How to Teach Your Kids Life Skills

Someday, your kids are going to grow up. They’re going to graduate high school, maybe go to college, and then it’s out into the big, scary, real world.

Are they going to be ready? That’s a big question…the answer partly lies with you.

Terrifying? Yes. But, there are a few life skills you can teach them to, hopefully, prepare them better for the real world.

Introduce Them to Life

As homeschoolers, your children have the unique opportunity to watch you walk through everyday life. And believe me, they’re learning from what you do. Show them how you budget your money and how you find the best sales at the grocery store. Teach them about meal preparation, how to clean the house, and do laundry. Introduce them to the parts of life they need to know and how you solve day-to-day problems.

They’ll learn from your example.

Implement Time Management

You know those classic to-do-lists? Teach your kids from a young age how to use them! If they can read and write, they can make a to-do-list. When they’re little, it may be as simple as having them list all of the fun things they want to do, and then, when they have free time, letting them choose from that list. As your kids get older, they’ll be able to initiate creating their own to-do-lists and prioritizing the most important tasks.

And don’t let it stop with to-do lists! As they grow, give them more and more responsibility in creating their own schedule and letting them take control of what they need to accomplish each day. The more independence you give them, the more they’ll learn about time management.

Teach Goal-setting

Goals are important for us to be able to see the end and work toward it. And, guess what? It’s a practice you can teach your kids early on. At the start of the school year, have them write down what they hope to learn or accomplish that year. Learning a new hobby? Mastering an instrument? Reading a certain amount of books? Encourage them to strive toward the completion of those goals.

It doesn’t just have to be with big long-term goals; it can simply be a practice of sitting down and determining daily ones. What do they need to accomplish that day? Which subjects and tasks take priority over others? Sometimes it’s the simple, everyday practices that set the foundation for bigger life-long habits.

Develop Independence

Homeschooling provides the ideal atmosphere for your kids to learn independence. Let them take control of their school work and impress upon them the importance of getting their responsibilities done each day. This goes for things outside of school, too. Do they want to apply to a job? Have them fill out the application…don’t do it for them! Be there if they need assistance, but let them take the wheel with the things you think they can handle.

Subjects like math, writing, reading, and science are important, but life skills are just as important. The good news is, homeschooling can teach both simultaneously.

Your kids probably will not live in your household their entire lives; someday they are going to need to go out into the real world. And you, as a parent who knows your children the best, can teach them things now that will help them succeed whenever that day comes.

How do you teach your kids important life skills?