In his first day as a sales associate, 4-year-old Tylin Kamisato demonstrated solid command of the basic skills of making change and saying thank you, skills that sometimes evade workers 20 years his senior.

Tylin was one of about 60 entrepreneurial kids hawking wares at yesterday's Keiki Swap Meet at Kakaako Waterfront Park.

The swap meet is offered three times a year by the Hawaii Children's Discovery Center as a fun, low-key way for kids to get a feel for the business of business.

"It was a really nice experience," said Tylin's mother, Denise Nakasato. "It's a real family environment and (Tylin) got to learn about selling items and got to be outside at the same time."

Indeed, sales were better than expected at the tarpaulin tent Tylin shared with play pal Jordan Fong, 5, and her family.

Over the course of about four hours, Tylin helped move a steady flow of used clothes, toys and other priced-to-sell items he no longer needed or wanted. The family was also able to find new homes for a playpen, a changing table and other larger items that had taken up space in their home.

"This was better than a garage sale," Nakasato said. "Our attitude was 'just get rid of it.' People were buying things before we even set up."

Nakasato said the money — minus a few dollars they used to pick up Snoopy items and DVDs from fellow sellers — will go toward the family's Christmas vacation in Colorado.

The Keiki Swap Meet has proven popular for the educational experience it provides, as well as the chance for kids to make money selling what they've outgrown. Past swap meets have attracted as many as 100 young sellers.

Across the grassy lawn next to the Discovery Center, families set up tents and blankets as mini sales outlets for their kids.

"It teaches them the value of money and the art of negotiating," said Discovery Center founder Loretta Yajima. "In most cases, the kids make the decision about what to sell and what the prices will be.

"Sometimes these are painful decisions for parents," Yajima said, laughing.

Brianne Kanda, 8, and her sister Erin, 13, took in $75 selling a wide variety of clothes, videos, books, toys and crafts.

"We sold stuff we didn't want anymore," Brianne said.

Erin Kanda accepted the difficult task of pricing each item.

"We just saw how much it cost before and how used it was," she said. "Sometimes it changed a little."

The sisters stayed rooted to their sun-soaked spot on the lawn throughout the late morning and early afternoon.

Did they have fun?

"Not really," both replied.

David Zane, 11, took a soft-sell approach to promoting his inventory of clothes, books, Hot Wheels cars and other toys.

Demonstrating fine financial responsibility, David said he'd take whatever he made and put it in the bank.

His father, Dale, called the day "a worthwhile experience" for his family.

"The purpose is to give kids an opportunity to be business people," he said. "I think it was a good experience for him."

The next Keiki Swap Meet is scheduled for March 2010.