Here is a list of 81 essential life skills your kids can start practicing today!
Toddlers & Preschoolers
- Recite their first, middle and last name.
- Put their dirty clothes in the hamper.
- Feed and water the family pet with supervision.
- Pull up and down their own pants.
- Potty on the toilet – some tips here.
- Put on their shoes or boots.
- Put on and take off their jacket.
- Zip or button their clothes with some help – great tips for teaching that here.
- Fold a blanket.
- Throw away their trash after a snack.
- Help clean up their toys.
- Wash their hands properly for 20 seconds ā especially important right now! Here are some tips.
- Brush and floss their teeth with lots of help and supervision.
- Sort the dirty laundry by colors.
- Put away clean utensils in their proper places.
- Butter bread.
- Help with cooking – here are some great tips for doing that.
- Wipe up spills with a cloth.
Early Elementary
- Learn their address.
- Memorize mom and dadās phone number.
- Learn how to make an emergency phone call.
- Take out the trash.
- Dust the furniture.
- Clean the windows.
- Water the plants.
- Put the wet, clean clothes in the dryer.
- Brush their hair.
- Pick out a coordinating outfit.
- Change a toilet paper roll.
- Change a paper towel roll.
- Insert batteries into a flashlight.
- Open the house door with a key.
- Wash vegetables and fruit.
- Set the table.
- Pour their own glass of milk or juice into a cup.
- Sort and ball the socks from the clean laundry.
- Help make a grocery list.
- Tie their shoes.
- Get the mail.
- Ride a bike without training wheels – a great technique to try here.
Late Elementary
- Write thank-you notes.
- Brush and floss their teeth on their own – some brushing basics here.
- Make a sandwich or a simple snack.
- Make their bed.
- Fold towels and put them away.
- Vacuum the rug.
- Wrap a present.
- Wash the dishes by hand.
- Load and unload the dishwasher.
- Use the microwave.
Tweens
- Read a map and follow directions without GPS.
- Address, stamp and mail a letter.
- Use a broom and dustpan properly.
- Haul the trash bins to the curb.
- Hammer a nail and hang a picture frame.
- Fold or hang clothes.
- Rake leaves and put them in bags.
- Pull weeds.
- Read nutrition labels and make good food choices – some tips for doing that here.
- Know the purpose of the appliances and tools in the kitchen and how to use them.
- Feed and water the family pet independently.
- Change their sheets and bedding.
- Operate the washing machine and dryer, and know how much detergent to use.
- Fold clothes and put them away.
Teens
- Sort, wash, dry, fold/hang and put away laundry.
- Iron out or steam a wrinkled shirt and pants.
- Prepare a simple dinner.
- Clean the kitchen after making dinner.
- Plunge a clogged toilet.
- Diagnose simple illnesses, take their own temperature and learn proper medicine doses.
- Make a budget and save money – some ideas here.
- Learn what credit is and how to use it wisely – some good tips here.
- Mow the lawn.
- Do simple car maintenance tasks, like check the oil.
- Work a fire extinguisher.
- Pump gas.
- Memorize their social security number.
- Pack a suitcase and determine what kind and how many clothes they might need for a trip.
- Change a light bulb.
- Locate and use the water shutoff valve.
- Unclog a drain.
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