Introducing Entrepreneurship to Kids!

Have you ever thought about opening your lemonade stand, bakery, selling your paintings, or any other amazing craft you’ve created?

We’ve all heard the term “entrepreneurship,” and before we explore it further, it’s important to understand the concept. Entrepreneurship is about learning how to develop your ideas and turn them into something valuable.

What if I told you that these weren’t just ideas? These are the building blocks of entrepreneurship. It’s about exploring skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and computational thinking as well. Entrepreneurship is all about taking your ideas and turning them into something real, something that can help others or make the world a little more fun.

These skills are important no matter what you want to do in life, whether you become an astronaut, a doctor, or even the president!

But as a parent, do you play a role in developing these skills?

Here are five simple ways you can develop your child’s interest in such skill development:

1. Be a Brainstorm Buddy: Whether it’s time for a bedtime story or playing around the kitchen table, always listen to their ideas and ask questions that can make their minds wonder why things exist. What problems do they see in their everyday life? How could they solve them? Listening to their ideas and brainstorming with them will build their problem-solving skills.
2. Play a “What-If” Game: Turn everyday situations into interactive problems and ask questions like “What if we started a dog walking service in the neighborhood?” or “What if we transformed our old clothes into cool new outfits and sold them?” or “What if we wrote a storybook and sold it?” The possibilities are endless!
3. Celebrate the Journey, Not Just the Destination: Your kid didn’t earn much from their lemonade stand or didn’t sell many books? Well, that’s not the end. Celebrate the process, what your kids learned throughout their experience, what they achieved, or the time you spent together planning these activities. Appreciate the creativity they put behind these ideas.
4. Read Stories of Successful Entrepreneurs: Find books or articles about young people who have created their businesses. These stories can be inspiring and show your child that anyone can be an entrepreneur! You can always go to your local bookstore or search for short stories online (like on YouTube) and read about them.
5. Get Creative: There’s no limit to creativity! Be as creative as you want. Even though their ideas may sound silly at first, just start with small things, and they’ll learn the process as you go along. Support your child’s creative endeavors. Help them set up a table at a local market or craft fair if they’re interested in selling their artwork or homemade crafts.

Remember: Starting small is key! Let your child’s entrepreneurial journey be a fun and learning experience. By encouraging their ideas and fostering a creative environment, you’ll help them develop valuable skills that will last a lifetime.