PioneersEntrepreneurship for kids aged 9-11

What they're doing

Your child meets Spark the fox and learns what a business is: a customer, a product or service, and a price. They spot the business at a school fair stall, sort products from services, then mix what they love with what bugs them to find first ideas.

Two ways to help

1. 1Next time you're out, point at a shop, café or service and ask "Who's the customer here?" The optional Business Spotter task is exactly this, so a trip to the shops counts.
2. 2When they get to Find Your Spark, share something that bugs you at home, like lost socks or a messy shoe pile. Everyday niggles make great starting points.

What they're doing

Your child is finding their founder superpower, such as curiosity, kindness or not giving up. They spot "give-up thoughts" after a lemonade stall has a bad day, and make choices for a pretend first week as a founder.

Two ways to help

1. 1Tell them which superpower you see in them, and give a real example. Children this age often don't notice their own strengths until someone names them.
2. 2Share a time something went wrong for you and what you tried next. It shows that a setback is part of the story, not the end of it.

What they're doing

Your child is hunting for problems a business could help fix, then twisting everyday things into silly new ideas. They finish by using the AI Idea Machine to turn their spark into ideas they could really start.

Two ways to help

1. 1Sit with them while they use the AI Idea Machine. Ask "Which of these could you really try?" and help them pick one they like.
2. 2Go on a problem hunt around the house together: what spills, breaks, gets lost or takes too long? This is the optional Problem Hunt task.

What they're doing

Your child is learning to find out what customers really want. They practise asking questions that get honest answers rather than polite ones, then handle tricky customer moments, like a wrong order, in a role-play game.

Two ways to help

1. 1Let them ask you questions about their idea. Gently point out if a question is a "Would you buy it?" one, and help them ask about what you actually do instead.
2. 2Talk about a time a shop put something right for you, or didn't. What did they say, and how did it make you feel?

What they're doing

Your child is learning about prototypes: a simple first version you can show people before making the real thing. They put build, test and improve in order, design a digital mock-up in the Prototype Studio, and decide what to do with feedback.

Two ways to help

1. 1Be the tester. Look at their mock-up and say one thing you like and one thing you'd change. Honest, kind feedback is what this module is about.
2. 2If they want to make the optional recycling-box model, gather card, tape and old boxes together. Rough is fine: it's a test, not a finished product.

What they're doing

Your child is learning about costs, prices and profit. They add up what one bracelet costs to make, plan a first batch, then run a pretend cookie business and see what happens when they change the price.

Two ways to help

1. 1Check their sums with them. Profit is the price minus what it cost to make, and small costs like string or packaging are easy to forget.
2. 2On a shopping trip, compare the price of two similar things and ask why one costs more. This is the optional Real Price Check task.

What they're doing

Your child is giving their idea a brand: a name, a logo, colours and fonts that help people remember it. They try out names in the Name Generator and design their own brand kit.

Two ways to help

1. 1Ask "Why that colour?" or "Why that name?" Explaining a choice helps them think about what they want people to feel.
2. 2Look at the logos on things in your kitchen together. Which ones could you recognise without the words?

What they're doing

Your child is learning how to tell people about their idea. They find the mistakes on a bake sale poster, share out a pretend £20 to get people to a stall, then design their own poster.

Two ways to help

1. 1Look at their poster from across the room. Can you tell what it's selling, when and where? If not, help them make the most important words bigger.
2. 2Spot adverts together on a walk or on TV and ask "Who is this for, and what does it want you to do?"

What they're doing

Your child is finding out how businesses get bigger. They sort signs that a business is ready to grow from signs it isn't yet, then make growth choices in the Build Your Empire game.

Two ways to help

1. 1Talk about a local business you know that has grown, such as a café that opened a second shop. What do you think helped it?
2. 2Ask them to explain one choice they made in the game and what happened. Talking it through helps the idea stick.

What they're doing

Your child is building a one-minute pitch for their idea, then pitching it to the family and counting the votes. They finish with Professor Hoot's challenge, one question from every module, and collect their Junior Founder certificate.

Two ways to help

1. 1Be the audience for the Family Vote, ideally at tea time. Listen to the whole pitch before you ask anything, then vote honestly.
2. 2Afterwards, ask one kind question, like "Who is it for?" Practising an answer builds confidence for next time.