4 ways to help your kids be more self-driven

Remember back in 2013 when Google released Google Glass, hyped it up for months with celebrity endorsements and tons of PR - only for it to fail spectacularly?

Building a business is one great way for kids to become more self-driven. But first, they’ll need an idea that actually solves a problem, something Google didn’t take into consideration. And yes, even kids can build businesses - they don’t need Google’s budget to do it.

Keep scrolling for more tips on how to help your kids to tap into their independent, ambitious selves. (Hint - it’s already a part of them, they just need a few tools to achieve their goals).

📬 In today’s issue:

• From classroom to CEO: Max’s 4-week transformation

• 4 proven strategies to ignite your kids’ ambition

• Ivy’s essentials: Kids’ media mastery, the importance of empathy, and The Art of Deep Thinking

💡 Meet Max: Self-driven superstar

This week, I wanted to share about a standout student from our Apollo program for kids ages 10-13.

Max may be young, but that hasn’t stopped him from having big dreams: His personal mission statement is to become an astrophysicist and help NASA improve space transportation by discovering new technologies.

What amazes me the most is that at such a young age, it’s normally so hard to know about what exists beyond your community and your own little world — and yet, Max is so aware of the vast, complex world around him in a way few kids are at that age (or are encouraged to be at that age).

Max’s boundless curiosity and passion for learning have made him stand out at Apollo, where he dove headfirst into entrepreneurship by building a business in just 4 weeks. He and his team launched GiftCity, which helps people save time shopping for gifts using an AI-powered website that can match a giftee’s likes and dislikes to their perfect gift.

Challenging himself to build a business in just 4 weeks gave Max the confidence to know he could learn anything he set his mind to.

That’s why the best way for kids to learn is by doing things hands-on — and this makes learning more fun, too! But how can we help our kids take that initiative to get that valuable hands-on learning in the first place?

Here are four ways to get started:

4 ways to help your kids become more self-driven

1. Encourage them to solve problems on their own.

As parents, it’s hard for us to see our kids struggle. Whether our kids are getting frustrated with their homework or they’re not sure how to proceed after a setback, it can feel impossible not to step in and try to solve the problem for them.

But when kids have experience solving problems, they develop confidence that’s grounded in their ability to overcome challenges. They’ll be able to look back on their experiences and remember that even when things felt insurmountable, they found a way through.

This will fuel them forward the next time they face obstacles.

As Max says, “Even if you don’t have that knowledge, you can learn how to have that knowledge.”

2. Help them to find their tribe.

Whatever your kids’ interests, odds are that someone else at their school shares them. So encourage them to join a club, or start one!

And if they can’t find people who share their interests in person, turn to online communities to help them find their tribe.

“You can meet amazing people who have the same interests as you,” says Max about his time at Apollo. When kids connect with likeminded peers, they can build incredible things together — and their potential skyrockets.

3. Allow them to fail.

As parents, we have the benefit of world experience on our side. So sometimes, when our kids bring us their grand plans to start a business or change the world, it’s hard not to immediately point out all the ways it can’t work.

This comes from a good place! We don’t want to see our kids fail.

But if our kids fail, that’s actually not the worst-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is if they never tried at all.

So instead of trying to point out every possible obstacle your kid might face, let them learn as they go.

And who knows? You might just be surprised at what they can accomplish when they aren’t held back by fear of what might go wrong!

4. Encourage them to build a business.

Ultimately, the best way to get comfortable with failure, explore their passions, and develop problem-solving skills is to learn by doing. And the one thing that can teach kids all of these skills is entrepreneurship!

Building a business gives kids a chance to flex their creativity, innovation, and leadership muscles all at once. They’ll learn so much through this process.

Here are some resources to get you started!

• How to build a successful startup in high school from scratch

• How to develop a business idea

• 5 myths about starting a business as a teen
  

🚀 Ivy’s top links

Here’s everything I’m reading and sharing this week!

1. How to teach your kids media literacy

2. 7 businesses you can start online, from home — this article isn’t focused on kids, but there’s no reason kids couldn’t start all of these businesses!

3. How to teach your kids to be more empathic

4. The number one red flag that will get your resume scrapped by Google

5. Bill Gates had an annual tradition of spending a whole week on thinking — here’s how to try this out and do your own “Think Day”.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Ivy
CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo
Follow my journey on LinkedIn