A lesson about what is a side hustle.  Students learn about extra income opportunities and how to leverage their skills, passions, and market gaps to generate supplemental income, pay off debts faster, and help secure their financial future. 

This lesson covers the different types of side hustles, and how they can provide a supplemental income and gain insight on how a side hustle can help you pay off debt faster, ramp up your savings, and invest more towards your future. Understand the flexibility of a side hustle, and its potential to grow from a small project into a full-blown business. Get guidance on identifying your skills, passions, and market gaps, and how you can monetize them and learn the importance of balancing your side hustle with your full-time job and personal life. Also, realize how every dollar earned from your side hustle can aid in achieving financial independence.

CONCEPTS

Use this video lesson on the topic of jobs and earning income. Learn related concepts of:

• Debt Reduction
• Saving Strategies
• Financial Planning and Money Management
• Life-work balance
• Entrepreneurship

GRADE LEVEL

8-12th grades. Middle School. High School. College. Adult Education.

TIME REQUIRED

45-60 minutes. It may be necessary to adjust the lesson plan and allocate more or less time to certain topics, depending on the needs and interests of the students.

PROCEDURE

Hand out the worksheet below (see the GET LESSON button near the bottom of the page).

Show students the video and have and have them complete the worksheet.  Review the questions on the worksheet.  A more comprehensive and detailed lesson plan can be accessed below for further instruction and study.

What’s a Side Hustle? Extra Income Opportunities

After watching the video, have students tell what the most important things they learned from the video.

 

Lesson Plan: Understanding Side Hustles and Extra Income Opportunities

Objective: By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• Understand the concept of a side hustle and its role in achieving financial freedom.
• Identify potential side hustles based on their skills, interests, and market needs.
• Understand the benefits and drawbacks of maintaining a side hustle.
• Apply their knowledge to create a plan for a hypothetical side hustle.

Materials Needed:

• Video: “What’s a Side Hustle? Extra Income Opportunities”
• Pen and paper
• Internet access for research

Lesson Procedure:

Introduction (5 minutes)

Briefly introduce the topic of side hustles and their growing significance in modern economies. Explain the structure and objectives of the lesson.

Video Viewing (15 minutes)

Show the video, “What’s a Side Hustle? Extra Income Opportunities”. Ask students to take notes while watching the video.

Discussion (15 minutes)

Invite students to share their initial thoughts and reactions to the video. Discuss key points from the video:

• What is a side hustle?
• Why consider a side hustle?
• How to start a side hustle?
• The importance of balancing side hustles with other responsibilities.

Ask students the following discussion questions:

• Why do you think side hustles have become so popular?
• What kinds of side hustles can you think of that weren’t mentioned in the video?
• Do you believe that anyone can start a side hustle? Why or why not?
• What are potential challenges of maintaining a side hustle?

Activity: Side Hustle Brainstorming (20 minutes)

Ask students to brainstorm potential side hustles based on their skills, interests, and market needs. Invite them to share their ideas and provide feedback for one another.

Activity: Creating a Side Hustle Plan (20 minutes)

Instruct students to pick one side hustle idea from their brainstorming session and develop a basic plan for it.This should include their goals, steps to get started, potential challenges, and strategies to overcome those challenges.

Wrap-up Discussion (10 minutes)

Invite students to share their side hustle plans with the class. Discuss as a class how a side hustle could impact their lives financially and personally.

Homework Assignment

Ask students to research successful side hustles and write a one-page summary about one that interests them.

Evaluation:

Quiz (10 minutes)

After the lesson, give a short quiz (see below) to assess understanding of the concepts.

Modifications:

For online classes, the discussion can be held in a chat or forum format, and the activities can be completed using digital tools such as Google Docs. The video can be shared via screen sharing or through a shared link.

For younger students or students who struggle with planning, the side hustle plan activity can be scaffolded with more specific prompts or a template.

Extension:

As an extension activity, students could be asked to carry out their side hustle plan in real life and report back on their experiences.

Side Hustle Suggestion Tool

• Side Hustle Suggestions Tool – This interactive tool is designed to help you discover a side hustle that aligns with your specific situation, interests, and needs. By providing personalized recommendations, it guides you to potential side hustles that could be a good fit for your lifestyle, abilities, and financial goals.

Lesson Resources

• What’s a Side Hustle? Extra Income Opportunities