Art by Kate Cosgrove, in SantaToot (and representing my four kids)

How to Teach Your Kids to Be Entrepreneurs by Writing a Book with Them

There’s something more important than the book

I wanted to teach my young kids to be entrepreneurs. And I wanted to spend more time with them. So I decided to write a book with them.

“What if we make a million dollars, dad?”

I stared at my daughter. I didn’t know how to answer the question.

“Could we go to Disney World?” my daughter asked.

“Yes, we can go to Disney World,” I acquiesced. Who could resist a cute 5-year old?

And so we began. It was going to be a real and practical education. Previously, my wife and I have tried different ways of teaching the kids about money and business. I played CashFlow for Kids with my older ones. And we’ve used money tracking apps for kids. But this was the best idea I’ve had so far: write a book with them. A children’s book, of course.

How to Write a Book with Your Kids

Here’s what I did:

1. I asked the kids to help me write the book
2. I wrote a draft (from a story that I made up, and told the kids about 100 times)
3. I read the draft to them and figured out what they liked and didn’t like…