8 Skills You Need To Think About Teaching Your Kids

There is so much lacking in today’s parenting world and it shows in our youth. Many kids can’t cook for themselves, don’t know how to make a decent phone call or answer the phone properly, pay for items using cash, or use a knife to cut things. These basic skills need to be brought back into what we teach our kids along with a few others and here is a list of things you should consider. 

Teach them to cook using the stove and cut using a real knife. Kids nowadays are so used to grabbing some frozen crap and popping it in the microwave. Give them the opportunity to use the stove and make some pasta, chop some veggies or fry up a grilled cheese. Show them the dangers of the heat and what can happen if not used correctly. Always have a fire extinguisher in the home and show them how to use it for added protection! Cooking with your kids can be a lot of fun and create some very happy memories.

Teaching kids to hunt and fish should be on every parents agenda. Being in the great outdoors finding bugs, seeing wildlife and learning basic survival skills should be a regular part of parenting. Learning to filet a fish gives them skills that even most adults don’t have today. Teaching them how to field dress an animal and identify wildlife is a great skill that could lead to a lifetime filled with experiences they will never forget! There are a number of reasons to teach your kids to fish! 

Teach your kids how to change a tire when they start driving. If they ever get a flat it could cost a few hundred dollars for a tow truck to bring them home. Having the skill of tire changing can help them in a tight spot as well as others they pass out on the open road. Teaching them to change their own oil is a huge money saver and could open them up into an interest in mechanics. Mechanics make a decent salary and this could be the push they need to dive into the trade. 

Teach them the skills they need to be babysitters. There are many courses available for preteens/teens to become babysitters but you don’t have to put them in these to give them the skills they need to watch other people’s children. Not only will they learn responsibility but they can earn some money and that is always a good thing to any child. Basic first aid, playtime, bedtime, and bathroom routines are simple to teach and can open them up to starting their own babysitting service.

Teach them about cash. How to use it properly, how to save, and manage it. So many adults have failed in this category already and are stuck under crushing debt or living pay check to pay check. Teach your kids how to make their money last and ensure what they purchase is what they really want. Money slips through our hands everyday and it isn’t as easy as it once was to get back. These skills are huge in all stages of life so start young and show them their future can be bright and less stressful than those who are in debt or living on tight budgets.

Teach them to sew, craft, paint, or woodwork. Art is an amazing way to express yourself and could lead to a rewarding career later in life. Art is a great way to festers, save money, or just make things for fun and entertainment. You can enrol your kids in courses or simply buy some materials and make with them until they find their passion. Sewing can save money later on when mending materials that get torn or can become a very profitable business once they master it. No matter what they choose to do with it these skills are very important to have throughout life. 

Teach them compassion. Kids these days are rude and judgemental and it can be damaging to themselves and others around them. Teach them not to judge but to accept people for who they are, not everyone is brought up this way so turning the other cheek is also another great skill to obtain. 

Teach them to swim and how to save a life! Swimming is a great form of exercise a fun activity to enjoy as a family and can lead to other sports. Swimming lessons are a huge part of our lives and so are lifeguard skills. People get themselves into dangers situations in the blink of an eye and it is always nice to know someone has the skills to save a life in a drowning event. Basic first aid can be a huge help in a dangerous situation and CPR knowledge could save a life. 

What other skills are missing from this generation of parenting? Are there other teachable moments we are simply forgetting from our childhood?