Management studies in CBSE school these days do focus on nurturing and developing entrepreneurial traits in children.

The startup ecosystem in India is throwing up a series of entrepreneurial success stories. Terms such as a ‘unicorn’, ‘seed funding’, ‘angel investors’, etc. are being increasingly heard or seen. You can find them on discussions in television channels, or in news reports. Today, becoming an entrepreneur is an ambition of a good chunk of students. The age old question however is, are entrepreneurs born or made? While for some the later may be true, there are certain strategies which when taken at a young age may help in inculcating entrepreneurial traits.

Encourage curiosity:

One of the biggest positive traits in children is their curiosity factor. Their minds are treasure houses of new ideas. Ideation is something that comes naturally to these curious minds. The atmosphere at home should be such that they fearlessly express their ideas. Parents and teachers too need to listen to their ideas, however silly they may seem. This kind of encouragement helps develop the entrepreneurial spirit.

Leadership opportunities:

At school activities which involve working together as a team act as a testing ground for children’s leadership skills. The conduct of a cultural event or the annual day celebrations for example, tend to bring out and further hone the leadership qualities in children. These events will test the children’s ability to face challenging situations and overcome them successfully, lessons that will stand them in good stead as entrepreneurs.

Work ethics: Children should be taught that nothing in this world is achievable without hard work. Parents should motivate them to stick to schedules, however tight they may seem. Kids should be completing their homework in time. They should have a routine to get ready in the morning for school. Similarly, they should assist their parents in household chores. All this will go a long way in them realizing the importance of work ethics.

Tasks chart:

One of the activities that children can be given is to prepare a detailed chart with the plan for the week or month. They can list down the various activities that they need to complete and the deadline.

Money handling:

A lot of entrepreneurism is about handling finance – money management. Catching them young is the mantra here too. Children need to learn the ‘value’ of money, irrespective of the denomination. Similarly, acquaintance with savings and banking, at a young age is something that will help them throughout their life. Business games too help. Mock role plays with students presenting their business ventures is a good activity, especially for those in the high school level.

Let them take decisions: Encouraging the young ones, to take their own decisions. This goes a long way in developing their self -confidence. This will help them realize that they need to face the consequence of their actions. After all overcoming obstacles is one of the cornerstones of success stories of top businessmen.

Management studies in a CBSE school should ideally encompass a variety of activities that help develop an entrepreneurial bent of mind. At TCIS, our team of teachers are always coming up with innovative activities that help develop the entrepreneurial traits / entrepreneurship at a young age.