10 Important Life Skills Kids Should Know
"Life skills” are simply skills that are necessary or desirable for participation in everyday life. They enable people to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life, and they can be taught and learned starting in childhood.
It’s important to start teaching children some basic life skills early to help them be happier and more productive later in life, while also boosting their self-esteem and allowing them to be more self-sufficient. Learning these skills can help with independent thinking, making friends and socializing, and dealing with other day-to-day encounters and situations. It also helps with motivation and developing practical, cognitive, emotional, social, and self-management skills throughout life.
Read on for a list of the top life skills to start teaching your child today.
Communication
Perhaps the one of the most important life skills, communication encompasses written, verbal, and nonverbal skills. These skills will be used every single day for the rest of the child’s life, including with friends and family, at school, during their careers, and with their own children.
Learning communication skills as a child can help build social and emotional skills and helps the child learn how to understand others as well as be understood themselves. They should learn about reading social cues, listening, and knowing the most effective way to share what they want to share. This can help them be more successful in virtually every aspect of life.
Self-Control
Adults know life doesn’t always go their way, and it’s important to teach children this as well. As a child, it’s difficult to see the bigger picture and understand there are different factors that affect different situations. Learning this, as well as how to react to situations that don’t go as planned or how the child wants, can help them:
Be more successful with communication.
Embrace change.
Let go of control.
Understand how to control their emotions to avoid hurting someone else physically or emotionally.
Control their own feelings to avoid feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
Start by helping your child understand basic examples of things in and out of their control. For example, they can control what they wear today, but they cannot control the weather. If it’s raining, they may not be able to go to the park like they wanted to, but that’s out of their control. Help them understand that perhaps they can go when the rain stops or on the next sunny day. Then, as they master the basics and mature, you can introduce or teach additional, more complex situations.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking includes the ability to analyze information and make a decision based on the information you gather. It also means being able to find solutions to problems and learn from mistakes. Critical thinking helps people better understand themselves, their motivations, and their goals. When a child can gather information, find the most important parts, and apply that to their situation, problem, or life, they are better able to grow and improve their situation and happiness.
Provide plenty of opportunities for children to play and solve their own problems – don’t intervene immediately, and instead pause and wait.
Ask open-ended questions.
Encourage thinking in new and different ways.
Problem-Solving/Decision-Making
Similar to critical thinking, it’s important for a child to be able to confidently make decisions without relying on someone else. It’s also important for them to understand there are consequences, whether positive or negative, to their actions. Knowing this can help reinforce how to make appropriate decisions.
Mastering problem-solving can help build confidence and the ability to make a decision that will support them in both the short- and long-term, while also helping them learn how to persevere through difficult times.
Give children the opportunity to make decisions throughout their day, such as:
Clothes to wear for the day.
What to eat for a snack.
How to do their hair.
What they want to play with.
What book to read.
What chore to do next.
Both children and adults face challenges every day. Knowing how to handle those emotions and solve problems can help your child be successful in the future.
Creative Thinking
Thinking creatively is the ability to come up with new approaches and ideas and connect the dots and see the bigger picture. This skill helps promote imagination and concentration and allows the child to express what they are thinking or feeling when they may not be able to put it into appropriate words. It also supports mental growth by providing new opportunities to try out new ideas and new ways of thinking.
Ask “what if” questions.
When mistakes happen, find the positives, and think about ways there could have been a different outcome.
Ask open-ended questions.
Encourage free time and creative play.
Creative thinking skills are often nurtured in extracurricular activities and before and after care programs. These spaces offer children extra time and opportunity to connect with other children and engage with new challenges and ideas.
Basic Hygiene
This seems obvious, but it’s important to establish hygiene practices early so the child can care for themself without having to be told, while also simply instilling good habits. This includes brushing teeth, bathing/showering, brushing hair, etc. As kids get older, introduce concepts such as knowing when clothes are dirty, the importance of and how to apply deodorant, shaving, and similar habits.
Cleaning/Household Chores
There are a variety of age-appropriate chores a child can do, or you can simply have them help you as you do your own chores. Modeling this behavior can be a strong teaching tool. This skill instills the importance of maintaining a clean living space but doing so can be fun and rewarding. Teaching these real-life skills can also help ensure the child can live on their own and fend for themselves when it’s time. Ensure you celebrate when they do a good job.
Basic First Aid
The most important skill here is knowing how to call 911 and when you should call 911 in the event of an emergency. Additionally, having the skills and ability to handle a situation when they or someone else is hurt can be critical, especially prior to the child being allowed to stay at home alone. It also helps build overall confidence in being able to handle stressful situations. Make sure your child knows what basic first aid kit items are and how to use them, as well as how to clean and bandage a wound.
Self-Defense
This is a skill the child hopefully never has to use, but is critical to know some basic self-defense. These skills don’t all have to necessarily be physical. Basic tactics like how to use words to deescalate a situation can help protect children against bullies. Also teach your child what they should do if approached by a stranger. These skills can help your child feel more secure and confident.
Money Management/Financial Literacy
Learning financial literally skills at a young age is proven to help young adults make better financial decisions and model better financial behavior. Experts recommend starting to teach these skills as early as 5 years old. This includes:
Borrowing money.
Paying off debt.
Creating and sticking to a budget.
Knowing the difference between different financial tools.
Options for investing, taxes, etc.
Other basic money concepts include the value of money, immediate vs. delayed gratification, working for money, and the importance of saving and budgeting.
Work With a Before and After School Care Program in Your Area
Enrolling your child in a Harford or Baltimore County before and after care program can help ensure they are learning important life skills they may not be learning in school. It can provide them with extra opportunities for social growth and mental stimulation and allow them to experience new ideas. It can also help them perform better in school so they can focus on extracurricular activities and learning. Contact Caliday to learn more about the best before and after school care programs in Maryland, or start the process of enrolling your child today.
