We all come from different family backgrounds. Some of us have parents who simply wanted us to receive the best education, so that we can have a successful career as a valued employee in a large corporation. Those coming from a family of business people may ephasize entrepreneurship skills for kids, and we may even be expected to continue the family legacy.
Arguably, there is no best or easiest way to earn a living, for as long as we use God’s gift in the wisest possible ways. Whichever person your children will choose to become in the future, there is no mistake in helping them to develop entrepreneurial skills.
Why entrepreneurial skills are important for children to develop
Entrepreneurial skills will not just benefit business owners. Intuitively, a career man or woman who wants to become successful will also need to be innovative, adaptive, disciplined, creative, people-oriented, and capable of managing multiple tasks at once.
Children should take the first steps in learning to become productive citizens through entrepreneurial skills training. Whether or not they choose to become self employed in the future is up to them, but even employees are more valuable when they have an entrepreneurial mindset. For example, employees who understand the needs of the business are more capable of making profitable decisions.
How to help children develop entrepreneurial skills
Above all, you must help your children to surround themselves with the right people. Even if you are a business owner yourself, it is important for them to interact with other business owners and become influenced by their examples.
This can be achieved quite easily by talking to your trusted business associates. They may be more than happy to show your children how they do their job everyday, and the kinds of products that they make, the cost inputs into those products, and how they market them to their customers.
This kind of exposure is a great learning experience. After all, they may still be too young to read business books or take business courses, but these experiences can form the foundation of an entrepreneurial mindset.
Teach them to solve their own problems
Depending on how old your children are, many of the problems that they face are solvable if they try to find a solution for it. This does not mean that they are no longer allowed to ask for your help. Let them know that if they are really stuck, we will help.
Otherwise, offer clues or allow them to ask someone else so that they do not always depend on you for an answer. Similarly, you could point them in the direction of a resource that can help them with their question.
Give them the taste of selling
Your children can learn to sell through a variety of experiences. They can take part in a fundraising project in church or school, and if they are old enough, you can get them to help you at the storefront and talk to customers.
These days there are many different ways to sell. Your older children should be very familiar with social media and chatting platforms. If your customers often reach you through these platforms, give your children an opportunity to interact with them under supervision.
Conclusion
All these exercises are simpler than you think, and most of them cost nothing, but the value of the skills that your children will develop is priceless. At IPEKA Christian School, we encourage our students to be responsible and take initiative to solve their problems, and have the compassion to help other people solve theirs. If you wish to learn more about our school or how we encourage entrepreneurship skills for kids, please view our introduction.