One characteristic all entrepreneurs possess is creativity. Give your child the space to find creative solutions to problems. Encourage them to share how they created various crafts, found new ways to use toys or solved a problem. Allow them to struggle and arrive at a solution on their own. Building their ability to problem solve, in a creative way, will help them to be successful in every area of life, including creating their own product to sell or beginning their own company.

Children become interested in the smallest things, that we often find boring. Have you ever noticed that your kindergartener wants to read the same book to you repeatedly? It is because she feels confident. No matter how many times you’ve heard Green Eggs and Ham, smile and be thankful that your child wants to read it for the 85th time. It is a sign that she values the feeling of confidence and wants to be successful. Also, have you ever watched a child try a new sport for the first time? It is likely that they repeatedly looked to you for encouragement. Mastering a skill builds self assurance, but before they have achieved mastery, children need to be edified. Find the balance between uplifting your child by praising them for their strengths and challenging them to try new things. Most importantly, teach them that God created them for a purpose and gave them talents that will help them achieve His goals for them.

Decision making comes naturally to a child. By the time your little one is two years old, they begin to voice an opinion. With many of the parenting philosophies that are becoming more popular, children are not encouraged to make decisions and experience the consequences of those decisions. Children know how to make decisions, but they need to be taught the ‘cause and effect’ relationship involved in decision making. That can only be done by allowing them to make decisions for themselves and experience what takes place as a result of those decisions. The size of the decision should correlate to the age of the child. Teach toddlers to make decisions by offering choices such as two clothing options for the day. Allowing your child to experience natural consequences when decisions are made is important. If your toddler chooses shorts on a cool day, they may be a little cold, but they will learn the importance of checking the weather before making that decision again. This teaches children to be less impulsive and more calculating when making decisions. It also teaches them how to seek council from someone they trust and view as successful. By the time your child is in high school, they will be making decisions that greatly impact their future. If you began allowing them to build their decision-making skills while they are young, you can be reassured they are much more likely to be successful. By the time they own their own business, they will know how to consider all options and prayerfully make a decision.

The thing all three of these characteristics have in common is that they are natural traits each young child possesses. Parents simply need to learn how to continue to encourage children to develop these skills. Encourage creativity, be uplifting to your child, and help them build decision making skills. These positive personality traits will help them to be successful throughout their lives.