With so much for the children to learn in today’s high-tech world, it’s all too easy for them to miss out on life skills, whether its planting a seed, preparing a simple or comparison shopping. Life skills go hand in hand with development and can help children succeed later in life.
Role of Parents
Parents play a crucial role in developing their children socially, emotionally, cognitively, and academically. They are always ready to help their children to get through life’s challenges—from the little bumps in the road to the big stuff. Today parents need to be more aloof when it comes to the development of life skills in children. When it comes to diagnosing the way their child is developing, they should be equally concerned about their skills-based learning, as similar as they are about the rosy picture of their children’s academic achievement.
So, lets dive into the few of the essential life skills and the ways to develop them which will make a smooth transition to a child’s road to success-
Basic budgeting and Money management
“I want it! I want it! I want it!” How many times have you heard this when your kids spot candy, a toy, or just about anything else you can think of that kids think they’ve got to have right now? But often we overlook this valuable life skill we should be teaching our children. It develops a habit in children to not waste money and to respect its value.
This is quite a basic one when it comes to life skills. Give children a certain amount of pocket money every week or two, that they have to spend on their expenses. If they want to buy something a little more expensive, ask them to save up their pocket money to buy it. Or, you can lend them a helping hand by telling them that for every chunk of money they save, you’ll add a certain amount of money to their fund for buying the product.
This will motivate them more and will also make them learn the concept of comparative shopping. Tell them why to choose comparatively cheaper options sometimes. When they want to buy a few things when you go shopping, encourage them to pick one or two items if they’re of the same kind. This kind of budgeting training develops a habit in your child to not waste money and to respect its value.
Health and Hygiene
Those tiny little hands are always reaching out for everything they can grab, and this may not always be a good sign. Therefore, inculcating healthy habits from a young age is important to ensure that your children remain safe and healthy.
Kids are never too young to begin learning about health and hygiene. From brushing teeth twice a day to washing hands before a meal, many more habits are important for kids to learn. As children begin learning about this life skill, set up a chart that allows them to check off each task as they complete it. When these healthy habits are established over time, take away the chart, and your kids will mentally go through the checklist throughout the day without you having to remind them continually.
Children need a little guidance in the hygiene department at one time or another. And while it can be uncomfortable to raise the issue, it’s important to teach kids the life skills they are going to need to become a healthy, responsible adult. Get your teen involved in doing household chores. Teach them step-by-step how to cook food, clean the kitchen, do the laundry, and sanitize the home.
Decision Making Skills
This skill allows children to find solutions to conflicts and in the process, opens up opportunities to valuable life lessons. Logical thinking and problem-solving support the ability for decision making. Decision making shapes them into the type of adult they will become and the life paths that they will choose later.
How to develop it – As parents, you must allow your child to make mistakes rather than shielding them from the potential pitfalls. When kids learn a hard lesson from their own mistakes, it provides them with great insight. It’s important for them to learn from their own experiences and remember not to repeat them again. Children should be taught to distinguish their own strengths and weaknesses so that they are apt to make better decisions in life regarding them.
Taking on Challenges
One of the most important traits we can develop in life is that of resilience—being able to take on challenges, bounce back from failure, and keep trying. Children learn to take on challenges when we create an environment with the right amount of structure—not so much as to be limiting, but enough to make them feel safe. Encourage your child to try new things and allow reasonable risk, such as climbing a tree or riding a bike. Offer a new challenge when they seems ready, e.g., “I think you are ready to learn to tie your shoes. Let’s give it a try.” Focus more on effort than achievement, e.g., “Learning to tie your shoes was really hard, but you kept trying. Well done.”