From 2019 to 2020, the percentage of homeschooled students changed from 3.4% to 9%. As modern-day business and entrepreneurship evolves, parents who homeschool may be wondering how they can create a learning environment that helps children grow into successful entrepreneurs. 

Entrepreneurs are creators and innovators who dare to do something different and take risks with their unique ideas. The critical factor in fostering entrepreneurial characteristics from a young age is to give children a wide variety of opportunities to create and be innovative. Listed below are a couple of practical ways to implement this in a homeschool setting! 

Let them be bored 

It is a popular saying that “boredom is the birthplace of genius.” In many schools, children are perpetually occupied with a brain-stimulating activity. In a homeschool environment, parents should allow their children to be bored. Technology like phones and tablets can often be a remedy for boredom, so in a homeschool environment, remove technology as a distraction and teach them to fill empty space with something productive. 

Let them be curious 

Open-ended questions and assignments with little structure give children opportunities to come up with a plan and a solution on their own. For example, assign a project that could be completed in more than one way, and allow them to be curious about the subject. Force them to go deeper. Curiosity cultivates creativity, in both adults and children. 

Let them collaborate

As a homeschool parent, the ability to work with other children may vary. If you are homeschooling more than one child, assign projects and problems for them to work on together. Reaching out to others is a vital piece in becoming an entrepreneur, and the younger children learn how to collaborate the better. Team challenges like the human knot and escape rooms are great techniques that build problem-solving skills. 

Homeschooling is an exclusive and exciting education method, and parents who homeschool should implement these methods in their teaching to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset in students.