Can you think of any other life skills for kids? Write them in the comments below!
Understand Money
Want to teach your child a life skill that could literally make or break their success as an adult? Teach them about money.
Other than education, nothing will ensure kids success as an adult than teaching them to be money-savvy. This includes understanding what it takes to manage money, delay gratification, the responsible ways to handle debt, and investing for future goals
Learning How to Cook
Research shows that people who frequently
cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories than those who cook less. So teaching kids how to cook often means setting them up for a healthier diet in the future.
How to be a Self-Starter
Employers today complain about recent graduates entering the workforce and needing step-by-step instructions to complete even the smallest task. Many of these graduates grew up in households where parents kept them on schedule and hovered over every task.
How to Talk to Strangers
Out in the world on their own, our kids will encounter many strangers – professors, coaches, advisors, landlords, store clerks, hairdressers, waiters, managers, and co-workers just to name a few.
How to Independently Manage Time
Let’s face it, there are many adults who could still learn a thing or two about time management. But the more kids understand how to manage their time before living on their own, the more successful they’ll be.
How to Stand Up for Themselves
Adults are often in situations where they have to advocate for themselves – asking a boss for a raise, letting a stranger know they accidentally cut them in line or telling a waiter that he didn’t add up the bill correctly.
How to Cope with Failure
Failure is tough. And seeing your kids fail? Even tougher.
But as difficult as it is to sit on the sidelines and see our kids make mistakes – failure is full of big lessons.
As Jessica Lahey, author of the book “
The Gift of Failure” says, when
parents correct their kid’s mistakes, they’re helping in the moment but ultimately doing harm. Kids who have never had to deal with failure find themselves unable to cope as adults when a relationship goes sour or a work project doesn’t pan out.
“All this swooping and fixing make for emotionally, intellectually, and socially handicapped children,” she writes, “unsure of their direction or purpose without an adult on hand to guide them.”