While being stuck at home isn’t necessarily fun for you, your spouse, or your kids, now is a great time to teach your kids some basic skills you never have the time to. Below is an exhaustive list of things kids need to know and can work on during this time. It’ll also keep them busy, and you might be able to knock a chore or two off the list as well.
I’ll be honest- I don’t have kids. But I LOVED this idea of teaching your kids home skills that I just had to share. I’m embarrassed to admit some of these I wasn’t taught to do, so I figured it out later in life. You and your kids have been given a special opportunity that most won’t get – so you should definitely take advantage of it.
In no special order, here’s an exhaustive list of things to teach your kids.
- Cooking
- How to cook basic meals such as:
- Pasta
- Sandwich or grilled cheese
- Eggs
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Chocolate chip cookies
- Smoothies
- Cooking safety
- How to use a knife
- Grease fire precautions
- How to use kitchen tools such as:
- Blender
- Crock pot
- Stove
- Oven
- Measuring cups
- Cheese grater
- Potato Peeler
- Rolling pin
- How to cook basic meals such as:
- Time management & self discipline – although your kids are probably used to being on a schedule, now is a great time to show them that it’s up to them to manage their time. Self discipline is a hard but important lesson to learn to be successful in life. Setting a strict schedule now (waking up and getting dressed in the morning) will help them when they’re given the option to not be disciplined.
- Basic first aid
- Applying pressure to a bleeding wound
- Icing an injury
- Running cold water after a burn
- What to do for a nosebleed
- How to save $$
- Start an allowance based on chores
- 10% goes into savings
- Price comparing while online shopping
- How to budget
- Cleaning
- How to wash their own clothes, fold, and hang up
- How to use an iron
- How to use the vacuum
- How to use the Dishwasher
- How to make a bed
- Home Maintenance
- How to clean the pool
- How to change an air vent
- How to change a tire
- How to replace batteries in smoke detector
- Hang a picture
- Replace a light bulb
- How to swim
- How to ride a bike
- How to use tools in the garage
- How to sew a button
- How to take care of a pet
- How to care for plants
- How to use a map
- How to eat a healthy meal
- How to slow dance
- How to write and address a letter
- How to write a check
- How to write an email
- Good manners, including table manners
- How to recycle and why it’s important
- How to talk to people
- Making eye contact
- How much distance to have
- Proper handshakes
- How to kindly respond when in a disagreement
- Health and Hygiene
- Germs (obviously)
- Bath routine
- Morning and nighttime routine
- How to call a business and place an order to go
- How to give to those in need (and not receive anything back)
So there you have it. All of these life lessons are important to learn, and now is a great time to teach them. Start by tackling a few at a time, then see if they remember a few weeks later. Independence is an important skill kids need to learn, and now is a perfect time to put those skills into play.