After my son helped prepare grilled cheese for his siblings for lunch, I watched as he was cleaning up. This is something we had been working on in homeschool for a while now and letting the children do things in the kitchen and around the home was a learning process for everyone.

“Are you scrubbing the pan with a scouring pad?” I asked, as I watched him scrape the coated pan with a metal pad, putting scratches in the nonstick coating.

Oops.

I just assumed he would know he wasn’t supposed to do that. What else do we just assume our children should know?

I wanted them to leave home feeling equipped for life, but it had never occurred to me how many things they just didn’t know. Where does one pick up these little things? If no one teaches you, how do you know the right way to do things? How do you know the proper way to clean a toilet? How do you know how to wash a pan without damaging it?

Here are 10 important life skills all kids need to know:

1. Basic housecleaning skills. Not just what to clean but how to clean it properly.
2. How to cook. From minimal effort freezer meals to elaborate meals for the whole family, learning to cook is important.
3. Basic home repairs. Can they unclog a toilet? Can your child do basic DIY home repairs?
4. Basic sewing. What do you do when a button pops off or a seam rips? Does your child have the skills to fix these things?
5. Know how to write. Basic writing is a skill that you will use all of your life and in all professions. It’s an important basic skill to have.
6. How to use a calendar. Does your child know how to plan their time? How to schedule? What about using their schedule and calendar to keep track of important things?
7. How to use kitchen appliances. From blenders to toasters, learning the basics are important.
8. How to keep yourself safe. It’s human nature to protect yourself (survival instinct), but does your child know how to stay safe in a storm or not to walk alone after dark in an unknown neighborhood?
9. Basic first aid. Whether you need it for yourself, or to help someone else, this is an important skill to have.
10. How to read a map. Yes, GPS is everywhere these days but do you know what to do if your GPS fails? Does your child know how to read a map, should they ever need to?

How Can Skill Trek Help?

How do you begin to teach these important life skills? Skill Trek can help you with this. We understand that with the many things you have to teach your children, it’s normal for some skills to get missed. We know that busy families have busy parents, and that students have so much to do as it is.

Skill Trek is a family-centered curriculum that is designed to help parents teach and children learn life skills just like this.

Skills are designed for every age level, from kindergarteners to high schoolers, and will learn important qualities that help them build strong character in their school career, and when they go off to college and an adult profession.

The curriculum is all online so there are no more books to add to your home. Skill Trek will assure you that your children are well-equipped and ready for adulthood and that they have the life skills listed above.