I’m a huge fan of involving and encouraging my kids to help with my direct sales biz — and, let’s be real — I’m a fan of them helping me with chores around the home, too! I’m just amazed at what my kids 4, and nearly 6 are capable of.

I grew up helping my parents with their business. I loved answering phones and jotting down messages from the answering machine on a pad of paper – yup, I’m old! And, I love that I involve my little ones in my business, too. Because my kids have grown up seeing me work my business, and helping me, they have such a unique view on work and life, and some amazing life skills to boot!

They see me dig deep and show courage when I try something new.

They see first hand that hard work leads to success. And that when things don’t go as we hoped, we didn’t fail, but instead we learn and do better the next time.

They see that by starting my day writing down what I’m grateful for and excited about each day, that I keep a positive attitude that extends to all areas of my life.

They see how teamwork helps get the job done, and makes things that much more fun!

Fun Story:

Last week we were decorating gingerbread houses. You know the kind that come in a 37 different pieces and you have to use a tiny thing of frosting to hold the walls together carefully and so the roof doesn’t cave in. Welp, I was getting super frustrated with these dang houses falling apart when I was just trying to have some holiday fun with my kids. Makenzie, who will be 6 this month, looked at me and said: “You can do it, mama. Don’t give up. Just like you tell the girls on your team!” What the what?! What zoom call or conference call did you overhear me on? It stuck with me. And, prompted me to write this. These kids are watching your every move and can learn so much by getting involved in your direct sales biz.

If you’re already involving your kids in your biz–awesome! If not, I thought it’d be a great time to share TONS of ways to help get your kids goooing, now–just in time for winter break!

Motivation for your kiddos!

To motivate kids, you want to tap into their natural desire to contribute. When kids contribute they see that they are part of something much bigger than themselves. And ultimately we all LOVE feeling like we are needed and important. And when your kids contribute, they get just that!  

I’m even including an awesome free printable sticker reward chart for some extra motivation for your kids (you’ll find it at the end of this post)–because, well, stickers are like magic for kids. 😉 Keep in mind, the BEST motivation is a challenge. I think that’s why my kids always blow my mind with what they’re capable of! Think of it this way, if you were doing boring unchallenging tasks everyday yourself you’d most likely lose your motivation… But when we are challenged, we push harder to succeed! And that makes us all feel good, really good! 🙂 Annnnnd, you know most kids are motivated when there is a reward at the end of the task or the completion of their sticker chart. A few small thank you for helping prizes sure go a long way at my house.

Now, let’s dive into some great ways your kids can help–categorized by age-appropriate activities.

Starting as early as two years old, your kids can help! I’ll start with some administrative ways your kids can be involved and include age recommendations below (I’ve got your back ;)) But of course, as you know each kid is different and you know your kiddos the best.

2+ years old:  

• Opening mail
• Sorting materials
• Putting labels on your catalogs and marketing materials
• Putting stamps on your handwritten thank you envelopes
• Licking/taping envelopes shut
• Counting inventory and supplies

4+ years old, any of the items above plus:

• Sorting papers, lead forms, catalogs, order forms, hostess packets  (give an example of each type)
• Creating booking bags 
• Putting product in piles to fill customer’s orders (just double check their work on this one so there are not any mix-up’s!)
• Stuffing envelopes
• Stapling materials together
• Tidying up your office
• Drawing a picture about your business to share with customers on social media (your fans love seeing your kids take on your biz!)
• Attaching business cards to giveaways or prizes you are mailing out

6+ years old, any of the items above plus:

• Filing
• Simple addition and subtraction on order totals, receipts, etc.
• Helping organize items needed for events
• Assisting with setting up events, and staying for a bit to talk with people and hand out out materials (My daughter LOVES this!)
• Sitting in on short, informal meetings – especially if they are virtual so they can easily escape if they’re antsy. (this is a great experience and shows others that you can run a successful biz with kids!)
• Writing down your monthly goals on a post-it or on your whiteboard.

9+ years old, any of the items above plus:

• Posting on social media–uploading images
• Taking notes from phone calls or voicemails
• Sending simple emails
• Writing, addressing and mailing thank you notes

12+ years old, any of the items above plus:

• Creating graphics for social media (check out my awesome Canva tutorial here)
• Editing videos (hellloooo, they are probably better at this than us!)
• Inputting information for online orders
• Answering phone calls and leaving messages for customers

Here are some other fun ways your kids can get involved with your biz!

Have your kids help you market your product!

When you do this you’re also building your personal brand! Check out this blog post to learn more about building your brand.

• Modeling for photos using/wearing the product you sell
• Joining you for Facebook lives or other videos–this is really fun for my fam and I love hearing the cute things they say about my products.

Why not include them in your charitable efforts?

Giving back is an important aspect of my business and it’s even more important for me to instill that core trait in my children. Here are some ways your kids can help with fundraising efforts:

• Asking for donations in person and in live videos
• Brainstorming people or organizations to help
• Joining you with dropping off donations

Let’s do this–sticker chart style!

As I mentioned earlier in the article, you may wonder how to actually get your kids to help! If your kids aren’t used to helping, it may take a little motivation–and that’s where the sticker chart comes in (for the younger kids!) The whole idea behind sticker charts is that we do hard things when we know we have a reward coming. Download my free printable sticker reward chart then simply fill out your child’s name, the tasks you select for the week, and how many stickers equal the reward, and ta-da! Your child’s own business assistant sticker reward chart. (Grab the free printable at the bottom of this post!:) You’re welcome!)

Someone’s watching you…

In the end, you’re setting such a great example for your kids. Remember they’re always watching you! Every part of your day is shaping them–you’re showing them that hard work pays off! And that when you work together your family can accomplish great things! That they are capable of great things.

I don’t know what my kids will choose to do when they’re grown, but I do know that I’m instilling some important values–courage, hard work, positivity, teamwork, and entrepreneurship–to name a few. And, that’s REALLY cool. It’s also pretty special that we get to hang together! So enjoy this special time while you have them home–with some extra fun too–time really goes so fast.

Share in the comments if you’re now ready to get your kids involved. Or if your kids are already involved, how do they help you out? Share in the comments–sharing is caring!

As an added bonus, download the FREE “Your Business Assistant Sticker Reward Chart” printable!