4 Ways to Teach Your Kids Entrepreneurial Skills This Summer
When school lets out for the summer, it's the perfect opportunity to spend some time with your children and teach them some of the skills you've learned. And perhaps this year you can thwart those cries of “I'm bored” with some of these fun activities:
- The art of brainstorming. Regardless of whether you're 7 or 70, you are going to encounter problems of one type or another. Sometimes these problems could be as simple an issue as the inevitable summer boredom. An important skill you can help your kids learn is how to come up with possible solutions. Here are some ideas that can help you get started:
- Play “what would you do if--”. What would you do if it were snowing? What would you do if there were no electricity? What would you do if you were Superman? What would you do if you had no hands? Ask serious questions, share funny answers, etc. This is a good way for kids to see things in a different light.
- Start with the desired end result and work backwards. For example, if your child wants to dive off the diving board, have him/her tell you the story of how he/she became a great diver, all the steps that he/she took to get there.
- The magic of marketing. Even the smallest youngster has felt the allure of a movie trailer or a toy commercial. Every business has to use marketing, and there's no time like the present to teach your children about it. Talk about commercials, ads, and packaging with your kids—what catches their eye, what is making them want or not want the product, etc. Why would they buy or not buy the product? Have them design cereal boxes or new products, or make a commercial or flyer advertising their products.
- Get those creative juices flowing. Summer vacation almost always means the kids are going to want to do those summer vacation things: chasing the ice cream truck on a muggy afternoon; hitting the public pool a few mornings a week or seeing the new summer blockbuster—twice. All of which costs money.
- Why not have the kids come up with some ideas on how they could become little entrepreneurs and start their own ventures.
- Be prepared for some crazy ideas, and make sure you talk to your kids before you let them put any plan into action—you might walk into your child's bedroom and encounter your 6 year old, with pliers in one hand and several incisors in the other, who's come up with The Tooth Fairy Plan.
- Selling know-how. At some point in everyone's life, there will be a need to sell a product or service, even if it’s just selling yourself at a job interview. There's no time like the present to teach your kids sales skills. Help your kids clean out their closets and sell their old toys and clothes at a yard sale, or maybe make that lemonade stand like the one they saw on TV. If your child's dream is to be the block's best lawn mower, walk with them to the neighbors' homes so they can drum up business.
Summer vacation is on, and your children have more time on their hands than they’ve had in months. Why not take advantage of it? Just because school is out, doesn’t mean their learning has to stop.