I loved the November cover story on nurturing entrepreneurship skills within children. I run a fashion boutique in Chennai and wish that I was exposed to entrepreneurship education early on in my life. As I learn on the job navigating the ups and downs of starting and running my own business, I have realised that entrepreneurship is a vital skill which must be incorporated into all school curriculums. Entrepreneurship develops communication and problem-solving skills, self-confidence, and most importantly builds resilience within children.
The ten pointers to nurture entrepreneurial skills of adolescents written by Sriram Subramanian, co-founder & CEO, Clever Harvey, were especially brilliant.

Shreshta Reddy
Chennai

Inspiring & relevant

Thank you for the inspiring and relevant cover story ‘Nurturing children’s entrepreneurship skills’ (PW November). I loved the suggestion that schools and parents must encourage children to start and run a business — during the summer vacation — as a school/college project. Starting and running a business — however small it is such as setting up a lemonade stall on the weekends in the neighbourhood — provides invaluable life skills experiences and develops children’s organisation, financial management, problem solving and communication skills.

Many of the world’s successful entrepreneurs started young. For instance Daymond John, host of the hit TV show Shark Tank, started a gifting business when he was eight years old. He would scrape the paint off pencils and replace it with a girl’s name for a fee. There is also the story of Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad who rode around his tiny Swedish town at the age of five, selling fire matches in the 1930s. He started Ikea when he was only 17 years old.

Seema Rajeev
Delhi

Motivate children to exercise

I’m a fitness freak and used to frequent the gym at least three days a week. But after the lockdown, like most people I am nervous about working out in the gym. I liked your Health story on push-ups and why it’s an excellent home-based fitness activity for all family members.

Unfortunately during the past nine months of lockdown and home isolation, physical activity of children has suffered greatly. With schools closed and most parents still apprehensive about sending children for sports classes, children are losing out on physical play and exercise. It’s critical that parents motivate children to remain fit and healthy by doing indoor exercises. There are many videos on youtube showing excellent indoor exercise routines suitable for children. These fitness activities don’t require any gym equipment and/or expert supervision.

Binosh John
Bengaluru

Reopen schools now!

I am a parent of two adolescent children who are sick and tired of online classes. It’s been almost nine months since schools closed because of the pandemic. Children have been locked indoors for almost a year, without any real-time interaction with friends and teachers. No sports and co-curricular activities either. Now, with the Covid-19 infection rate falling across the country, I think it’s time we reopened schools. Abroad, in the UK, France and even in New York, schools have reopened.

I sincerely hope the government will soon reopen schools before online classes destroy the social skills and emotional intelligence of children.

Ritu Varma
Mumbai

Reassure youngest children

Thank you for the excellent essay on ‘How to help young children regulate their emotions & behaviour during the pandemic’ (PW November). I related to this article instantly as during the past six months I have witnessed my four-year-old son transform from a cheerful no-fuss child into an irritable tiny tot prone to throwing temper tantrums frequently.

The pandemic and lockdown has affected youngest children deeply. Months of no outdoor activity, social isolation from peers and restricted social interaction has affected youngest children’s emotional well-being. We need to pay extra attention to our little ones reassuring them of our love, care and appreciation.

Surabhi Sengupta
Kolkata