Back to activities
Thinking playCalm

Weekend Microbusiness

Preteen plans, prices, and runs a tiny weekend service or stall, tracking costs and reflecting on what sold.

Cartoon illustration of a parent and child at home doing Weekend Microbusiness.
  • Age10 to 13 years
  • TimeAn hour or more
  • EnergyModerate
  • CostLow cost
  • WhereIndoors or out
  • Prep15 min

Your child plans and runs a small weekend stall or service, sets prices, tracks what they spend and earn, and looks back at what worked. A real, hands-on project with a genuine outcome.

How to do it

  1. Help your child pick a small idea they can run in a weekend, such as a baked-goods stall, a car-wash service, or handmade cards for neighbours.
  2. Have them list what they need to buy, estimate the cost, and set a price per item or per job with your input on what is fair.
  3. Agree the boundaries together up front (where they can operate, who they can approach, and that an adult stays involved throughout).
  4. Let them run the stall or service while you supervise, handling the money and talking to customers as much as they are ready to.
  5. Afterwards, sit down together and work out what came in, what went out, and what they would change next time.

What you need

  • Supplies
  • Notebook
  • Pen
  • Float
  • Setup space

Make it yours

Younger, 9-10 years: A parent handles all money and location choices; the child focuses on making and pricing. Older, 12 years and up: Add a simple profit calculation and a target to aim for. Siblings: Split roles by having one make, one track the money, and one handle customers, then review together.

Try this with your child.

Tell PLAI™ about your child and this moment. It shapes the activity to fit.

Try it in the app