We are seeing more and more memes about lifestyles and today’s millennials not knowing how to do the most basic things. And let’s face facts the generation that we are raising is most likely to be even worse. I’m making sure that my kids are learning important skills too, and that they are right up there with reading and math in our homeschool. What’s the point of teaching them fractions if they can’t cook?
Important Skills to Learn While Homeschooling
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Now I know there are a lot of important skills for our kids to learn, and I personally cannot teach them all of them, mainly because I don’t have all the skills – I can’t change tire for instance.
Cooking
Teaching your kids to cook is as easy as letting them help out in the kitchen. While letting them help out can require a lot of patience it’s a rather important skill to learn if you don’t want them to live on take out all of their life. Plus in learning to cook they learn about eating healthy, and then leads into the next skill…
Cleaning
Toddlers are quite capable of picking up toys. They aren’t going to get everything exactly where it belongs, but as time goes on they’ll get better. This set the bar for them to continue to clean up their mess as they get older.
Learning to cook in our house means that you are also filling, running, and emptying the dishwasher. Cleaning counters and more.
Laundry
While my kids currently can’t reach into the bottom of my top loader to get clothes out they are still helping with laundry by picking up their dirty clothes and putting them in the hamper. They bring the dirty clothes hamper to the laundry room (basement) when it gets full. I only wash and dry their laundry. They are responsible for folding (or not folding) and putting their laundry away.
As they get older (taller) they’ll start to take over the actual washing/dryer part too. If we has a front loader, at 8 years old, my daughter would have no trouble running it, and I don’t think my 6 year old would either.
Mending
Teach your child to sew on a button. A small needle is not going to hurt them. Even teach them to sew a tear in clothing or their stuffed animals. These are basically the only things I sew regularly. Now, if your child is going to be on the short side, maybe teach them to hem pants, or such with a sewing machine. In a couple years I plan on teaching my kids to use a sewing machine, and letting them pick out a pattern and fabric to make something.
First Aid
Have them take a First Aid course.
Computer Skills
Though this is something that this generation is most likely to thrive with. Typing skills are going to be a high must.
I’m not huge on computer screen time for my kids but they love to get on Reading Eggs a few mornings a week and we’re branching out to more things as time goes on.
Education
Give your kids the skills to continue to learn. Teach them to find the books they want at the library, teach them to safely use Google for answers to their questions.