ML Interest Tag: money

7 Tips for the Ultimate Lemonade Stand

By Brian Weisfeld

Few things say summer more than a lemonade stand. And what better way to launch your kid’s entrepreneurial career? Lemonade stands are a ton of fun but also offer life lessons like goal-setting, confidence-building, and basic business skills—lessons that can set them on a path to succeed in life regardless of the path they choose.

Here are our 7 top lemonade stand tips to help your kids run the ultimate lemonade stand and get the most from the experience.

1. SET YOUR PRICE…OR MAYBE DON’T!

Our first lemonade stand tip is if your kids want to set a price for their lemonade, make sure they account for all the costs to ensure they’ll make money on each cup. It’s not just the lemons and sugar that cost money, don’t forget to factor in the cost of the cups, signs, and stand decorations.

But a totally different strategy is to not set a price at all. By asking people to pay what they want, they may raise even more money than if they set a price for each cup. If your kids are raising money for a good cause, or a local charity, this strategy can supercharge their revenue!

2. THE BEST LOCATION MAY NOT BE THE CLOSEST ONE

A lemonade stand starts strong if it’s located in a safe, accessible area with high foot traffic. If you live in a busy area, your front lawn, stoop, or driveway might be ideal. But if you live in a quieter location, think about partnering with a friend who lives in a busier area or setting up somewhere else in town. But be sure to check with your local government to make sure that they won’t need a permit.

3. THE MORE EYE-CATCHING THE BETTER

Streamers, balloons, big signs, and cute pets are all great ways for the stand to catch people’s attention. The more eye-catching the better. Check out some of the bright and colorful lemonade stands on Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration. Or better yet, encourage your kids to let their imagination fly and practice their creativity with their own ideas about how to get people’s attention.

4. PRACTICE THE PITCH

What will your kids say to potential customers? Most kids get nervous talking to adults or strangers. Have them figure out what they’ll say to potential customers, write it down, then practice the pitch. The more they practice, the more it will feel like reciting a line in a school play instead of talking to a stranger. Eventually, they’ll be so good at their pitch that they’ll stop being nervous and may even exude more confidence beyond their lemonade stand.

5. GET THE WORD OUT

Aside from making a big, eye-catching display, get a few customers by asking friends and family to stop by and support the stand. And don’t forget to spread the word on social media. You and your kids can also create flyers and pass them out around your neighborhood.

6. OFFER PAYMENT OPTIONS

Cash is king. But joggers, walkers, and cyclists usually don’t have cash on them. Let your kids borrow your phone to use your PayPal and Venmo accounts to collect money from their more active customers. Even if they’ve never collected any e-payments, a child with a sign that says “We accept Paypal and Venmo” will catch people’s attention and gain them some serious entrepreneurial cred.

7. MANAGE THE PROCEEDS

Have your kids do the math to figure out how much they sold (the revenue), how much they spent (the expenses), and what is left at the end (the profit). Make sure to let them know that while it’s great to raise money for a cause they believe in, there is nothing wrong with working hard to make money for themselves, too.

And if you need a recipe, here’s our favorite from The Startup Squad’s first book: juice from 6 lemons, 6 cups of water, and 1 cup of sugar. Yum!

I've always built businesses, from a childhood gummy bear business to adult gigs at IMAX and Coupons.com. I founded The Startup Squad to help girls reach their potential and my book series, The Startup Squad, is published by Macmillan. I live in Silicon Valley with my wife and two daughters.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

6 Lunar New Year Traditions the Whole Family Can Enjoy

by Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

Fireworks and noodle soup are two fun Lunar New Year traditions for families

Whether it’s called Chinese New Year, Seollal, Shōgatsu, or Tết, Lunar New Year (running officially from New Year’s Eve on Jan 22. through Feb. 5) is a special holiday for more than 1.6 billion people of Asian descent across the globe. Think of it as a cross between the Fourth of July, Passover, Christmas, and the biggest birthday bash ever—all rolled into one. There are some essential customs that many people hold dear, and each one revolves around family, food, fortune, and fun; these Lunar New Year traditions will help you teach your kids about this important holiday.

Prepare for the Lunar New Year

Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

Although it happens in the middle of winter, Lunar New Year is also known as the Spring Festival in many Asian countries. As such, it’s also a time when many families prepare for the new year (and the coming spring) with major house cleaning. Asian superstition dictates that household organization extends to finances too, which means paying off or collecting debts before the new year.

In addition to decorating the house with red paper cutouts and banners—particularly rabbit-themed decorations in 2023—during this festive time, a fun activity to do with kids is folding origami boxes and putting small lights in them as a way to remember ancestors and wish for good luck in the coming year.

Pro-tip: Plan to do housekeeping before the new year commences. Many celebrants believe that sweeping around the house on Lunar New Year’s Day is akin to sweeping away all of your good luck for the year!

Have Some Noodle Soup

Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

There are many different traditional dishes that are enjoyed during Lunar New Year, but one of the most common dishes served across Asian countries during the holiday is a bowl of noodle soup. On Lunar New Year’s Eve and Day, families often eat handmade wheat noodles in a savory broth that includes vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. Long noodles represent longevity and long life, while eggs symbolize rebirth and starting anew.

Pro-tip: Don’t cut the noodles! Slurping is OK and expected. Also, it’s traditional to serve elders and the little ones before serving yourself.

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Fortunes

Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

During Lunar New Year, kids may receive festively decorated red envelopes that are filled with “lucky money,” along with written notes wishing them health, happiness, and success. Known as lai see (Cantonese), ang pao (Hokkien) or hong bao (Mandarin), these red packets also are given during other holidays and special occasions. Increasingly, money is given via red envelope mobile payment apps in many parts of Asia.

Pro-tip: While the amount of cash isn’t as important as the intent behind the gift, many Asian people believe the number or denomination is very important, so you’ll want to make sure you’re putting a “lucky” number inside the red envelopes. Also, make sure to include clean, crisp bills because no one wants to start the new year with crumpled cash.

Related: 12 Easy Lunar New Year Projects for Kids

Find the Fireworks

Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

While many people in America set off fireworks that light up the night sky only during Fourth of July celebrations, firecrackers are the noisemakers of choice for those who commemorate Lunar New Year. Traditionally, the sounds from the small explosions are meant to drive away evil spirits, while strings of firecrackers are invariably red, which is an auspicious and lucky color.

Pro-tip: Since most places require special permits or have banned fireworks and firecrackers outright, take the kiddos to your city or town’s Chinatown, which often has firecracker displays and lion dances during the weeks of the Lunar New Year. Alternately, ringing bells to usher in the Lunar New Year is a perfectly acceptable way to ward off evil spirits this time of year. Plus, you’ll have an excuse to use those jingle bells left over from Christmas.

Dress for Success for Lunar New Year

Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

Dressing in bright colors—especially in red—is common practice during Lunar New Year. Revelers wear their fanciest duds as a way to scare away evil spirits and invite good fortune to them. Some devotees will even go as far as wearing red underpants! Wearing new clothes from head to toe also symbolizes new beginnings for the new year, and wearing something red is the luckiest color of them all.

Pro-tip: Red looks good on everybody.

Take a Family Photo

Kipp Jarecke-Cheng

Most importantly, Lunar New Year is about spending time and celebrating with family and loved ones. For many Asian families, Lunar New Year is the one time in the year when entire extended families get to see each other, so it’s the perfect opportunity to snap an annual family portrait. If you live far away from relatives, this might not be possible, so try other ways to stay connected like these sweet ideas for keeping in touch with grandparents from a distance. 

Pro-tip: Your family portrait shouldn’t be too staged or too pose-y. It’s a celebration. Have fun!

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Here’s the Real Reason Costco Checks Your Receipts Before You Leave

by Erica Loop

Costco’s exit greeters will even draw a happy face on your receipt if you’ve got kids in tow

Here’s something you’ve probably wondered at least once or twice: why does Costco check receipts? You just spent the last four hours shopping for bulk for all your bulk good needs and now that your cart is full and you’ve paid your due, the smiling exit greeter gives your receipt the once over. What’s the deal?

So it might seem like the Costco exit greeter and receipt checker is trying to catch you shoplifting. But that really isn’t so. Imagine trying to “sneak” a case of ramen noodles out. Not so easy, right?

Related: 17 “Secret” Costco Hacks & Membership Perks You Need to Know About

Instead, the exit greeter’s job is to actually save you money. They’re not looking at the receipt to make sure the gallon of ketchup filling your cart is actually listed on your receipt. Instead, they’re looking for duplicate charges, promotions the cashier may not have caught, or other similar errors. They’re also looking for products that you purchased but may not have received by way of a mis-scanned item or items held at checkout. In fact, Costco has been providing this service since they opened their first store in Seattle in 1983.

A recent Reddit thread illustrates this point completely. After one Reddit user asked, “How much is caught at the exit receipt check?” another responded, “I sometimes get the $100 for $80 gift cards and they always ask if I remembered those, since you have to go to the lock-up to pick up the gift cards after you pay.”

Before you give the exit greeter that sideways, “Hey, what are you really searching for?” look, remember—they’re here to help.

Related: 11 Ridiculous Things You Can Buy on Your Next Costco Run

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

It Now Costs Over $300,000 to Raise a Child, According to New Estimates

by Shahrzad Warkentin

And that doesn’t include college

New estimates show that inflation isn’t just jacking up the cost of groceries and gasoline, but childrearing, too. The cost to raise a child for a two-parent, married family with two kids on a middle income? Over $310,000.

The Brookings Institution‘s estimate addresses children born in 2015 and spans all the costs through the age of 17. And spoiler alert: it doesn’t include any costs for sending your kids to college.

That $310K price tag has jumped $80,000 from 2017, which equals out to be over $18K per year.  Expenses that fit into the increase are plentiful and include child care, healthcare, housing, food clothing, haircuts, diapers and other must-haves like sports and lessons.

Related: 16 Ways to Shop Smart & Save Money on Groceries

iStock

So how did experts arrive at that number? It came down to using an average inflation rate of 2.23% (2015-2020), plus another 1.77% for the last two years. Thank you, recession!

“The new estimate only crunches numbers for middle-income, married parents, and doesn’t include projections for single parent households, or consider how race factors into cost challenges” reports The Hill. The cost for those family dynamics are even more bleak.

“Rising expenses for raising a family could disproportionately affect lower-income families. For a single parent earning $20,000 or $30,000 a year, shelling out the extra funds for a child might be difficult,” says said Dr. Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow at Brookings.

For Black families, the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute found that “that Black households are more exposed to inflation fluctuations than White households.” The Wall Street Journals says that “can make it difficult for households to determine how much the money they earn will buy.”

At the end of the day, no one enters parenthood thinking they are going to get off cheap. But for the next generation, we’re betting they’ll think long and hard about opening the purse strings before having kids.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Why We Stopped Having Birthday Parties (& What We Do Instead)

By Mandy Varney

Birthdays. It’s something every person on earth has. Some people couldn’t care less about them (that’s me!), while others prefer to go all out for their special day, even celebrating their entire birthday month.

As time goes on, though, birthdays seem to lose a bit of their appeal and serve as a reminder that we are now another year older. But, for children, birthdays are a time of happiness and excitement. My children always look forward to their big day with great anticipation. They are proud to be turning a new age and like to remind me that they’re getting older. They love having a day that is just for them and don’t even care that there will not be a big, over-the-top birthday party in celebration of this special day.

When my kids were younger, we did elaborate, themed parties with our friends and family. There was food, Pinterest-worthy tableware and decorations, games, and of course, a fancy cake. And while it was nice seeing everyone to celebrate, I found it was all too much—too much money, too much time, and too much stress. I was tired at the end of the day, and so were my children. So, after a few years of these kinds of parties, I decided to try something new—and thankfully, it worked!

I asked my kids if they would rather have a big birthday party as we had done before or if they wanted to do a fun activity for their birthday instead. Both kids wasted no time saying they would prefer to do something fun over having a big party. To say I was relieved and overjoyed would be an understatement! I was thrilled that they picked this option and wanted to ensure that whatever we replaced the big party with would be fun and meaningful for them. I think it’s safe to say that it worked because we have not had a “regular” birthday party since.

Instead, we now celebrate their birthdays by taking the day off from school (we homeschool, so this works well for our family) and going somewhere fun. It is always something simple like a local park or playground, museum, mini-golf, bowling, the beach, or a new hiking spot. It’s never anything fancy or expensive, but they’re happy because they get to pick the place themselves and spend a day having fun together (while also getting to miss a day of school!).

And not only do they get to pick the place we go to that day, but they also choose what meal we will eat later that evening. Sometimes it’s food from a restaurant, and sometimes it’s their favorite homecooked meal, but either way, it’s all about them and what food they want that night. Their grandparents join us, and to make the meal even more special. They decide what theme they want, and we look for plates and cups that match that theme, whether it’s horses, mermaids, dinosaurs, or race cars. We look for fun plates and cups to use for our dinner and the cake that night.

After dinner they open gifts and then their favorite part—the cake! I have always made my kid’s birthday cakes. It is something I like to do for them each year. They get so excited to help design their one-of-a-kind cake, picking what they want it to look like and what flavors it will be. These cakes are definitely the most time-consuming (and at times, stressful!) part of their birthdays, but it’s worth it to me to see the joy on their faces when they look at the cake that was made just for them.

Now that we’ve been doing birthdays in this low-key, simple way, I can’t imagine going back to having big, elaborate parties ever again. I know that some people love to throw over-the-top celebrations, and if it works for them, that is great, but it isn’t for us. My kids are delighted with our way of celebrating. Every year they get excited about their birthday, love to remind me that they are a whole year older, eagerly await our fun day and meal together, enjoy opening gifts, and smile from ear to ear when they see a cake made just for their special day. All the laughter and smiles from that day tell me that our new way of celebrating seems to be working out just fine.

Hello! I'm Mandy, a homeschooling mom to two silly, awesome kids. I am also a blogger who writes about the things I enjoy most - education, family fun, faith, life hacks, travel, and all things related to mom life. You can learn more about me and my work at simplycreativejourney.com.

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

The Best Humidifiers for Your Nursery

by Jamie Davis Smith

If you buy something from the links in this article, we may earn affiliate commission or compensation.

No one wants to see their baby stuffy, sick and suffering. Pediatricians say adding moisture to the air is one of the best ways to relieve cough, congestion and sore throats—especially for little ones who can’t take most medications. As a bonus for parents, humidifiers can keep your skin hydrated and plump so you won’t look as tired as you feel. Read on for some of the best and most innovative options available. Pop one in your nursery and your own bedroom.

 

Air Innovations Ultrasonic Coolmist

$80 BUY NOW

The Air Innovations Ultrasonic Coolmist is full of features that make it a great choice for busy parents. To start, it has a ceramic filter, meaning you never need to worry about not being able to use your humidifier because you forgot to order new ones. This humidifier can run for 96 hours so you won't find yourself having to refill the tank every night before bedtime. It's also super-quiet so even light sleepers can run this machine through the night. Plus, it has a remote control, an aromatherapy chamber and an adjustable nozzle so you can direct mist exactly where it's needed. The Coolmist looks sleek and is effective in rooms up to 600 square feet so it can easily be used outside the nursery as well. 

 

Dyson Purifier Humidify + Cool

$919 BUY NOW

Dyson is known for cutting-edge technology, and the Purifier Humidify+Cool is no exception. This smart humidifier can be put on auto or you can use manual settings to optimize the moisture in your room. If the humidifier senses it's not working at peak performance, it will use LED lights to let you know it's time to make adjustments. This machine does double-duty by acting as an air purifier complete with a HEPA filter. The Dyson is big and comes with a hefty price tag, but it will get the job done and should last for years. 

Canopy Humidifier

$125+ BUY NOW

Canopy is made to fit into busy lifestyles. To start, it uses a no-mist system so it does not get the floor wet, and it's mold-resistant. Best of all, most pieces can be put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. This humidifier has a wide opening, making it very easy to fill, so it's one of the simplest humidifiers to use. It's also small so it can go anywhere and fit in with any décor. For parents who like to diffuse scents into their child's room, an aroma kit comes in the package along with a tiny tray that parents can place on top of the humidifier. (Do your research and talk to your pediatrician about which essential oils are safe to diffuse around children and pets.) Canopy also goes the extra mile to keep you and your little one healthy: Water is purified by an LED light before being released into the air, and the included filter helps purify the air. 

 

Pure Daily Care Nanosteamer

$50 BUY NOW

Sometimes small and simple is sufficient. If you don't have room for a bigger humidifier, need something you can travel with or only occasionally need to moisture to the air, the tiny Nanosteamer from Pure Daily Care may be the perfect choice. This compact powerhouse will fit anywhere but kicks out a lot of steam. When not being used as a humidifier, the Nanosteamer can be used to give yourself an at-home facial, so you'll get more bang for your buck out of this one.

 

Hubble Connected Mist

$50 BUY NOW

The Hubble Connected Mist ($50) is more than just a humidifier. It's a 5-in-1 machine that also has an aroma diffuser, a bluetooth speaker, a nightlight and a digital clock. The Hubble glows in just about any color in the rainbow, meaning it can help give your baby's nursery a custom look any time of day or night. Since this little machine can do so much, it really helps cut down on clutter. The Hubble doesn't use a filter, so that's one less thing to worry about. The entire top lifts off for easy cleaning between uses. As with any diffuser, do your research and talk to your pediatrician about which essential oils are safe to diffuse around children and pets.

 

RELATED STORIES:

See Ya, Sniffles! 10 Effective Ways to Soothe a Sick Baby

14 Mom-Tested Home Remedies to Fight Colds & Flu

A Pediatrician Mom Shares 10 Tips to Survive Cold & Cough Season

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

10 Things Kids Should Know about Money by the Time They’re 10

by Teresa Douglas

Teaching young children how to handle their finances pays huge dividends (pun 100% intended) both now and in the future. Not sure how to craft age-appropriate lessons for your squad? We interviewed four financial professionals and came up with a list of 10 money skills that deliver the biggest bang for your buck. Read on for all the details.

1. Use Everyday Moments to Talk about Money

Photo by Gustavo Fring from Pexels

"It's important to have regular conversations about money management while your child is still young to push them towards positive financial outcomes in early adulthood," advises Jennifer Seitz, Educational Content Lead at Greenlight and Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI). 

Make it make 'cents': Seitz suggests parents "Look for practical daily examples of spending and budgeting and share them with your child; for example, when you take your child grocery shopping, you can pull out your card for the cashier and then ask your child, "Do you know what type of card this is? Is it a credit card or a debit card?" 

This creates a learning opportunity to explain how debit cards take money directly from your bank account, while credit cards have a balance that must be paid each month. It's not free money or magic money—help your child understand how it works!"

 

2. Talk about Wants vs. Needs

mom daughter computer online school virtual elearning
Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

We need air, food, water, shelter and clothing. While your crew might beg to differ, we don't need toy cars or princess crowns. Needs are the things we buy before we buy the things we want.

Make it make 'cents': Together with the kiddo, grab a bunch of old magazines and coupon mailers, cut out different pictures, and glue them on a sheet of paper so that you have a collage of wants and a collage of needs.

3. Pay Kids for Unusual Tasks

Photo by Amina Filkins from Pexels

How nice would it be to get paid for making your bed, folding clothes or cutting your grass? Alas, it's not the case, so why do we lead kids on with chore-driven allowance? Consider giving them cash for extra work that they don't usually do (i.e., helping cook dinner or washing the family pet).

Make it make 'cents': Charge your mini-money makers with organizing a bake sale to earn extra money. They'll have a blast setting up shop and get a taste of what it's like to have a job.

 

4. Demonstrate the Wonder of Compound Interest

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Tom Byrum, Sr. Director, Head of Global Sales Compensation at a Fortune 500 company, uses a hands-on approach to get his child excited about saving money. "I'm paying my 10-year-old daughter an exorbitant monthly interest rate on her savings to illustrate the time value of money. She had fun calculating how much her $37 would grow at 10 percent interest per day for 30 days (no, that's not what I'm paying). She kept guessing how much she thought it would be and passed her guess two cycles later." 

Make it make 'cents': Even the smallest fry can learn this lesson if you make it visual. Arm yourself with a roll of pennies and a Mason jar so your preschooler can see how quickly the change builds up.

 

5. Explain the Different Types of Money

Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash

There are coins, paper bills, paper checks, debit and credit cards–and you use them all at different times for purchases. The idea of monetary variety is a hard one to grasp for the under 10 set, especially when you can buy things with "invisible money" (aka credit cards). And let's not even get started on the difference between a checking and a savings account. 

Rod Griffin, Senior Director of Public Education and Advocacy at Experian, advises parents to "...help their children develop good financial habits by teaching them the difference between a checking and savings account and how banks store funds. Take a trip to the bank as a teaching experience and deposit or cash a check." 

Make it make 'cents': Make "invisible" money visible. Set one person up as the bank and have your kid "pay" for items around the house with a debit card. The bank person should then take the money out of the bank and give it to you.

6. Talk about Credit Cards

Frankie Cordoba via Unsplash

"Without the proper knowledge of best practices, credit cards can lead to a lot of trouble for adults, both young and old," says Griffin. "Parents should teach children what credit cards are and how to use them wisely. Going through a credit card statement can go a long way in helping children understand the cause and effect of using credit cards, the importance of making on-time payments and how it can impact their credit score."

Make it make 'cents': Role play the difference between making a purchase with good credit vs. bad credit. Kids with good credit can buy a popsicle for $2, while those with low scores get charged $6. If you have more than one child, we suggest giving everyone the same credit score, so you don't start a mutiny.

7. Teach Kids to Budget and Plan for Their Needs

iStock

Ashraf Jaffer, Adjunct Accounting Professor at the University of North Carolina, has been doing this since her son was five years old. "He has a budget from birthday and holiday money. When he was younger, we would give him the prices of things he wanted. He would come up with a combination of things that would fit within his budget (which is a great way to incorporate math lessons). Now that he is older, we ask him to research prices and come up with a proposal and justification. The final decision is with us, but he feels he is more in control and participates in the decision process."

Make it make 'cents': Print out a calendar and pencil in planned family trips, holidays and special occasions. Ask your child to set aside spending money for each event before budgeting for immediate wants.

8. Don't Fudge the Budget

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

"Stick to the budget and do not exceed it even if your kid's argument for spending more is great," advises Jaffer. "They will learn to prioritize spending needs and patience if you don't give in and increase the budget." 

We know, we know—easier said than done. But the sooner kids understand that they can't buy things if they don't have enough money, the better. 

Make it make 'cents': Create and label four money jars: "spend," "save," "share," and "invest." It's up to your kiddo to decide where the money goes. Another fun way to practice budgeting? Play Monopoly!

9. Model Charitable Giving

iStock

Kids have great examples of $$$-stingy characters—think Scrooge, who no matter how much money he has, hoards it all to himself. Giving (even the smallest amount) to those who have less is a fundamental money lesson that naturally empathetic kids can enjoy.

Make it make 'cents': Together, research and choose one charity to donate money to each month.

10. Reinforce Positive Money Choices

A teacher high fives a student in class
iStock

“Talk about their successes and reward them,” says Seitz. “Did they decide against buying something they didn’t really need? Smart move! Explain that now they can use the money for something else, which is that core money principal: opportunity cost. Did they choose to save their birthday money for an important big-ticket item? Tell them how proud you are! And why learning to save is so important as they grow up and become financially independent.”

Make it make 'cents': Be as specific as possible in your praise to really solidify the lesson. The more your little one feels warm and fuzzy about their financially responsible decisions, the better.

 

—Teresa Douglas & Ayren Jackson

Featured image: iStock 

RELATED STORIES

This Calculator Shows You What You Should Pay Your Sitter

20 Easy Ways to Save $5 a Day, Starting Now

How to Plan a Kid’s Birthday Party on a Budget

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

We Asked Kids What They’d Do as President & Their Answers Are Hilarious

by Erin Lem

President’s Day just might be the perfect opportunity to check in with your kiddos to find out what their first order of business would be if they were in charge. Take five today and ask your child to finish the sentence, “If I were the President I would…” We asked a few kiddos the question and the results are compassionate, heartwarming and also, hilarious. Scroll down to see their answers.

Miles (4): "I’d make less bad guys."

Huck (6):
-I'd find out if aliens exist so we could steal their technology.
-I'd make baseball season year-round.

Gigi (4): "Everyone has to wear dresses."

Goldie (2): "Baba?"

Olivia (7): "I would be a good president and it's a free country."

Amelie (6): "I would change laws that are unfair."

Cody (3): "I’d make people go for walks and drive all the cars."

Emerson (3): "I would make everyone eat chocolate ice cream for breakfast." 

For these five kids, their answers from 4 years ago changed quite a bit:

Nora (age 10): "I would give my job to somebody else."
Nora (now 13): "I would get rid of the electoral college so it's an actual democracy and make voting more accessible for everyone."

Patrick (age 8):"I would make the Army stronger so that people would stop doing bad things."
Patrick (now 11): "I would make Washington DC a state."

Joe (age 6): "I would lay there and eat chips."
Joe (now 10): "I would not be racist."

Henrik (5): “I would make sure there were no bullies. And have more shops and even more and more and more 'candyland' places and ice cream shops.”
Henrik (now 9): "Fart in the white house. Loud." 

Mozelle (7) told us: ”I would tell people what to do.”
Mozelle (now 11): “I’d get a nicer phone than you, and I’d give poor people money and food.” 

 

iStock

Mckenzie (7): "I would make sure all the homeless people and pets have homes to live in."

Trey (5): ”I would make sure that people respected each other's feelings and that no one felt bad about themselves.”

”My 2nd grader would give everyone a football and make sure they had shoes. My 5-year-old would make people happy by sending them cards and free ice cream. My 2-year-old's response was "no." Just "no."”

One 10-year-old said: "End homelessness and factory farming." 

And her 7-year-old brother added: "Have a big dance party and pair people from different races as dance partners."

According to Blake (8), he would: "Give people money, help the orphanages, give everyone two weeks off at Christmas and make cars less expensive.”

Aiden (13): "End world hunger."

Zach (17):
#1 - "Mandatory Teeth Brushing"
#2 - "Zombie Preparedness"
#3 - "Fund Time Travel"
#4 - "Free Ponies for all Americans"

A happy kid, he may have been born in August. People born in August are very happy most of the time.
iStock

Sophie (5): “I would make sure every kid had a house to live in.”

Riley(7): “I would build the entire country out of LEGOs.“

Molly: "I would say that there should be no more wars, ever.”

Jacob: "I would conquer the world.”

Nate (8) writes:
If I were president I would:
-Make no school.
-Let kids make the rules.
-Make everything free.
-Let dogs do whatever they want.
-Have a parade.

Ava (13): "I would eliminate the death penalty and remove any anti-LGBTQ and anti-Black laws or regulations so we can have a more equal society."

Tyler (10): said he would "Pass a bill that kids go to school MWF one week and TTH the following week and so on."

Mason (11): "I would address COVID."

Maddie (7): "I would demand that black people be treated fairly."

5-year-old twins Emme: "I would help people," and Ezra, "I would let everyone do their own thing."

Ever (1): "Elmo!"

Sloane (5):  “I would make people be kind.” 

Allie (6): “I would tell people about the American flag.“

Emmie (4): “I would make people eat lots of chicken."

Liam (2): "I would watch Pete’s Dragon.”

Wyatt (10): "I would find a way to evenly distribute money and food between the unlucky people and lucky people. I'd also expand the number of soup kitchens and give the homeless nicer clothes to help them stay warm and find a job. I'd help new businesses get on their feet when they have a good idea, but aren't known that much."

Tate (9): "I'd make a hotel that homeless people could go to for free and they'd be cared for there. I'd help foster children get adopted."

Toren (10): "Anything to save the environment."

Steiger (14): "Make electric cars cheaper and make a law that in 5 years all cars need to be electric."

Ben (8):
-I would make no school.
-I would invent a cool car that kids could drive.

Parker (6):
-I would let kids play their iPads whenever they want.
-I would make every day a birthday for everyone.

Jake (8): “I would help my sister, Lola get a toy she can’t reach."

iStock

And finally, when one mom asked her son Watson (4) this question, this is how the conversation went: 
Me: What would you do if you were president?
Watson: Like right now?
Me: Yeah.
Watson: Am I gonna be president tomorrow?
Me: Um no. So what would you do if you were president?
Watson: Be good.

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement