07 Oct Business books for kids
We all want our kids to grow up with the skills and mindset required to be successful, whatever life throws at them. If you want to prepare yours for a life of opportunity, you’ll want to show them a world outside of schooling, higher education and a career job. You might be wondering, are there books out there that can help do just that?
Business books for kids
Giving a child an understanding of businesses and how they work is a great starting point, so finding books for kids that are about business makes sense. However, there are actually very few children’s books that explore concepts around business and entrepreneurship.
Are there any books about business that kids can read?
Yes, there are, but not very many! In fact, this is exactly why we created the Clever Tykes storybooks. If you have kids ages 6-9, the Clever Tykes books are the perfect books about business to begin with. For kids of different ages, check out some other great options below.
Business books for young kids
Young children, of primary or elementary school age, only need to know the very basic principles of business and how money works. Knowing that companies make profit by selling products and services to customers who, in turn, earn money by working for other businesses is pretty much the lot. Here are three great options for young kids:
Clever Tykes books (6-9 year olds)
When we decided to create books that inspired kids to be more entrepreneurial, we wanted to keep the messaging simple. That’s why we created stories about children who began ventures based on a skill or passion they have. There’s a big difference between starting a business to make money and starting a business because it fits in with your skills and what you actually enjoy doing. That’s why the Clever Tykes stories avoid the clinical nature of business and encourage the development of entrepreneurial traits such as creativity and resourcefulness.
You can read reviews of the Clever Tykes books and purchase your copies on Amazon here.
TeeLee and the Opportuni-Tree – a business book (7-10 year olds)
TeeLee and the Opportuni-Tree is the first book in the Opportuni-Tree entrepreneurship for kids series. It introduces kids as young as seven to the concepts and vocabulary of business, advertising and the economy.
The main characters, TeeLee and Mr Feefers, walk readers through essential points of what a business is and how a business can “grow” opportunities. The story encourages children to make real-world connections between types of businesses, products and services, and learn how money travels through a local economy.
Find it on Amazon and read reviews here.
Kidpreneurs (6–12 years old)
A book that teaches children the basic principles of entrepreneurship and how to get started early, founded by brothers Matthew and Adam Toren. The brothers see mastering the skill of entrepreneurship as just as important as reading, writing, maths and social skills. The book gives inspiration, advice and guidance that enables children to start and manage their own profitable business venture, right now.
You Are Awesome (9–13 years old)
This motivational book and accompanying journal is ideal for sharing with any youngster who might need a confidence boost, especially if they are struggling with school work or sports. They will learn that by practising again and again, they can do anything their heart desires. Ella, age 13, said “[This book]really builds your confidence and shows you how the right mindset can help you achieve your dreams… It shows that you have to be brave, prepare for failure and have self-belief.”
Business books for teenagers
When children reach their teens, they very quickly gain a much better understanding of careers and how to manage money. If they really enjoy the topic then business studies and economics A-levels and degrees could be seriously considered.
For kids in their teens, the best business books to read are those that explore the philosophy of starting a business. An excellent book to start with is Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, which is one of the most famous books on personal finance. This perennial seller shows readers an alternative way to view making money, something that could have a profound impact on a teenager considering their career.
The Everything Store is another excellent book for a teenager thinking about starting a business one day. Brad Stone’s book explores the journey of one of the richest people of all time, Jeff Bezos, and the rise of his flagship online store, Amazon. The way Bezos approaches business and how he imagines the future is the perfect eye-opener for a youth trying to see the world in a different way. You can pick up a copy on, you guessed it, Amazon.
Another book that will help a teen realise their potential is Unreasonable Success and How to Achieve It: Unlocking the Nine Secrets of People Who Changed the World. As the Amazon listing states: “Bestselling author Richard Koch charts a map of success, identifying the nine key attitudes and strategies that can propel anyone to new heights of accomplishment.” Having an awareness of these strategies as a teenager or young adult could be truly game-changing for someone looking to start a wildly successful business.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill was originally published way back in 1937 but has been updated several times. As opposed to being strictly a business book, it’s more about how to create a mindset for success. The book draws on countless examples from the past century to answer the question, “What makes a winner?” This now legendary text is the perfect place to start for a teenager looking for an insight into what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur or business leader.
Why are books so important for kids if they’re to start a business one day?
Kids need role models
One of the huge benefits of reading business books is to have a role model. This is true of young kids, teenagers and adults looking to be successful, whatever their version of this might look like. These role models help shine a light on the way forward and give kids the confidence to try something different.
We realised that some children lack positive business role models, which is
why we created the Clever Tykes series.
Children don’t need to know all the ins and outs of actually starting a business. If we want our children to be more enterprising and be better prepared if they choose to start a business one day, they need to adopt the right attitude and develop the right skills.
We humans learn best from our experiences and the experiences of other humans; why do you think so many of us want to be a footballer, astronaut or princess when we grow up? They are roles we see and become familiar with, and therefore what we aspire to become.
So when is right to teach children about business?
You might be wondering if introducing kids to ideas around business is the right thing to do. Shouldn’t we just let kids be kids? Well, we don’t think it’s about teaching kids about business. It’s about helping kids develop the skills and attitudes conducive to future success.
We wrote the Clever Tykes books for children ages 6 to 9 for two main reasons:
1. Ask a seven-year-old what they want to be when they’re older and they’ll give you an answer,
and;
2. These are our formative years, when we’re learning at the fastest rate in our lives. This is when we can really set kids up for a prosperous and happy future on their terms.
We believe that kids are generating ideas about their future from a very young age. Helping them develop useful character traits as well as providing some light business inspiration is the perfect way to set them up for their next steps, whatever they hold.
It’s never too late to start! Some of the best entrepreneurs in the world began their business journeys well into adulthood, so a teenager or young adult can absolutely benefit from the books listed above.
More about the Clever Tykes books
We’re passionate about instilling enterprising mindsets using inspiring and empowering books for kids. The stories make fun and engaging parenting tools and we developed a parent and teacher’s guide to help develop skills and understanding even further. This is also available as a PDF download here and contains guidance and ideas for making the most of the books.
Everything links to the evidence we have around children growing up with entrepreneurial parents and the impact of fictional role models on entrepreneurial intention. The primary purpose of the Clever Tykes storybooks is to provide entrepreneurial role models to children and help them understand what business and enterprise means. The stories very much form the foundation of enterprise, including what a venture might look like and how it might start.
If you’re a teacher looking for business books for kids or more in-depth skill and behaviour development, we also created these teaching resources.
