InnovatorsEntrepreneurship course for ages 12-14

What they're doing

Your child is learning what an entrepreneur is and what a growth mindset looks like. They finish by writing down why they want to build something and what they're already good at.

Two ways to help

1. 1Tell them about a time something you tried didn't work, and what you did next. Asking an adult about a setback is this module's real-world task, so your story counts.
2. 2Help them name two things they're good at. Young people often undersell themselves, so point out a strength you've noticed.

What they're doing

Your child is learning what every business has in common: something people want, customers who pay, costs to cover and a way to reach people. They trace how a product reached them and take apart a business your family uses.

Two ways to help

1. 1Pick something from home together, such as a hoodie or a cereal box, and read the label for clues about where it was made. This is their real-world task.
2. 2Choose a business you use, like a local café, shop or app, and chat about who pays, how it finds customers and what its biggest costs might be.

What they're doing

Your child is looking for a real problem worth solving, learning to use AI tools safely, and writing a problem statement for their own project.

Two ways to help

1. 1Be one of the two people they ask about their problem before they write it down. Answer honestly, even if you don't have that problem.
2. 2Talk about something that annoys your family every week. Everyday frustrations make the best starting points for a business idea.

What they're doing

Your child is finding out what customers really need by asking about what they actually do, not by guessing. They describe one real customer in that person's own words.

Two ways to help

1. 1Help them choose one person they already know to talk to, such as a cousin, a family friend or a teammate, and find a time for the chat.
2. 2Let them practise on you first. Good questions ask about the last time something happened, not "Would you buy this?"

What they're doing

Your child is testing whether people really want their idea before they build it. What people do, like signing up, counts for more than what they say.

Two ways to help

1. 1Help them find five people they know to show the idea to, perhaps at a family gathering or a club, and to ask for something small like writing their first name down.
2. 2When they report back, ask "What did people actually do?" A polite "That's nice" isn't evidence, but names on a list are.

What they're doing

Your child is making a rough first version of their idea, called a prototype, from things at home. Then they watch someone try it to see what to change.

Two ways to help

1. 1Raid the recycling together: card, tape, paper clips and string are perfect. Rough is the point, so resist the urge to make it neat.
2. 2Be the tester. Try it without being told how, so they can watch what you do rather than just hear what you think.

What they're doing

Your child is working out what one item costs to make, setting a price and finding their break-even point: how many they need to sell to get their start-up money back.

Two ways to help

1. 1Find three similar products together, in a shop or online, and note what each costs. This competitor price check is their real-world task.
2. 2Check their sums with them, especially packaging and small costs that are easy to forget.

What they're doing

Your child is building a brand for their idea - a name, a tagline, colours and a personality - and giving a reason for each choice.

Two ways to help

1. 1Help them find five people they know to vote on two or three logo sketches, and to say what each one makes them think of. This is their real-world task.
2. 2Ask "Why that colour?" or "Why that name?". Explaining their reasons is part of this module's project step.

What they're doing

Your child is planning how the right people will hear about their idea: where those people spend time, a first poster or post, and a plan for a simple one-page website.

Two ways to help

1. 1Help them run a small poll in a group you both know, such as a family group chat or their class, to see which message works best. They can also collect first-name sign-ups on a paper list with you.
2. 2If they want to build the website, sit down together and use a free tool under your account. Talk about what's safe to show on it.

What they're doing

Your child is putting their whole business on one page, thinking about the good it could do, and planning for its biggest risk.

Two ways to help

1. 1Be their two-minute audience. Let them explain the whole business using their one-page plan, then tell them one part that wasn't clear.
2. 2Talk about who could help them, such as a relative with a useful skill or a teacher, and what they'd need to make it happen.

What they're doing

Your child is turning their whole project into a 60-second pitch (with an optional five-slide deck), then finishing the course with a certificate.

Two ways to help

1. 1Time them as they read their pitch aloud. The goal is under 60 seconds, with a clear problem, solution and ask.
2. 2Ask one kind but tough question afterwards, like "How do you know people want it?". Practising answers builds confidence.