Kidpreneur – Teach Kids Entrepreneurship in 5 Steps

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The feeling you’ll get if you’re able to achieve this project will be such a rewarding moment.  Inspire your students to think outside the box and become a kidpreneur!  You may just spark something in your students that will remain as a life long lesson.  What I love about this is that it gives your students character lessons in self confidence, persistence and hard work.

Ideally, you can tie these entrepreneur lessons in with a media literacy unit.  The two go hand in hand, since students will need to think of such things as target audiences, appealing to consumers, etc.  Here are the steps you’ll need to teach kids entrepreneurship.

1. Introduce Entrepreneurship

Chances are kids have never heard of this term, and may not be able to pronounce it depending on their age group!  So, it’s important to lay the foundation with an introduction to what being an entrepreneur is all about.  Talk with the kids about being innovative, creative and solving problems that need to be solved.  Remember to give plenty of examples, and record discussions using an anchor chart.  Once you’ve done that, here are some great read alouds you can try:

5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers.
A book about a young boy, who if given the opportunity would build a car, his own way.
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers.
A house built by the whims of one creative boy.
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers.
A story about a young girl who is determined to build something amazing.
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers.
A young boy chooses not to abandon his idea.

2. Brainstorm

Once you’ve gotten kids/students warmed up to the idea of being an entrepreneur.  It’s time to start brainstorming about all the possibilities.  This is a fun and exciting process for some, but for others it’s taxing to come up with creative ideas.  Be prepared to consistently conference with students, provide them with prompts and give them encouragement.  After all, this is just brainstorming.  The ideas can be wacky, ordinary or just plain wishful thinking, but the point is to get them thinking.  To get the ball rolling ask your students: “what are some problems that we face, and how can we solve them?”.  Here are some brainstorming graphic organizers:

5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
You can begin by modeling the brainstorming process. (Taken from Mrs. Orman’s Class)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
Students can list many ideas with this G.O. (Taken from Just Reed)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
You can use this G.O. to either have students filter ideas they love vs. ideas they’re not going to pursue. OR You could use this once students have their final idea. They could brainstorm things that will help and things that will hinder their progress and need to watch out for. (Taken from Just Reed)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
Once your students have selected an idea they would like to pursue, they can start brainstorming details. What will their product/service/innovation feel like, look like, etc. Not all of these categories will apply, and thats ok. (Taken from Elementary School Counseling)

3. Discuss Goal Setting

Teaching goal setting is part and parcel of teaching students entrepreneurship.  Molding an idea is something that takes many small and big steps, and having your students realize this early on is important. Discuss goal setting, and have your students set tangible goals towards achieving their entrepreneurial project.  You’ll need to conduct conferences with students to help them focus and make sure their on the right track.  By the way, if this is too much of a commitment/investment for you/parents, then feel free to keep this as a concept project instead of something to actually carry out.

5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
A visual reminder about the goal setting process. (Taken from Crafting Connections)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
A handout for students. (Taken from Special Ed)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
Or you could use something more simplistic. (Taken from The Passionate School Counselor)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
And remember to encourage positive thinking throughout. (Taken from Runde’s Room)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
It’s a good idea to start putting goals down into a plan format. (Taken from Home Sweet Road)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
A read aloud about setting goals.

4. Present Their Idea

This is where this project ties in with Media Literacy.  You can have your students use their new found media literacy knowledge to create hype around their ideas.  They can plaster these ads around their school, or present them to their classmates.

5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
An ad graphic organizer. (Taken from Worksheet Place)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
You can change this up so it’s relevant to your students. (Taken from Better Lesson)

 

5. Encourage kids to continue outside the classroom

It’s a great idea to send a note home about the entrepreneur project informing parents about what has been taking place in the classroom.  That way, if students are passionate about their particular project, their parents may decide to continue pursuing it.  The infographic below would make for a great handout to give to parents as well.  Alternatively, how awesome would it be to organize a school-wide entrepreneurial fair.  Students could present their innovative ideas, much like a science fair.  This would really encourage the creative spirit in your students.

5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
This company aims to encourage creative thinking in children. It’s a neat concept. If parents ask for resources, you could direct them here. Or check it out yourself. (Taken from Seedling)
5 easy steps to teach students entrepreneurship. With these 5 steps, you will inspire your students to be creative problem solvers in no time!
An infographic. (Taken from Entrepreneur)

Here’s to creativity!

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