10 Life Skills to Teach Your Kids

Relaxing in front of the television after a long day, I was not thrilled when one of my children entered the room to inform me that a toilet was clogged. That’s the last thing that I wanted to hear. Feeling quite lethargic, I considered my options. Did I need to deal with the issue right at that moment or could it wait a few minutes? I asked my child if the toilet was merely clogged or if it was still filling with water and about to overflow. My child wasn’t sure of the answer, so that meant break time was over for me. I grabbed the plunger and off I went to deal with the problem.

Thankfully, when I arrived at the toilet in question, there was not a blockage at all. The issue had resolved itself. As I was walking away from the bathroom, it occurred to me that I have never actually taught my kids how to deal with plumbing issues. I have taught them many life skills over the years, but I realized at that moment there are some gaps in their knowledge. There are things they need to know that I have forgotten to teach them. My kids are now old enough to be left home alone. What if a toilet began to overflow when I wasn’t home? Would they know what to do? Unfortunately, I don’t think so.

As a result of the toilet incident, I began to think about other life skills that I want to teach my children before they become adults. I’m sure they won’t want to learn some of the lessons. Who really wants to learn how to deal with a clogged toilet? However, at some point in the future, they will face such a situation and should know how to deal with it. Sure, you can find a video online to teach you just about anything, but if your toilet is in the process of overflowing, there’s no time for videos. You’ll want to act fast. Or what if there’s a water leak in the basement? I want my kids to know how to shut off the water main valve.

So, in addition to our regular coursework this year, we will be focusing on life skills. Here are ten life skill topics we will studying. Maybe you’ll want to add some life skills to your curriculum too.

1. Household Maintenance & Basic Repairs
2. Housekeeping
3. Personal Finance
4. Meal Planning and Cooking
5. Emergency Preparedness
6. First Aid
7. Goal Setting and Habits
8. Career Building
9. Vehicle Maintenance
10. Spiritual, Physical, and Mental Health

Heidi Kinney is a freelance writer and editor. Her background includes professional teaching in the area of mathematics, as well as writing and editing for several educational publishers. She has been homeschooling her children since 2007. She shares homeschool resources and lessons on her website, SharedLessons.org.

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