Core Life Skills To Teach Your Kids Before They Grow Up

By: Phoebe Ackland, ellaslist

It seems that between answering all of their frequent, random questions and teaching kids to ties their shoes and hold a fork, there may not be time for anything else. But if you can, make it your mission to teach your children some of these key life skills before they grow up, when it really matters.

Tell The Truth: Little white lies and stretching the truth communicate to kids that honesty is a very blurry subject. Teach them that being honest is very important- whether it be at school, home or with friends. Don’t let them hear you make fake excuses or other things they know are lies, and this will help teach them that honesty is the best policy.

Personal Safety: Whether that’s not talking to strangers or sticking to the safe route when they walk home from school alone, teaching them to keep themselves safe is very important. Kids should know from as early as possible how to make a call to 000.

Stand Up For Themselves: Particularly if a child is shy or fades into the background in school and social settings. You won’t always be there to make sure they are being treated fairly, so teach your child that is is okay to speak up for yourself, and it is not rude to do so.

Kitchen Safety: There’s just so may things that can go wrong in the kitchen, so it’s important to teach your kids what to be careful of. Tell your children from a young age that they should be careful of the tap labelled “H”, the gas on the stove should never be turned on without mum there, they should never run in the kitchen, etc.

The Value Of A Dollar: Usually done through a weekly allowance- teach your children that buying things doesn’t come for free, and sacrifices need to be made if they want to get a certain something. This idea of budgeting and working for what you have will be continued all through their lives.

Learn To Swim: It seems most Aussie kids learn how to swim pretty young- and this is fantastic. Basic swim lessons from a young age can stop drowning accidents, and strong swimmers will eventually be safer at the beach.

Manners: Start this one as young as possible! Simple please and thank-you’s go a long way as kids grow up, and it is a habit that will become like second nature.

Caring For Themselves: Teaching them good hygiene is important- get kids into good routines of bathing, brushing their teeth, getting haircuts etc. Falling into this category could also include basic meal prep, and simple household chores like how to put on a load of washing.

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