The first boy said he wanted to own a motorcycle store. So I drew his motorcycle shop up on the white board with motorcycles and stick people customers. Another kid wanted to own his own outdoor hunting store. So I drew that up on the board, across the street from the motorcycle shop. The third kid wanted to own a hardware/software store. “Well, that’s perfect! Because both stores will need hardware and software,” I said, explaining the relationship between customers and vendors. So it went.
The kids were engaged in the moment. They could envision their place in the world, and they could imagine it with their peers. At the end, one mother asked the kids, “Okay. What words did you learn today?” The kids shouted, “Entrepreneur!”
Creativity is a key ingredient for entrepreneurship, and I’ve found kids are typically much more creative than adults. Unfortunately, many of us lose (or bury) most of our creativity as we grow into adulthood and conform to the conventions of adult life. So why wait until kids are almost adults to start teaching them about business? It doesn’t make much sense, does it? Maybe we don’t think kids will “get it.” Since I witnessed it that day with the parents, kids and a white board, I know for certain they do.
Teaching kids how to think like entrepreneurs is easier than you might think. Here are six simple activities you can do to introduce business concepts to them and prepare them for life in the real world.
Here are some books by this author: The Future Business Leaders Series™ is a set of adventure stories designed to teach pre-teen kids business concepts and entrepreneurship. The series tells the stories of 10-year-old Tyler Sogno and his peers becoming entrepreneurs in the city of Nessibus. Through the passing of the magical Golden Key, the kids of Nessibus become suppliers, customers, and referrals for one another. Here’s a preview of the first book in the series.
