When you are a parent, your biggest goal is to ensure your children are successful. Teaching them sports, and how to play an instrument are ways to create a winning spirit. However, another vital way to make your children successful is by teaching them about business.
Not all kids will become the next Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs. But learning about business can still be of great benefit to their lives.
How?
Encourage participation in the community.
Participating in your local community is a great way to foster your child’s love of business. Any community program that promotes responsibility, such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts of America encourages entrepreneurship.
Let them play creative games online
When it comes to being business savvy, sometimes you’ve got to give the gift of business games. We’re all familiar with the flash-based games that get kids to play and make them happy, but did you know that there are also a plethora of mobile games out there that teach them about food, farming, cooking, the culinary arts, the restaurant business, and hospitality-related careers? In fact, the National Restaurant Association found that children familiar with what’s on a menu have a better chance at making a healthy selection. That’s why Culinary Schools has created a list of games for kids (Cooking and Kitchen Work, Food Education Games, Serving Eaters, Farming – familiarizes players with farms, farm animals and farming and other fun games))to play that will allow them to learn about all things food-food preparation, ingredients, and terminology – in a fun way.
Show them how it works
One of the best ways to teach your kids about business is to show them how it works. Invite them to help you run errands and explain to them why you are going there, what you need and how the transaction works.
Do charitable work
Giving back is an excellent way to instill the importance of giving, while also teaching your kids about business. When you volunteer, explain the services that are needed and why they are needed. You can also explain to them how they will be rewarded for their efforts and everything they do to earn profits or income can be used to give back through charity.
Related: 9 Steps to Start a Charity
Start a business yourself
Starting your own business is an excellent way to teach your kids that business ownership can be a positive, rewarding experience. If you own a small business, use it as an opportunity for your family to learn about how business works by getting involved in various aspects of the business: marketing, sales, accounting, HR, and more.
Art project
Have you ever thought about turning your kids’ craftiness into a business? Maybe your kids love drawing, writing, designing, and making toys. Putting those skills to something that can bring in some cash is huge for them.
You can let your kids make great artwork for local businesses and companies to be able to have their logos or products promoted and get some cash from them. Call every local business in your area and tell them you have kids that can make awesome pictures or posters of their products. Get a deal with them where they promote their company or logo on the artwork made by your kids and they will pay them a certain amount.
Cleaning services
Are you a clean freak like me? Well, instead of buying all the cleaning materials, teach your kid how to use them. You can help them by teaching them how to buff, mop, clean windows, and basically whatever else. Get a few small cleaning equipments you won’t mind buying once in a while and let your kid learn how to use it right then and there. Have them mop the floors inside your home for free or just for some snacks. But the best part is letting them charge people for the work they do.
