Teach Your Kids New Skills

In the New Year

 

It’s almost New Years and I was just thinking of what some of my New Year’s Resolutions will be. I decided to start a new tradition for this new year.  I want to teach specific life skills to my kids.  My hope is to be purposeful and intentional in what we teach them.  We have already been doing this on a smaller scale with our oldest son who has delays and autism.  We go through a list of skills and when he completes one we start the next.  However, in my other children, I want to strive to teach them skills that they should learn.  In addition to chores and habits which we implement, we can also teach a specific life skill that we hope they will master by the end of the year.

 

In thinking of how to implement this, there are a few key strategies and questions to ask:

What is the age of your child?

As you think about what skill to choose, this one will be important.  There are some skills that should wait until the child is older.

What is their developmental level?

What is the child’s maturity? How are their fine motor skills?  Gross motor skills?  How hard of a task with this be for them?

What are their interests?

Is this something they are interested in?  Is this something they will need or want to know when they are grown?  Will this benefit them now?

 

As kids get older, there are more tasks that they are able to learn.  I think, in the new year it would be great to pick one and really place an emphasis on teaching the child the new skill.  They can feel that sense of accomplishment – and you can also have more one-on-one time with them.

 

Ideas:

Crafts/Hobby

(Sewing, needlepoint, woodworking, engraving, cross stitch, knitting, crocheting, weaving, drawing)

Culinary Skills

(Cooking, Baking, Cake decorating)

Housework

(Completing laundry from start to finish, doing the dishes from start to finish, planning for a dinner party/guests)

Yard Work

(Gardening, Mowing the lawn)

Music

(Playing: Piano, Voice, Violin, Guitar, Writing music, percussion)

 

What life skills are you teaching your kids this year?  What are your New Years Resolutions?