Owning a business can be confusing at the best of times, it can be overwhelming at times even for adults, so if we are going to raise a generation of incredible business people, who have all the skills they need to hit the ground running, we need to help them understand exactly what business is and how to manage their money effectively. So how exactly do we help small children understand all about business?
Maths
A lot of children may hear the word business and automatically assume it’s all about the numbers and money, and since a lot of children don’t particularly enjoy maths it can be off-putting, but it’s essential to make sure children are enthusiastic about trying business. Many teens are making money currently from using their entrepreneurial skills already, so there’s nothing to say the smaller children can’t start learning the ropes as well, and as long as they know there are tools like corporation tax calculators to help with the tricky finance moments, then there will be less fear around business and what it entails.
Roleplay
There’s a little bit more about playing ‘shopkeeper’ than having fun and spending £4675674 on a tomato. It teaches kids the very basics of business, it teaches them some skills surrounding sales, and it boosts their communication skills. The next time the pretend shop comes out why not show them how to put a little bit of savings aside for tax and make sure they know their objection handling skills too! Why not help them type a mini CV while you’re at it?
Do what you love
Encouraging children to try everything they can and find the thing they love the most is a surefire way to put a child on the right path to success, business usually starts with a love for something or a passion, and often that ‘thing’ can be discovered as a child which saves a lot of time and energy later down the line. Of course, there’s no pressure, let them learn and discover new things at their own pace. But It’s also great fun and confidence-building to try new things out!
Online Marketing
This is a big one, children must know about advertising and the many forms that it takes in 2019, most Youtube videos children watch these days will be making money for a brand or sponsored one way or another, so it’s great for kids to know what they are viewing may not always be as natural as they think, and that companies make a lot of money from toys sold via videos and adverts. It’s also helpful to show kids how that works in business as well, it gives them an insight into marketing, and depending on their age, it helps with realistic expectations too!
Whichever way you decide to introduce business and how it works to your kids it’s essential to keep it light and age-appropriate, kids don’t need to know about the ins and outs of every detail in business, but they can certainly show an interest and get a good insight from an early age.
