Developing entrepreneurial skills in early years through creativity

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Hello,

I thought I’d start this month’s blog with a quote:

‘Creativity is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status’

-Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson was an influential British speaker and author whose work still inspires educators worldwide to rethink the priorities in education and to support children to discover their passions and talents.

The 14th-20th of November marks Global Entrepreneurship Week. Although, at first glance, the term ‘entrepreneurship’ may not seem like something that should be a priority for our youngest children, it does involve a lot of skills we hold in high esteem including creativity, independence and problem solving.

There are many different ways to inspire a positive ‘can do’ attitude and to ensure that children have lots of opportunities to discover and develop their skills and interests with us there to encourage them along the way.

Rachel Turpie, Employability Facilitator, l&g learning

Countless examples of children’s creativity and imagination happen every day in our settings but Global Entrepreneurship Week is a good chance to reflect on this on a deeper level. Does the creativity end when the children leave the area they are exploring? Are they encouraged to use their creativity in all areas and does it flow between areas and also between indoor and outdoor play? Do the children get opportunities to see the benefits of their creativity and hard work? Do they have opportunities to participate in longer projects which involve planning, problem solving and reflecting?


There are many ways we can start to develop entrepreneurial skills in young children but here are just a few examples. A key component is motivation; an end goal, a purpose, a spark of interest:

 
 

  • Inventing and making toys or tools for different purposes- identifying an issue, problem solving and creating from their own ideas and experiences and being able to use their creation to extend and enhance their play.

  • Raising money for the nursery or for a particular resource the children have chosen where they work towards a target- this would involve team work, communication skills, numeracy and budgeting which all link to entrepreneurship.

  • Involving and understanding the wider community- writing and posting letters or making phonecalls about things which are important to the children, inviting members of the wider community in to the nursery or involving the children in the weekly shopping or organisation of events for the nursery.

 
 
 

‘The most valuable asset a nation has is the creativity of its children’

- Alan Plater

Encouraging and involving children in these ways shows we value them and care about their opinions and ideas. This approach links effortlessly with many aspects of Curriculum for Excellence, develops skills for life and work, encourages a growth mindset and also embeds children’s rights in everyday provision.

We need people who are full of ideas and motivated to take action, so why not start this now with the children in our settings?