10 Life Skills to Teach Your Tweens Today
While school is great for teaching your tweens about algebra and history, there are a few things they won’t learn in the classroom.
But these lessons are essential to ensuring that your tweens grow into successful and independent adults one day.
While your tween may not have to go grocery shopping on their own or cook themselves dinner for a few more years, having these skills under their belt now will give them time to hone their skills before they head out on their own.
Teach your tweens these 10 life skills today to help them succeed in “adulting” later on.
How to Budget
Creating a budget and sticking to it is an essential life skill your tween should have mastered before venturing out on their own. To teach your tween about budgeting, use your own household budget as an example. In addition to showing them a few bills (and how you pay them each month), also show them how to balance a checkbook and how to save money for the future.
How to Grocery Shop
The process of grocery shopping may come easy to us, but the steps involved may be foreign to your tween. One week, give your tween a grocery budget and allow them to create a grocery list and take them to the store to shop while you supervise.
How to do Laundry
Your tween probably only sees the clean clothes appear in her closet each week, so I bet she has no idea how to do the laundry herself. Start by showing her how (and why) to sort the clothing, then demonstrate how to work the washer and dryer. Don’t forget to tell her how much detergent, bleach, or softener to use, too! And when the laundry’s done, give a lesson on folding and organizing the clothing.
How to Cook a Meal
Pull out your favorite simple recipe and go through each step with your tween. Remember that they will probably need basic instruction on everything from measuring to slicing, so have patience and let them ask all the questions they want as you teach. Having one simple meal under their belt may even give your tween the confidence to learn more kitchen skills in the future.
How to Watch a Young Child
Caring for a younger child is a wonderful way to give your tween glimpse into adulthood. If you feel your tween is responsible enough to tackle an evening of babysitting, great! But if you think your tween need a little preparation before venturing off on their own, stick around in the other room while they take care of the youngster.
How to Display Manners
In our digital world, it can be easy to forget about basic manners. But having good manners is essential in our society, no matter how much we interact online these days. There are a variety of manners to instill in your tweens, from basic table manners to common ways to conduct yourself in public. Use your discretion to decide which manners you’ll start with, then build upon the lesson as your tweens grow older. It’s never to late to teach your children good manners!
How to Care for a Living Thing
Whether you give your tween a plant or a pet, teaching them to care for a living thing is a great way to prepare them for adulthood. Show them how to take care of the pet or plant, then make sure they take over the tasks from then on. This lesson in responsibility is only effective if they’re the ones responsible for the pet’s care.
How to Handle an Emergency
While your tween probably knows to call 911 in the event of an emergency, how will they handle themselves when faced with a trying situation? Make sure they’re prepared for any major emergency by showing them a few useful skills, like how to use a fire extinguisher, how to put out a grease fire, and how to administer basic first aid.
How to Keep a Calendar
Since your tween will be entering high school soon, it’s important that they know how to keep track of their appointments and responsibilities. Start by showing them how to use their phone’s calendar by entering a few important dates into the system. Then, make sure they keep up with things like homework deadlines and doctor’s appointments by sharing the calendar with you. Once you’re sure they’re able to handle the calendar on their own, give them the sole responsibility of managing their day-to-day activities.
How to Handle Household Chores
Basic chores are perfect for your tween to learn. From doing dishes to taking out the trash, these basic household chores are a great way to show your tween how to keep house – and take a little bit of work off your plate at the same time!
Learning these 10 essential life skills will help your tweens prepare for “adulting” later!
