Life Skills for Kids (Checklist)

Modern life is so unexpected that you never know what skill will come in handy, be it cooking or martial arts skills. And that’s not an exaggeration. We cannot learn all the specific skills, but we have all the chances to learn the general ones. That`re so-called basic skills that help us to adjust to new conditions and stay afloat no matter what.
Children should learn the most important skills as early as possible. Essential life skills for kids include those that affect their character-building processes. They make young boys and girls stronger and more resistant.

What Skills Are Important for Kids?

Depending on their age, children face different obstacles and gain first-life experience. But they may lack special knowledge about the circumstances they`re in. Here is a life skill by age chart. Look through the skills and think whether your little one knows how to use them.

Adaptive Skills List for Toddlers

Self-Care Skills

Children aged 2-3 learn the first lessons about life, mostly by experimenting. And it’s high time to teach them how to do it safely. Show your little one how to

• take a hat, and jacket on;
• take shoes off;
• wash hands;
• use zippers and buttons;
• use cutlery (the toy one);
• do home chores (with toy equipment as well).

Kids will make many mistakes, that’s obvious. Take your time and be patient. Never discourage them, justifying that you can do it more quickly and better. If so, how would they know how to deal with all of it?

Social Skills

Toddlers can observe the behavior patterns of their parents and copy them. That’s why you should not only provide a positive example but also teach kids important social skills. The life skills examples include the ones that are focused on

• saying hello and goodbye;
• sharing toys with other kids;
• getting accustomed to playing with other kids, etc.

Social skills as well as any other ones should be taught all the time. At such a young age, it ought to be an introduction to being a human being. So, start with simple ideas and just involve your little one in the company of other kids.
Social skills also involve being aware of your surroundings and appropriate reactions, that’s why teaching kids safety is also important.

Daily Living Skills Checklist for Preschoolers

Organizational Skills

It’s pointless to demand from 4-5-year-olds to keep their rooms clean. But you can obviously show them the basics of organizational skills.

• use special charts;
• make a list of chores;
• tick off the business you`re done with, etc.

Children at this age cannot keep every detail in their heads. They can hardly remember the busy list for a day. Yet, by paying their attention to the plans, charts, and lists of chores you make them accustomed to them. As kids become older parents should increase the importance of planning time.

Self-Control Skills

These skills are one of the most important. A lot of adults lack them, what to say about small kids. The most typical situation that requires self-control is a temper tantrum. Preschoolers are old enough to be taught about emotions, feeling, and self-regulation techniques. Put effort to teach kids to recognize their feelings and choose rational behavioral patterns.
Don’t hope that your little one will learn it in a few days. He`ll need no less than a few months to become a little bit self-aware. Nevertheless, it’s worth your time.
By the way, parents tend to neglect such a phenomenon, saying kids will outgrow temper tantrums. But, The Temper Tantrums in Toddlers and Preschoolers research says that parents of those kids who demonstrate problems with emotional self-regulation turn for help no more often than those, who don’t see any problems in their little ones. That means that problems with emotional regulation should not be underestimated.

Life Skills for Kids of School Age

Parents ought to develop all the types of skills mentioned in this article. For example, self-care skills should be discussed at any age. But in terms of preschoolers, you can focus more on their mental health, healthy habits, etc. The same is true for self-control. Schoolchildren should already know how to cope with temper tantrums and begin to learn how to overcome sadness, fears, negative self-talk, etc.
What should be taught only now are the skills from the functional life skills checklist pdf

• critical thinking;
• home management;
• time management;
• money management, etc.

Free Printable Functional Skills Checklist

Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Skills

Now that your kid is a member of a school family, his social interaction will definitely increase. He`ll hear many opinions and offers. But to make the right decision and not get into trouble, a little child should think critically. Moreover, he`ll need it to resist temptation. So, all these require a little bit of analysis and establishing a causal relationship. If a kid knows how to do that, he’ll make the right decision.
Critical thinking is also a tool for dealing with life changes and uncertainty. It can benefit both children and youth when making the first independent steps in their lives and develop independent problem-solving skills. A well-developed critical model of life perception also helps stand out from the crowd and not to be afraid of judgments.

Time Management

No daily living skills checklist can do without this one. Time management is becoming the very skill that is as important as writing or reading.
Kids who know how to spend their time and keep a balance are more successful in studying. Moreover, they know beforehand what to expect from the day. So, they are more prepared for unexpected situations. But what is the most brilliant is that kids learn the basics of prioritizing. That prevents them from wasting their time on little things leaving more space for useful ones. Plus, kids start to value their time, trying to find the most useful options for its spending.
Learning time-management can sometimes cause stress. Luckily, there are stress-reducing coloring pages for that.

Conclusion

There are numerous life skills for kids. Some are important and some are secondary. Still, it’s necessary to acquaint your kids with them, enriching their life experience. The more skills your kids nurture, the easier their life will be. So think ahead and make your little ones ready for a long life journey.