Teach kids to negotiate with win-win thinking, small practice rounds, and playful family deals, building confidence for their future money and life skills
Negotiation shows up pretty much everywhere in a kid’s life.
From swapping snacks with other children to deciding what movie the family will watch. But most kids don’t actually negotiate. They either give in too easily (“Fine, you can have it”) or stand their ground like tiny lawyers (“I’ll NEVER share this toy”).
Both extremes miss the real point of negotiation. It’s problem-solving.
And learning how to negotiate doesn't just ensure they get the snack or show they want. It sets the stage for later life (and in the professional world), where finding a solution that works for everyone is crucial.
Negotiation is about win–win.
Kids often picture negotiation as a tug-of-war where someone wins and someone else loses.
But negotiation works best when it’s about meeting everyone’s needs. In other words, an outcome that’s fair to everyone.
Children as young as seven can already grasp the concepts of fairness and compromise, so this makes it an ideal age to start.
In a later professional context, the best deals leave both sides satisfied, helping keep partnerships strong.
Takeaway: Help kids reframe negotiation as teamwork. So when both sides win, everyone walks away stronger.
Practice give-and-take in small decisions.
Negotiation is a muscle that needs to be constantly worked. Kids can build this negotiation muscle by doing mini “practice rounds.”
For example, if two siblings want the same toy, guide them to take turns or sweeten the deal with something extra.
Take the lesson further by using money-linked examples, like negotiating how to split their pocket money to purchase something together, or exchanging chores (“I’ll wash the dishes if you pay me part of your pocket money”).
This lands the reality that negotiation often involves money and an exchange of value.
Takeaway: The more they practise small negotiations, the better they’ll handle bigger ones later.
Create a safe negotiation table at home.
Kids want things all the time.
Like staying up a little later, or watching an extra episode or two of their favourite show.
Well, that's an opportunity for them to sharpen their negotiation skills.
Parents can counteroffer with: “Unpack the dishwasher, and you can get an extra 30 minutes.” This playful scenario prepares them for the real world of salaries, pricing and agreements/contracts.
A safe, low-stakes scenario like home is the perfect environment to build confidence and remove the “intimidation” factor of negotiation.
Takeaway: By making negotiation playful at home, you equip kids to approach real-world deals with curiosity and skill.
When it comes to negotiating, knowledge is power.
That’s why this week’s free resource is the Smart Shopper Purchase Comparison worksheet, and is designed to help kids practise weighing up options before making a decision. They’ll compare price, brand, quality, and any extra bonuses, awarding stars for each category.
Then, they’ll write down why they chose the winner (just like justifying a deal in real life). It’s the perfect way to show that smart decisions (and better negotiations) start with clear comparisons.
