Healthy Living

3 Important Skills For Kids to Learn Outside of the Classroom

Schools are incredible and teach our children so many useful skills- however, they don’t teach everything. As parents, there are still things that fall to us that we need to ensure our children know and understand in order to be the most successful adults they can be. Here are three examples of things you can teach kids, starting from a young age to give them the best start. 

Money

Understanding the value of money is important, this is something that’s so worth teaching your children. While they will learn about what different coins are and how to add them up in school, as a parent you can help them to understand that money is hard earned and does not simply ‘grow on trees’. You can do this by assigning them age-appropriate chores in order to earn pocket money, teach them how to save their earned money for something that they want. Later down the line, before they leave home you can show them how to budget their money and what tools and methods are effective for saving, budgeting for bills and so much more. This is something that many young adults leave home not knowing how to do, and as a result can end up dealing with financial difficulties. They might fall victim to opening credit accounts or loans which they then don’t know how to pay off. 

Life Skills

Lots of life skills used to be taught in home economics type lessons, however these have fallen off the curriculum in many places and have been replaced with more academic subjects. There are many life skills you can teach your kids just by getting them involved at home, this ensures by the time they’re older,  they’re able to be independent and look after themselves when they eventually live on their own. They should know how to meal plan, create a shopping list to their budget and make healthy and enjoyable meals. They should know how to separate, wash, dry and properly put away their laundry. They should know how to properly clean and maintain a house, from dusting blinds to cleaning stains off carpets to cleaning windows, toilets and worktops. Another skill that’s worth teens having before they leave home is the ability to drive, this gives so much independence. It can feel worrying as a parent having your teen behind the wheel, but any experienced attorney will tell you that car accidents aren’t any more likely at this age if they’re driving sensibly and following the rules of the road. You can take them out in the car with you alongside their lessons to give them as much road experience as possible. This will help them no end when they eventually leave home, and have the confidence and ability to drive to wherever they need to go. 

Self Confidence

Self confidence is so important. People that have self belief are more likely to take up new opportunities and not be held back by doubt. They recover quicker after failures and generally have a more positive outlook which can make experiencing life easier and more pleasant. Start young, build your child’s self confidence and encourage them as they learn. Guide them through mistakes without shame and be their biggest cheerleader. There are lots of great parenting resources online that can help you in this area. 

Karla Urwitz
Follow Me
Latest posts by Karla Urwitz (see all)