Kids Driving You Crazy? 14 Ways to Put Them To Work
We’re fully into the lazy days of summer – have your kids driven you up the wall yet? Maybe they’re playing video games or begging for expensive activities. What can you do about that?
Entrepreneur Sarah Cook has the answer – put them to work! Besides giving them a little cash in their pockets, you get your work done and they start learning the fundamentals of being a business owner and a go-getter and generally learn how to contribute productively to society. Those are great lessons for summer break!
Cook is the founder of Raising CEO Kids and the co-author of “The Parent’s Guide to Raising CEO Kids” with her husband, Dr. Jerry Cook. This book and the website are fantastic resources for parents and kids for inspiration and support in starting their own business or just figuring out how to make some cash.
When her children were small, Cook decided it would be good for her kids to start learning a little more about what she was doing while working from home. In Chapter 8 of her book, she has a giant list of some of the tasks she bestowed upon her three youngsters. Here are just a few of these you might consider for your own kids:
- Sort receipts
- Pass out flyers in the neighborhood or business cards to their teachers and coaches
- Label and sort products/inventory
- Edit videos
- Help with your social media campaigns including twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
- Design web pages
- Filing
- Help write letters or emails (helps them practice typing and writing skills)
- Help you stay accountable
- Create PowerPoint presentations
- Mow the lawn (that one might be a little self-serving in my case J)
- Help clean around the house so you can work
- Set up text promotions for your clients
- Run errands (especially if they are old enough to drive)
Of course, you’ll need to decide what each of your children is up for – my 4-year-old will only be able to do a few of these; my 11-year-old should be able to do many more of these.
Here’s an interview she did about summer cash for kids:
Cook’s children are all entrepreneurs and she credits this early learning and accountability as a foundation for their success. Why not get that going for your own family too?
Please check out her website at www.raisingceokids.com and also her Facebook page. She’s currently offering a free webinar download about summer cash for kids and a couple free chapters of her book to check out.
Marijo Tinlin is the Editor in Chief of Family First, one of the oldest family-oriented websites on the internet. She is also the author of a book about patriotism and teaching our children to love this country called “How to Raise an American Patriot, Making it Okay for Our Kids to Be Proud to Be American.” It features 13 interviews with patriotic Americans including Ed Meese, Erick Erickson and Jackie Gingrich Cushman. It’s available at www.raisinganamericanpatriot.com.
