Busy Little Builders Practice Business With Fort Magic

Posted February 28, 2020 by Fort Magic

You can encourage your child’s creativity while building their entrepreneur skills all with one Fort Magic building kit. Spend the day having fun while teaching your kids important business skills at your nail salon fort. Here are some ideas to get you started helping out your budding entrepreneur.

Turn Your Fort Into A Nail Salon

To get started, first pick out a design with your kids for the nail salon fort. You can use the Playhouse or Castle design or you can see what they can come up with. You’ll want to decorate your fort and make a sign for your kids business. 

The best part of being an entrepreneur is coming up with a name for your business. You can guide them through this process and explain to them the importance of picking a name that will tell people what their business is about. Lastly, stock the fort with tubs for foot soaks, nail polish and files, and all the other supplies you’ll need for the nail salon. It will help if you figure out all the stations they want to have at their fort and then create a list of supplies you’ll need for each station. Have your kids make pretty signs for each station.

1. Help Your Kids Set Goals

Having a business is all about setting goals and having a vision so that you can work towards that goal. Ask your child questions such as, “What’s something you want to achieve with your nail salon?” If they can’t think of ideas that pertain to their nail salon, then start them off with goals in their life such as, “What do you want to do this summer?”

Make sure you show them the value of setting goals that are attainable. Once they have their main goal set, guide them as they set little goals that will help them get to that goal. For example, if their goal this summer is to go to a water park then a little goal will be to do a certain amount of jobs to earn the money. 

2. Teach them About Finances

Helping them run their business is an easy way to teach your kids about finances. They can learn important concepts such as how to budget for the needs of their business versus their wants. If your kids are younger, you can have them use play money for their salon.

You can set up a budget with them to show them how much the overhead costs will be for their business. Sketch out a simple financial plan for the salon to show them how much supplies costs, how much they should charge for their services, and how much they need to reinvest into their “business”. 

3. Encourage Creativity

Creativity is one thing that sets employees out in the workforce today and it will continue to be a vital trait. Creativity is also a big part of being an entrepreneur and coming up with ideas for your business. Fort building is a great way to foster that creativity, especially with building a salon fort.

Your kids can let their imagination run wild as they come up with ideas for their business. They will continue to use that creativity as they build the fort. This also offers them a chance to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, which will build their confidence. 

4. Make their Salon A Community Event

You can teach your kids about the community by having them share the nail salon with your neighbors. Some of the most successful businesses are the ones that give generously to the community. Suggest having a donation box at your nail salon or if you want to charge for the nail salon, donate a certain portion of the proceeds. 

Is there something you’ve heard about recently on the news about an organization that needs help? Or, maybe there’s a family struggling at your child’s school? Brainstorm with your child to first determine where the money should go. If you want to do this, make sure you set up a waiting room for your nail salon. Stock it with chairs, books, magazines, and maybe even some snacks. 

5. Provide Real-World Learning Lessons

It’s important to let your kids learn from their mistakes. This will help prepare them for the real world. It can be tempting to step in when you see them struggling as they try to build their fort or if they are giving a “neighborly discount” to everyone who comes to their salon.

We know it’s hard to watch them struggle right now but if you allow them to learn from those mistakes then you’re helping to prepare them for a bright future. These failures and struggles will empower them and give them confidence as they grow into future entrepreneurs.

Photo Credits:

Meri Cherry:  The Meri Cherry blog is a tremendously awesome resource on all things creative, artistic and beautiful in the world of kids crafting. Full of gorgeous, fun and inspiring ideas for your family playtime, you’ll simply love the hands-on-learning ideas she posts each week.