How to cultivate entrepreneurial spirit in children and what is the right age to start financial education

Entrepreneurial education is very important for each individual, therefore it is essential to start as early as possible.

Carmen Iorgulescu, coordinator of Ken Academy – a complex financial and entrepreneurial education program for children between the ages of 7 and 13, claims that by the age of seven, children have already formed the way in which they relate to money and, therefore, financial education of the little ones must start very early, even from the age of three. Since then, children should attend discussions about planning the family budget, go shopping with their parents, explain to them why the latter made the decision to purchase a certain product, and not another.

From the age of eight, children can acquire knowledge about entrepreneurship. "The emphasis we constantly put is that money is not the end in itself. The goal itself is for you to be able to define your dreams and have the power and knowledge to turn them into reality in entrepreneurial projects from which you can also earn money, because money is also important. You can't become extremely good unless you're passionate enough about it and if you don't do it with dedication.", believes Carmen Iorgulescu.

Children must assimilate a series of skills that they will use throughout their lives: the ability to work in a team, respect for others, assuming responsibility.

"One thing that requires a lot of perseverance is to associate freedom with responsibility. It's a magic triangle: freedom, responsibility and trust. Then there is the part of finding solutions. There are a lot of blockages. We have a problem, I'm working on the solution side. What are we doing? I will not come in your place with solutions, I am here to help you, to support you, if you ask me to. If you come with a problem, come with two or three solutions that we discuss together.", says Carmen Iorgulescu.

In the end, not all children will become entrepreneurs, but the entrepreneurial spirit will benefit them in whatever they do. "The entrepreneurial spirit can also be manifested through entrepreneurial projects, and through freelancing projects or intrapreneurship projects: you are inside an organization, but you need those skills, to find solutions, to manage projects. It's a model of education that prepares you for whatever the job market is going to look like.", claims Carmen.

            Ken Academy offers a complex program of financial and entrepreneurial education for children between the ages of 7 and 13. The novelty brought by KEN Academy is the applied component of the program – visiting some companies (intended to help children understand business concepts, but also the production process), building their own businesses and holding sales events; thus, they come into direct contact with the market, get to know customers personally, practice their courage, sales skills and learn to work in a team.

            Parents can enroll their children for the 2018-2019 school year at Ken Academy starting now by filling out the form on the website: http://kenacademy.org/inscriere-parinti/