TEACHING BEYOND BASIC EDUCATION

Written by Caroline Meyer

At school children are taught to read and write and other skills that they may need when they have to venture out into the world to find employment or start their own businesses one day. Many kids, however, are not taught the basic life skills or even core values and ethics. Things that they will need if they are to survive on their own in the high-tech world that we currently live in. Start teaching them when they are young, and they are better able to become self-sufficient, capable, independent adults. 

LIFE SKILLS 

Laundry 

You can start teaching your child about doing laundry from the age of 5 to 6. Let them help sort the clothes into colours. Let them measure out the washing powder and fabric softener required. When they are a little older you can teach them how to program the washing machine and actually do the load of washing. They can also learn to fold and pack away the dry clothing and once they can reach, hang the washing out to dry (or use the tumble dryer if needed). 

Planting Seedlings 

Teach your child how to make a hole big enough for the seedling and its growth medium and how to transfer it gently into the soil. Nurturing the plant and watering regularly can be a very satisfying experience and may encourage your child to grow food plants, herbs and more in the future. 

Gift Wrapping 

This is another skill you can start early on. Most kids love to give gifts and they will enjoy getting involved. As they get older, you can teach them how to measure and cut the paper, wrap the gift and stick the tape on to hold the paper in place. Teach them about removing price tags and wrapping upside down so the top of the gift does not have the folded down parts on it.  

Using A Hammer 

You can start this one around the 6 to 7-year mark for boys and girls. Start with a small, lightweight hammer and soft wood. Use nails with a wide head and ensure the wood is held firmly in place. You may need to start the nail at first as it may be difficult for your child at the beginning. Allow them to hammer in a few nails and they may just join you in DIY projects in the future.  

Writing Letters 

Writing letters may seem old fashioned with texting, internet and so forth but it is still a good skill to have, especially later in life for job applications and so forth. When they are small, you can get them to tell you what to write and then allow them to draw something on the paper. Let them put it in the envelope and attach the stamp. Allow them to post it. When they are older, you can teach the proper layout of a letter and how to address the envelope.  

Reading A Map 

What happens if you are on a road trip, you get lost and there is no signal and no GPS to help you find your way? Teach them from young to be able to read maps. This can be done at home using the symbols on the map and having the child search for treasure by finding symbols that correspond to the map.  

Making A Meal 

Cook together, this is a great bonding experience and you can start this from an early age. As they get older you can teach them to make simple meals such as toasted sandwiches, noodles and salads. You can teach them how to cut up fruit with a butter knife and spoon some yoghurt over it for a healthy fruit salad. By the age of 10 they should be able to cook simple meals and make smoothies in the blender. Teach kitchen safety around electrical appliances, hot surfaces and sharp objects early on. Practise makes perfect and the more you allow them to learn, the better they will do. By the time they are teens they should be able to cook easy meals for everyone. 

Basic First Aid 

You will have to be calm when it comes to basic first aid so that your child doesn’t freak out at the sight of blood and is able to treat minor wounds himself. Show them how to put pressure on the wound to stop the blood flow and clean the wound with water and a disinfectant. Show them how to apply ointment and a plaster or bandage depending on the wound. When they are older, you can move on to CPR, shock treatment and getting help in the event of an emergency. Teaching them to remain calm under these types of pressure circumstances will also empower them in the future in emergencies. 

Cleaning  

From little you can teach them to clean up their messes such as spilled food, drawings on the walls and wiping up toothpaste off the sink. As they get older you can teach them about cleaning the bath and toilet, washing dishes and so forth. They will learn what to use to clean different surfaces and also to wash their hands thoroughly after cleaning. They can learn to make their own beds, put their toys away and eventually vacuum or run a broom around. If you instil basic habits from small you will have less problems fighting with your teenager to clean up their rooms. 

Shopping 

While a lot of products can be bought online, we still go to the grocery stores fairly regularly to buy food and household cleaning products. Teach your children about looking at pricing and comparing the quality, quantity and prices of a product before buying. Teach them about budgeting and deciding what is more important to buy when it comes to a strict limit to spending. From the age of 6 or 7 you can give them pocket money for household chores and as a parent you no longer purchase treats. They have to learn to buy treats that they can afford and to stick to the amount of money they have. Mom and Dad shouldn’t be chipping in with extra funds for these purchases as it teaches them that you can only buy what you can afford. They will also start comparison shopping and may surprise you how thrifty they can be.  

Hygiene 

Brushing teeth and hair, bathing, washing hands, wearing clean clothes are all learned habits. You can start these from young and explain to your children why they are important. Set up age appropriate skill charts and teach children to accomplish these tasks on their own as they become able. Have them mark off the completed tasks to ensure all of them are completed. They will eventually do them automatically without the checklist. 

Time Management 

This is an important skill for adults and kids alike. Help your child learn to measure how low a task takes and how to stick to a schedule, allowing enough time for everything they need to do. Staying focussed and getting tasks completed within a certain time period will help them learn basic time management. This is an invaluable skill and will also make your mornings a lot easier. 

Ordering Food 

Allow pre-schoolers to look at the pictures on the menu and order from there. Older children that are able to read should be allowed to tell the server what they would like to eat or drink. This helps with confidence and being able to speak to people outside of their social circle. Remind them of their manners and to say please and thank you and to treat the server with respect.  

Home Maintenance 

Little ones can help with throwing things in the garbage or changing the toilet rolls. Older children can be taught to unblock a drain, change a lightbulb and even wash the dog. There are always little tasks that need doing around the home and it is good to get children involved from an early age. When they get older you can even get them to help with painting and more complex home maintenance tasks. These are all things they will probably have to do for themselves one day so learning the skill is invaluable. 

Values 

Teaching children ethics and values will help them become better people. Teach your child about honesty and the value of telling the truth. You will also have to be a good role model in this area for the message to sink in. If your child does tell a lie, encourage them to find a way to tell you the truth and accept the consequences instead of making it worse with further falsehoods. Let your child learn to make up for their misdeeds. When they do something they shouldn’t, explain why it is wrong. Ask them questions so they are able to verbalize the lesson learned. Get them to apologize or fix what they have done as far as possible or make amends in some way for what they did. Let them express their feelings but they need to learn that there are consequences for inappropriate actions. 

Sometimes saying sorry is not enough and they should learn to practise the adage that “actions speak louder than words” by doing something to show their remorse. This will help them learn about fairness and treating people well in addition to making up for mistakes. 

Teach your children to take on challenges and follow through. Encourage them to try harder and reach further to achieve their full potential. Provide honest feedback without excessive praise or criticism. Be supportive while helping them develop and persevere. Encourage them to try new things and even to improve on those things they have already tried (pass or fail). Praise and rewards have their place, but quite often, just bolstering them with your support is enough to keep them striving to succeed or do better. 

Teach them how to give and receive love and affection. You do not need to say “I love you” fifty times a day but hearing it at least once or twice can go a long way to developing a loving relationship with your child. Responding to hugs and kisses is a wonderful way to enjoy the exchange of affection. You can also tell your children about loving people in the family and show affection to your partner and other family members as well. When they are older, you can also explain about inappropriate affection and if they ever feel uncomfortable to remove themselves from the situation and talk to you about it.  

Instilling values and teaching your children basic skills that they would not generally learn at school helps them grow and prosper into confident individuals that are able to do things for themselves. When they venture out of the home one day, things may be quite scary in the big world, but arming them with skills and values that they can use will help them along the path to success!