10 Life Skills All Parents Should Teach Their Children

When it comes to providing your children with a well-rounded education, it’s common to focus heavily on academics and a few special interests. These are important, but they aren’t the only things you’ll want to teach your children. When you homeschool, it’s also a good idea to focus on life skills, which are the things we use to navigate life and society. These are the skills that make life easier and more successful, whether at home, in social settings, or in the workplace.

10 Life Skills All Parents Should Teach Their Children

If you haven’t incorporated life skills into your curriculum or are just looking for some great ideas, here is a list of suggestions. You and your kids might enjoy these additional lessons as part of your homeschooling journey.

Life Skills for Elementary Students

1. Calling 9-1-1

As early as possible, children should learn when it is appropriate to dial 9-1-1 and how to use the phone to make this call.

2. Practicing a Home Fire Escape Plan

Teach children how to respond to a smoke alarm, practice your household escape plan and choose an outside meeting place. Emphasize getting outside and staying outside rather than trying to fight a fire. Ask your local fire department for guidance appropriate to your household.

3. Housekeeping Tasks

Young students should learn basic housekeeping tasks from an early age so they will be well-equipped to help out as they get older and eventually manage their own household. These include things like doing laundry, vacuuming, washing dishes, and taking out the trash.

4. Cooking/baking

Begin with kitchen tasks suited to your child's readiness, such as washing produce, measuring ingredients or mixing a cool mixture with adult supervision. An adult should manage heat, sharp tools and appliances until the child has appropriate instruction and can use them safely with the required supervision. Teach handwashing and how to keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods. For further ideas, explore our culinary-arts guide.

Life Skills for Middle Schoolers

5. Communication Skills

Whether it’s ordering a pizza, making their own doctor’s appointment, or sending an email with a question, children will need to learn to communicate verbally and in writing to get things done.

6. First Aid

Help children recognize an emergency, get an adult and call 9-1-1 when needed. For first aid and CPR skills, look for instruction from a recognized training provider and confirm that the course is suitable for the child's readiness and abilities. A brief homeschool lesson does not replace practical training.

7. General Maintenance

Another good life skill to teach is general home maintenance. When something needs to be done, such as painting a room, replacing air filters, or mowing the lawn, teach your kids how to do these things and why they’re important.

Life Skills for High School Students

8. Money Management

Starting even younger than high school, you can instill money management skills in your children with various lessons and exercises. At this age, however, you can teach them to balance a checkbook and talk about the importance of investing, insurance, etc. Our personal-finance article offers a starting point for discussing money skills.

9. Driving

Your child is likely to bring up driving lessons before you do. But, learning to operate a vehicle safely is a vital life skill. Beyond this, you can teach your child the importance of properly maintaining a vehicle to save money.

10. Job Readiness

By high school age, it’s time for children to learn some job readiness skills. These include things like writing a resume and applying for jobs, as well as interview etiquette and dressing for success.

For a broader look at developing skills through everyday experiences, read Learning Beyond the Curriculum.

Add Life Skills to Your Child’s Home School Curriculum

When you choose to homeschool your child in South Carolina, you gain the flexibility you need to support their interests and teach them valuable life skills. Adding some of these skills to your homeschooling curriculum is just one way you can move beyond the classroom and create a richer and more varied experience for your children.

At the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS), we provide educational counseling and encouragement to homeschooling parents throughout the state, as well as offer access to valuable resources. Contact us for more information about the benefits of membership in SCAIHS.