Life skills are just as important as academics for preparing children for the future. Homeschooling offers the perfect opportunity to integrate practical, hands-on learning into daily routines. From cooking and budgeting to time management and critical thinking, here’s how you can teach life skills seamlessly.
Admittedly, we all could use more help in training and teaching our children valuable life skills. I have gained a lot of insight, and ideas to implement in my own home by writing this post. The idea behind this article is to give you a jumping-off point…and practical steps to get you started.
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The Importance of Teaching Life Skills
Likely you wouldn’t question the importance of building life skills. However, we may not always take the opportunities presented to us in our daily lives to teach these vital skills. Independence and confidence are just two of the benefits of building skills for daily living. Plus, wouldn’t we all like a little bit taken off our plate each day? (Perhaps not literally, this girl likes to eat.)
Life skills will prepare children for adulthood and contribute to their overall education. We all want confident, secure children to grow up to become confident, secure adults, and building these skills at an early age is the key to success later in life. We have all heard horror stories of young adults who are unable to accomplish simple daily tasks such as writing a check, addressing an envelope, or generally dealing kindly with those who are in community service roles. Let’s do better.
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Skills By Age Group
As parents, it’s our job to give our children tasks that are age-appropriate. Of course, each child has their own maturity and skill levels, so that is up to you to decide what is best for each child. Remember that routine and consistency are the goal, not perfection. As your child develops skills, they will work more efficiently beside you. Children love being part of your world, so invite them to join you in everyday tasks. Remember, what we consider work, they view as play!
The following is a basic list of some life skills your child could be working on, based on age groups.
Growing Independence Ages 5-7
- Self Care:
- Bathe independently with reminders
- Brush and floss teeth, without help
- Tie shoelaces (by 6 or 7)
- Helping Around the House
- Make their bed
- Pack their lunchbox with supervision (because we all know how that would end.)
- Help with simple meal prep, making sandwiches, or washing fruits and vegetables
- Make a simple sandwich with two or three ingredients
- Create a salad, choosing a few favorite veggies and lettuce no chopping needs to be done if kept simple
- Tidy up your play space creating a neat and clean space to enjoy with friends
- Fold towels. Give the child a small pile of washcloths or towels to fold. (This can be done for even smaller children as well.)
- Sort and put away laundry. (Because for most of us, that’s the hardest part!)
- Plant a seed
- Water the garden
- Start a compost bin
- Wiping down surfaces to clean
- Communication
- Write a thank you note to a friend or family member for a special gift or kind action
- Practice using the phone, introducing yourself, and stating the reason for your call
- Money Management
- Understand the concept of saving money in a piggy bank.
- Give back to others. Choose a portion of your allowance and see what you can do to give to others.
Developing Responsibility Ages 8-10
- Self Care
- Practice deep breathing
- Get active, choosing a dance, walk, or stretch to get your body moving
- Develop healthy habits with food, eating a balanced meal
- Helping Around the House
- Vacuum small areas around the house
- Load and unload the dishwasher
- Unload and put away groceries
- Start folding and putting away their own laundry
- Preparing basic meals (scrambled eggs, toast, microwaving leftovers
- Money Management
- Save money and learn simple budgeting
- Create a savings goal
- Outdoor/Other Skills
- Mowing the lawn (with supervision, if safe)
- Learn to swim confidently
- Learn basic first-aid, like how to apply a Band-Aid or ointments for burns or scrapes
Pre-Teen Skills Ages 11-12
- Self Care
- Manage hygiene/skincare routines independently
- Helping Around the House
- Do their own laundry (wash, dry, fold, put away)
- Deep clean their bedroom (vacuum, dust, pick up, organize)
- Help plan and cook family meals
- Money Management
- Keep track of allowances, and spending
- Open a savings account with a parent’s help
- Babysit for younger siblings for short times, if mature, and safe
- Learn how to use public transportation
Preparing for Independence Ages 13-14
- Self Care
- Cook full meals for the family
- Manage personal hygiene products, purchasing and replacing as needed
- Helping Around the House
- Take full responsibility for their own laundry
- Managing household chores independently (cleaning the room, taking out trash, mowing the lawn…)
- Help with the groceries, including making a list, and sticking to the budget
- Money Management
- Earn and manage money made from part-time jobs
- Understand the basics of budgeting, saving, and giving
- Learn to use a debit card responsibly, and manage an online banking app
- Outdoor/Other Skills
- Perform basic car maintenance, like changing the oil, filling it with gas, and changing a tire
- Learn how to schedule doctor appointments or other appointments for car maintenance
- Practice time management for school projects or other extracurriculars
Practical Ways to Teach Life Skills
The list could of course include anything you think is necessary, and could potentially go on forever. But what are some practical ways to make this training happen? It all sounds good in theory, but life gets in the way, and sometimes, let’s be honest, it’s just easier to do it ourselves. But what is that teaching our children? Try turning your kitchen into an inviting place where your children are welcome to join you in cooking. Even very small children can help wash dishes, or make a salad.
Let me tell you how I got my two boys to start doing their own dishes…I am pretty proud of myself, and it was so simple. I was fed up, as most of us probably have been. When dinner was all done, everyone left their dishes for me…so one night, I declared that everyone was responsible for their own dish. Granted, this was only 4 fewer plates for me to wash, but it was something. I stayed consistent (as is the key) and before I knew it they were doing their own dishes without being asked. My really proud moment came when I started seeing them doing their dishes during the day, not just after dinner. Could you implement something like this in your home?
Resources to Get Started
Sometimes we need more resources to get us going. With that being said, I will direct you to some books and apps that have helped us to create more independent children in our home.
Books:
“Life Skills for Kids: How to Teach Them What They Need to Know” Christine Field.
“Hunt, Gather, Parent“ by Michaeleen Doucleff. I love this book so much. Though I don’t agree with her views on evolution, she has so many great ideas on how to invite your child into your daily routine, and helps us understand why our children are acting the way they do…it was so good, I purchased my own to make notes.
Apps/Devices
Greenlight for teaching money management. We use this for our boys. We love that it is an instant way to give money when they are with grandparents. They are able to use the card just like a debit card. We have gotten so many compliments on how well our children deal with payments in public.
Overcoming Common Challenges
As I said before, do not expect perfection, or mastery. Some of these skills will take years to accomplish. Consistency is the key here.
Sometimes we find resistance from our kids. Try making things into a game, or some sort of reward system, if that seems like the way that is best for your kids. Or, just deal with the whining until they get used to the new way of doing things.
In Conclusion
Teaching life skills doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By weaving them into your homeschool or every day, you’re setting your children up for success in life. Start small, stay consistent (which is hardest), and watch your kids grow into capable, confident adults.
