In the busyness of life, it’s easy for me to forget about teaching my kids life skills. After all, teaching a skill takes time and patience, both of which are often in short supply. Now that we are homebound due to the “shelter in place” mandate, we have a little more time to work on these skills. If you’re like me, you might want to try these 10 life skills to teach your kids when you’re stuck inside.
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1. Cooking
If the thought of giving your kids a knife causes you to break out in hives, break yourself in with some simpler skills. Measuring, stirring, peeling, grating (though a cheese grater can be sharp, I have learned that the hard way) are all entry level cooking skills.
If you want some simple recipes to try out with the kids, MakinglearningFun.com has pictorial recipes. Recipes are given in pictorial form so kids can see step-by-step how to complete them. Have you ever tried “mug” recipes? BiggerBolderBaking.com hosts a large selection of recipes that can be cooked in a mug in the microwave. Chocolate cake in five minutes? Brilliant.
2. Sewing
I’m not saying your kids need to know how to sew their own clothes, but knowing how to sew on buttons is a very handy skill to have, If you don’t know how to sew on a button, here is a You Tube video to help you out.
For younger kiddos, you can get them started with some cute free printable sewing cards. Lacing cards are another option. 3Dinosaurs.com has free shape lacing cards you can print out. The Dollar Tree usually carries lacing cards as well. Amazon has an adorable wooden lacing set for toddlers.
https://www.amazon.com/Lacing-Toy-Toddlers-1Watermelon-Educational/dp/B07W2WQG2V/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=YASRO131KWD8&keywords=wooden+lacing+toy&qid=1585522815&sprefix=wooden+lacing,aps,223&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFDRFhMQjA3UUNGVFYmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA0NDg4MzIxTFkzTUpVVEU0WjREJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA2MjkxODRGVjRUMDJOS0ZMQ1Ymd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&linkCode=ll1&tag=hislifelearne-20&linkId=46aabb3bb49a471e0bf24011d17991ca3. Ironing
Who irons anymore, you ask. Well, there are times that an iron is needed. Sometimes those collars just need a good press to lay flat or a graduation gown needs to be ironed so it doesn’t look like you unfolded your graduate. More importantly for my 11-year-old daughter, is knowing how to use an iron to press her perler bead creations.
At howtomontessori.com you can see how one mom taught her younger child how to iron, starting with cloth napkins. While at thirtyhandmadedays.com, a mom teaches her son how to iron a dress shirt.
4. Laundry
All my kids help out with laundry in one form or another. Teach your older kids how to wash their own clothes. Your younger ones can help transfer clothes from the washing machine to the dryer. They can also learn to fold laundry. Towels are good for entry level folding skills. At the least, your kiddos should put their own clothes away.
For tips on how to teach your kids to do laundry go here to Overthebigmoon.com. You can find more great tips for tots and teens at thespruce.com
5. Letter writing
Sigh, letter writing is a lost art form. Have you ever seen the Civil War series by Ken Burns? There’s a segment in which a voice actor reads a letter that a soldier, Sullivan Ballou, sent to his wife before his death. It is an amazing, poetic, piece of history. Watch it here. Sadly in this digital age, we won’t have as many documents like these to mark history.
You never know, you may have a Sullivan Ballou in your home. Teach your kids fundamental letter writing skills. Thisreadingmama.com has an adorable free printable that teaches the five parts of a friendly letter. Littlemindsatwork.com has another cute interactive letter writing free printable along with writing templates for younger ones. This free printable from Teachers Pay Teachers has letter writing templates as well as templates for addressing envelopes.
Have your middle school and high school kids learn how to write a persuasive letter (among others) from Teachervision,com,
Now more than ever it’s important to connect with others. Have your kids write letters of encouragement to those who are genuinely housebound due to their age or medical conditions. Or perhaps your kids can start a pen-pal trend among their friends.
6. Phone etiquette
Socialmettle.com has a very helpful post on teaching your kids phone etiquette in general, Cell phone/text etiquette is another subject. What I think of when I say phone etiquette relates more to communication, For instance, when your child answers the phone, does he/she really need to let the caller know you’re in the bathroom? I realize that the scenario I just mentioned really is an old school landline experience. Still, it’s important for kids to know how to handle themselves when they make a phone call or need to answer the phone for their parents.
7. Typing
Isn’t that funny that we still use the word “typing” when we really mean “keyboading?” Anyway, typing is a very important skill to learn so you’re not hunting and pecking your way through life. Thankfully you can find many free programs online for all ages.
Typingclub.com offers lessons for kids of all ages. The site is colorful and cheery and engaging. Click here for lessons for kids from K-1st grade. Older kids may prefer the lessons on this page. My daughter in high school loves the typing games on typing.com
8. Washing dishes
Cleaninginstitute.org has a free downloadable checklist you can use to teach your kids how to wash dishes. Trust me, you will be happy you taught your kids this skill. I have two kids that love to wash dishes. Sure, the dishes may not be pristine afterward, but they are still learning and the payoff will be huge.
9. Showering
Before you think, “You actually have to teach your kid how to shower?” I will answer in the affirmative. When I had five kids aged five and under, I determined that the easiest way to get them all clean was to shower them like they were on an assembly line. I’d shower them one at a time, but right after the other. I really just wanted to take them all through the car wash and get them clean that way, but unfortunately that’s not legal.
From an early age, I had all my kids giving themselves showers. It was a sanity saver for sure. Just to prove you can find anything on the internet, I found a free printable checklist to give kids as you teach them how to shower.
10. Cleaning up messes
This is one you should start when your kids are little. I know it’s easier to clean up without little hands getting in the mix, but what you really are teaching your kiddos is responsibility.
Our “made in China” son was 2 ½ years old when he came home to us. We realized early on that this kid had not done much for himself. If he fell down, he would look at one of us, waiting for us to pick him up. (I would look at him and say, “Dude, you’re the youngest of six. Buck up and get up.” He did.) A friend of mine told me about a “stand-off” she had with him over spilled popcorn. He spilled his popcorn. My friend expected him to pick it up. He stared at her, she stared back. Finally she asked him, no doubt in the cheeriest way possible, to pick up the popcorn. He did.
Some messes really do involve a good amount of coaching. Take spilled milk for instance. I know a lot about spilled milk, and have almost cried over it. With my cluster of five younger kids, there was a period of time in which we had an average of two spilled drinks per meal. Those were dark times. At any rate, we had the kids help to their ability and taught them the correct way to clean up a mess (which does not involve smearing milk in big circles on the floor).
If you need tips with getting kids to clean up toys, check out this post from verywellfamily,com
I hope you are successful with one or more of these 10 life skills to teach your kids while you’re stuck inside. If you need more ideas of things to do while you are inside, check out these posts:
10 Screen-free indoor activities