40 Life Skills for Kids (And How To Teach Them)
Parents, let's build a list of important life skills for kids that will help set them up for success in life. Learning and practicing basic life skills will help kids complete everyday chores and tasks safely and easily, take good care of their mental and physical health, treat others with respect, and navigate challenges they will meet in the real world.
Whether you are raising preschoolers, elementary students, tweens or teens, we hope you'll chime in to share what you think are the essential life skills to teach kids. Because there's no question that some of the most important learning happens outside of the classroom!
We want to make this more than just a list of basic life skills for kids…help us brainstorm ideas for the execution, too. Along with each life skill, we are collecting your practical tips and ideas for how to actually teach them to children. Speak up as you browse through the list to share your own ideas for encouraging and building these skills at home, from fun and engaging toddler activities to conversations to make sure we have with our teens before they leave the nest.
We're not going to list these life skills by age, because there's almost always a way to tailor each one to any stage. And it's never too late to get started, so you haven't missed the boat if your teen doesn't yet know how to do their own laundry.
Public Speaking
Public speaking can strike fear into the hearts of even the most confident adults. This is one of the most useful life skills to teach kids from an early age, because practice really does help.
1 review
Practice Devotions
Marlena Bailey said: Every morning my kids and I do devotions together. It’s a great habit to get into to start your day off right and in a spiritual and thankful way. We started this at 5 and now they are 14!!!
3 reviews
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Try New Foods
A great life skill to master at an early age is to be open to trying new foods. It will make it easier to dine out at restaurants that don't offer a kids menu, or to eat an unfamiliar meal at a friend's house. Plus, you never know what new foods your kids will actually enjoy!
0 reviews
Pack a School Lunch
Kristy Pepping said: When kids get to a certain age, they should be responsible for packing their own school lunch. You as a parent or guardian can give them guidelines, but they can put together a simple sandwich, grab a fruit or vegetable and pack it all in their lunch box. This will give them responsibility but will also help teach general nutrition.
1 review
Make a Doctor or Dentist Appointment
Vidula Plante said: This one is for a teen in the last 2 yrs of high school. This is a life skill that will help them stay healthy. And it ties in with time management.
2 reviews
Managing Stress & Anxiety
Kids who learn to cope with stress in a healthy way will benefit from this life skill throughout their adult years, too.
0 reviews
Body Care & Hygiene
All of the various aspects of taking care of one's body are life skills to teach kids from a very early age, but you'll likely need to continue reinforcing these lessons throughout the years.
0 reviews
Self Defense
Check locally to see if there's a self defense class for kids offered in your area. Learning some basic self defense methods and personal safety tips is an important (and potentially lifesaving) life skill for kids.
1 review
Saying No
Sure, toddlers might not need much help with this one, but saying no when we don't have the time or interest to do something is a skill that needs practice.
1 review
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Upparent collects community-submitted recommendations and reviews, and any ideas that are shared reflect the opinions of individual contributors.
