As we begin to get ready for school this year, I thought you might like checking out resources I found on Educents. This post contains my affiliate links if you click on them and make a purchase I will make a small percentage off of the sales.
These days, there is a real lack of practical training in schools and even in some homes. With so much focus on resources for “pure” academics, and downloading the latest app,sometimes necessary life skills fall behind. Here are five areas outside of academic discussion that build the foundation for a happy, confident child: This morning I have a list of Essential Life Skills we all can use in our lives.
- Cleaning & Organization
- Cooking
- Money Management
- Physical Health & Safety Preparedness
- Social Skills (aka Manners!)
I’ve rounded up great tools in this area to help foster these essential life skills.
Cleaning & Organizing
Zone Cleaning for Kids
Zone Cleaning for Kids is not just for kids. It has a reusable chart, how-tos, and a framework of understanding how to go about cleaning a whole house without getting overwhelmed. Kids from X to 100 feel empowered when they focus on one area at a time, check items off their lists, and see real results. Parents have said a clean home makes for a bright mind – a crucial building block for a happy, successful life.
How to Cook
Your Kids: Cooking
Microwaves and McDonald’s may be convenient, but they are not the healthiest or most cost-effective options for mealtime. Give your kids the tools to be confident and independent in the kitchen. When a child learns how to cook, they are developing math and fine-motor skills, learning about applied chemistry. Plus, cooking gives them the tools to carry on family and community traditions.
Your Kids: Cooking is a multimedia kit that teaches kids ages 8 and up the gamut of necessary cooking skills using step-by-step video demonstrations and kid-friendly written recipes. Kids do all the cooking themselves – parents sit back and relax. Now that’s a treat!
Money Management
Key to the Front Door
Whether your child is earning an allowance, saving birthday money, or planning to make a million dollars after starting their own company, money management is an essential topic for children to learn at an early age. You may be modeling intense practices, but how can you actively teach fast money – related habits?
Key to the Front Door is a board game that helps you do just that. In the game, players race to be the first to “master” their money. Use real-world scenarios to develop financial literacy. In the context of a game, you can avoid lectures while starting more extensive conversations.
Once you’ve played the game, you can apply what is learned in real life: Say your child wants to have a toy now, but they have a longer-term goal of building a tree-house. You can recall the game to usher them toward stronger financial choices on their own.
Physical Health & Safety Preparedness
Essential Life Skills Chart Series: Nutritional and First Aid Quick Reference Guides
Learning and establishing good eating and nutritional habits starts at a young age, and the same applies to emergency preparedness.
Provide your child with an understanding of the building blocks of nutrition, such as the carbohydrates, lipids/fats, and proteins. Described in this guide, along with essential vitamins and minerals, and the principles of digestion.
The comprehensive guide also walks readers through treating common injuries and how to respond when someone is choking, making it an essential series for older siblings, babysitters, and family members who care for children!
Social Skills (aka Manners!)
Q’s Race to the Top
Emotional Intelligence, also known as EQ, is something many parents teach their children unknowingly, sometimes with a little help from our prim pal Emily Post. Some argue that it’s equally, if not more important than IQ. I claim it’s all important!
Go a step beyond telling children to “mind their manners” with a game that helps them not only develop social-emotional intelligence but an understanding of how important it is to a fulfilled life. Q’s Race to the Top does just that.
Structured similarly to Candyland, with card drawing and game piece progressions. Cards questions like “What does it mean to be brave?” or “Name something that’s boring. How can you make it fun?” You may be surprised by the discussions prompted by this game as well as the wisdom and clarity.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
