these could be a bestseller on an entrepreneur day, market day, or even at a farmer’s market.

Here's the full tutorial.

5. First Aid Emergency Kit

First aid kits that can easily slip into a purse or the car glove compartment are super handy for families.

If you know there will be moms and dads buying on market day as well, then this could be for you!

Here’s what I got to make these:

• 10 reusable mini containers
• Cute band-aids
• Pain-relieving patches
• Alcohol prep pads
• Hand sanitizer packs

I was able to make 10 of these, for a total of $6.25 (plus tax).

And, there are leftover supplies (the alcohol pads, the hand sanitizers), so you could buy more of the containers, the pain-relieving patches, and band-aids to make another batch.

6. Paint-Dipped Chopsticks

This might be my favorite school business fair idea (could be because I used to live in Japan!).

Kids love to experiment with eating with chopsticks. And decorating the tops of chopsticks (not where they’ll eat with them, but where their hands go) is so easy to do!

Here’s a package of 10 bamboo chopsticks that are dishwasher safe, and here is dishwasher-safe paint to use to dip the non-eating ends of each pair of chopsticks in. You can dip one color layer on, let them dry (below, I have a Dollar Tree cooling rack bridging two chairs, and clothespins holding each chopstick, with paper below to catch the paint), and then create a new layer of paint line above the last color, and repeat until you’ve created a rainbow look.

Note: You’ll want to include a note that the chopsticks and paint are top-shelf, dishwasher-safe, but that handwashing would likely preserve them longer.

7. Figure 8 Mason Jar (or Cone)

Grab a ton of Popsicle sticks and mason jars (don’t have a bunch of mason jars hanging around? You can also buy some cellophane cones or anything else that will hold the Popsicle sticks).

Have your child print up generic answers to yes/no questions on the computer to print out, cut up, and glue onto the Popsicle sticks.

Example answers:

• You betcha
• You can count on that
• I wouldn’t expect it
• Only if you keep trying
• Yes
• No
• Maybe
• After a year
• Sometime in the future
• etc. 

Hint: you’ll want to have them fill in a few answers, print it out, and test to make sure it’ll fit onto the Popsicle sticks you have.

Fill jars or containers with the Popsicle sticks. Put a lid on, and create some labels for the top to display “Ask Your Yes/No Questions”, “Get the Answers You Seek”, “Figure 8 Jar”, or anything else you can think up.

Demonstrate these on your Market Day by asking customers walking by to ask any question they have, then pull out a random Popsicle stick and get the answer they’re looking for.

8. Spiral Notebook Palz

Almost every student has at least one spiral notebook for school.

Help them accessorize it and stand out by selling these really simple Spiral Notebook Palz.

Buy lobster clasp keyrings and charms that catch your eye. Put them together, and you’ve got a cute way to decorate a notebook.

9. Locker Palz

Look at these cute critters!

Kids will have a lot of fun making them, and they’re magnetic, so kids and tweens who are desperate to express themselves can buy them and decorate their lockers.

You’ll need:

• Small circle magnets
• Poof balls
• Hot glue gun & hot glue gun sticks
• Wikki Stix
• Sticky googly eyes

And since you’re using Wikki Stix for the antennae? They can easily twist and turn them to make them look the way they want.

Hint: they can try to sell more than one by telling people to buy a whole family or a group of friends to stick in their lockers or refrigerators.

10. Shoe Charms

Did you know you can buy blank shoe charms?

Buy the base, and then buy something with a flat side that you’d like to attach to the top by glue (either super glue or hot glue – with parental help).

I bought these fun mini-erasers from Target (in their party supply aisle), and made some cute shoe charms from them.

11. Hydro-Dipped Frisbees

Your son could start a new craze in the neighborhood/their school with these really cool, hydro-dipped frisbees.

They’ll need to buy a bulk set of plain frisbees, paints, painter’s tape, and a big bucket.

12. Homemade Noise Putty

When I was in high school and got to go to New York City for a chorus trip, I bought one of these from FAO Schwarz. Needless to say, our bus ride around the city was filled with strange noises for the next hour afterward.

Oh, and giggles. Lots and lots of giggles.

These could be hot sellers for your child!

Psst: The great thing about this craft? They can make one, huge batch and then just package them up.

13. Candle in School or Sports Team Colors

Get a fun candle mold, like this one in the photo, candle dyes, and candle wicks.

Then dye the candle layers in various colors that mean something to the people your child will be selling to. Such as their school colors or sports team colors.

14. The Chocolate Tasting Experience

<proud mama moment coming to you>.

My son absolutely loves chocolate. And not just the taste of it.

Ever since he saw the Willy Wonka movie in Kindergarten a few years ago, he's been mildly obsesed with the growing of cacao pods, manufacturing of it, and the business side of things.

Hint: That's why I created The Chocolate Business Project he and I worked through all last summer. What. fantastic time together learning some seriously advanced stuff about chocolate and business!

So I shouldn't have been surprised when he came to me and said he wanted people to taste the different stages of chocolate, from the bean to the end product, for his 3rd grade market day idea.

He decided he would sell this for $3.00.

Psst: He told me that when kids asked him to just buy the mini-chocolate bar, he was able to sell those for $1.00!

He came home with a big smile on his face, and said “Mom, I sold out.”

Score! And I want the same for your child. Maybe they won't sell out on their Market Day, but they can definitely learn some valuable business, entrepreneur, and life lessons by participating. Who knows, maybe one of these market day ideas for school will be the events biggest seller?