Getting children to plan a school sports day is a great opportunity to practice teambuilding, organisation and delegation skills

For some people, the word ‘entrepreneur’ connotes a person whose main motivation is to make money. But, there are other connotations: risk taking, tenacity and resilience. When you stop and think about it, these aren’t bad qualities for young people to develop. In fact, they’re often the hallmarks of good learners. An excellent real-life project to help build these skills is for children to plan a sporting event.

The scope of the sporting event will often be influenced by dates in the school calendar and the support, time and resources available. Wherever possible, encourage children to decide on the event themselves. For the purpose of this article, the focus is planning a traditional sports day, but there shouldn’t be anything to stop children planning a whole-school swimathon, a crazy cross-country race or army-style obstacle course! The event could link to a charity or a class topic such as a mini-Olympics for Ancient Greece. Regardless of the event, children will ultimately learn about working with others, overcoming difficulties and being resourceful – all of which are characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and learners.

THE PROJECT