Helping Your Teens Excel in the Innovation Era

Have you noticed how quickly the world is changing? Back when our grandparents were in school, you learned knowledge and skills to fit into the industrial complex of 20^thcentury America. Our kids are growing up in a totally different era. It’s not as important anymore to be a cog in the wheel. 

Rather, the ones who will excel in this new century are those that have the skills of communication, creativity, problem solving, and innovation. Sound familiar? 

Homeschoolers tend to be all these things. I mean, we’re the ones who create a customized out-of-the-box DIY education for our kids. 

But don’t stop there! Instead of checking off the boxes of a traditional high school education for your homeschooled teens, have you considered finding resources that will help them stand out from their peers? More specifically, have you looked at the ways that entrepreneurship gives your kids marketable skills for the future?

Here are the skills they need.

Active vs. Passive Learning

Kids learn best when applying knowledge, not just soaking it in. So, it’s usually better to have your child learn to successfully manage their own money in the real world rather than just take a multiple choice test about personal finance.

When kids learn from a traditional class, it can tend to be passive. They take notes, complete tests, and get the right answers to move on.

But when your kids start a business, the final grade isn’t based on a multiple choice test – it’s based on the existence of an actual, functioning business! This takes complete action and participation from your teen to be successful. And this is what’s required in real life, not acing standardized tests.

Problem Solving

In the traditional classroom, there’s not much room for problem solving. If the answer isn’t on the bubble sheet of the standardized test, it doesn’t count. But that’s not how the real world works! The ones who will succeed once they’ve left our homeschools are the ones who have learned to look for creative answers and solutions. 

Teenagers who are entrepreneurs are constantly solving real-life problems in their business. That’s the whole point of running a business! Your entrepreneurial teens will learn to identify the pain points of their customers and provide tangible solutions.

Interpersonal Skills

I laugh so much at the stereotype of unsocialized homeschoolers! Many of our kids interact in the “real world” more than their peers.

Teens who start businesses are immersed into growing their customer service skills while learning how to communicate with customers in a professional manner.

Application of Knowledge

The key to success today is not in how much you know, but in what you can do with that knowledge. The higher level thinking skills required to start and grow a business showcase a growth mindset and ability to apply knowledge to new and different situations.

These are the reasons I am creating Podcast Launch for Teens! In this self-paced online course, I will take teens through the process of researching and launching their very own podcast. It’s in the beta stages right now, so it’s a great time to join.

Find out more at 4onemore.com where you can download a course schedule, topics, and podcast brainstorm sheet for your teens (no email required).