Life Skills Your Kids Need That They Will Not Learn in School

life skills independence and sufficiency financial responsibilities money management Self-control emotional intelligence critical thinking Perspective-Taking teaching moment Self-Discipline

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Jan 29, 07:06 am

Photo: (Photo : TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

Kids will not be kids forever. By the time they are 18 years old, they will leave the coop and build their own lives, and it's every parent's job to ensure that they have the life skills to thrive in the world.

While parents form a partnership with the school to educate the kids and prepare them for the future, they will not learn everything they need in the classroom. Here are some of the life skills that they will only develop with their parents' guidance:

Financial Responsibilities

In general, lessons like renting a house or apartment, paying for utilities, opening different bank accounts, buying insurance, using credit cards and raising their credit scores for loans, buying a car, securing a loan, and bankruptcy are not taught in schools. However, parents can start educating their kids early on about their financial responsibilities when they become adults.

Moms and dads can make this teaching moment for the kids every day. For instance, at the grocery, the parents may teach about comparison shopping and differences in prices for the same product. If mom pays with the credit card, she can explain that the plastic card is not free money. When mom is doing the credit bills, she can casually indicate to the child why it's important to keep payments in order.

As the child gets older, the parents can introduce other concepts about money management. A light bulb will turn on in the children's minds, indicating that they've grasped the concept if the parents are open about this subject.

Critical Thinking and Perspective-Taking

Skills like analysis and evaluation of information are part of critical thinking. These matter to forming factual and valid opinions and will help with decision-making. On the other hand, perspective-taking is the ability of a person to make observations about the feelings and motivations of the people around them.

While schools and teachers encourage critical thinking and perspective-taking, there are no formal lessons or integration for these learning concepts. However, in children, these could be developed by playing board games that teach young minds to solve problems. Children could also participate in group games that allow the kids to interact with each other. These interactions give kids varied experiences.

While bantering and conflicts may arise, this is part of their social, emotional, and mental growth. It will teach them to solve their conflicts with the other kids.

Self-control and Emotional Intelligence

Children need to learn self-control and emotional intelligence to make good and healthy choices as adults, and this starts at home when parents provide stability and structure. If the kids thrive on routines and rules, this can grow into good habits that anchor their decisions.

When simple routines are applied with consistent practice, the child will eventually learn to implement their own process of doing things without their parents' assistance. They could also impose their own boundaries.

When rules are broken, and the parents implement the consequences, the kids will see how their actions will have an impact on them. From these consequences come realizations that will also teach the kids self-discipline.

Parents, however, should avoid a power struggle with their kids as these are their attempts to "gain a sense of control," according to Kelly Bourne, a pediatric nurse, and positive parenting educator.