Looking for Something to Do with the Kids? Plan a Summer Business

If you are looking for things to do with your kids during the next few weeks we compiled a list of resources from some of our favorite partners that you can use to help your kids plan or start a new business.

This obviously is not the best time for a lemonade stand, but your children could use this time to plan a summer business or to turn a hobby into a business. Planning a business with your children is a fun activity that the whole family can do together that will also build your children’s skills and invest in their future. Here are some resources that can help:

Great place to start:

• The VentureLab Entrepreneurship Mindset Workbook features sixty self-paced activities in English and Spanish around thirteen key concepts in entrepreneurial thinking and can be completed around the dinner table. This is a great guide and way to organize your thinking about which business to start.

Fun business ideas:

• The Startup Squad has videos of nearly seventy different girlpreneurs talking about their businesses. Go here and here to get ideas for some great children’s businesses. Our website also has a number of blog posts with different business ideas.
• Goldieblox has a YouTube channel filled with videos about different crafting and STEM projects that can be used to start a business. Check out all their videos here.
• Zazzle allows your children to upload a design and create their own line of t-shirts, mugs, hats, and much more.
• One note: please try to order any supplies from your local stores during this difficult time. If your local stores cannot ship the products to you, or make it available for pickup, then look to an online retailer as your second option.

Books to read for the whole family:

• Small businesses are struggling so please support your local bookstore if they are still operating! Many local bookstores can ship books or offer curbside pick-up. You can use our Indiebound links to order from your local bookstore today.
• You can find a list of great fiction books with an entrepreneurial theme for children of all ages here. We’ve got activities, parent guides, and kid guides for old favorites and new ones, too including The Baby-Sitters Club, Olivia Opens a Lemonade Stand, Cupcake Diaries, and many more.
• We also recommend some non-fiction books for kids and adults including:
  • Starting Your Own Business – An extension of the trusted For Dummies brand, this book is written with young learners in mind and walks kids through the steps that turn a bright idea into a profitable business.
  • Kid Start-Up: How You Can Become an Entrepreneur – Co-authored by Mark Cuban, this book helps children discover a winning idea, launch a business, and start making money today.
  • How to Start Your Very First Business – From the team that brought you Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, How to Start Your Very First Business goes beyond saving and investing advice to encourage kids to think like entrepreneurs–providing them with the crucial, step-by-step basics they’ll need to earn their very first dollar.
  • Venture Girls – From an engineer and entrepreneur, a conversation-changing parenting book about how to build an entrepreneurial mindset in your girls and engage young women in science, technology, engineering, and math, filled with practical advice for both parents and educators.

Other free resources and tools:

• Bizkids has some great activities, lesson plans, games, educational tools, and videos including a great business plan template that can help your kids move from idea to business.
• Ready to start selling? Etsy has an easy to use platform for you to set up your kids’ first business. Shopify is another popular platform for starting a business.
• Is the business getting more sophisticated? Try these tools:
  • Need to register the business? The Small Business Association (SBA) has some tools and links here and the IRS offers some information about different business structures here.
  • Did your children earn more than $400? Congratulations, now they have to pay taxes! The IRS has tax guidance for young entrepreneurs.
  • Want to find out the sales tax rate in your area and when you need to charge sales tax? Shopify has a great guide here.

We hope these resources help you pass the time while investing in your children and building anticipation for the summer—which we all hope will be a return to normalcy. Until then, our thoughts are with all of you for your health and safety.