Because no child should be sent to college without knowing how to make toast.
I recently saw a TikTok featuring a young woman who didn’t know how to use a toaster oven, claiming something to the effect of, “My parents just always made my toast and I didn’t know there were different settings. Mine came out cold—and untoasted.” Needless to say, I was shook.
We send our little ones off to school every day to learn the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, and science. While school (hopefully) prepares them for academic success, there are plenty of other skills they need to be successful in life. Practical lessons and competencies we can teach them from a very young age to help them handle real-world situations. Like cleaning, money management, and toasting. Here are some valuable life skills you can teach your kids, at every age.
In my experience, I’ve learned toddlers are capable of so much more than we give them credit for—or allow them to do. And it’s understandable. When it comes to performing “tasks” they’re typically messy and the opposite of fast. But during years 2 and 3, most toddlers and preschoolers (with help) can begin doing the following:
- Dressing and undressing themselves (Shirts are still tricky at this age; socks and pants will yield more success; this includes letting them pick their outfits.)
- “Making” their bed (pulling up their comforters)
- Putting dirty clothes in the hamper
- Wiping up spills
- Helping to set the table
- Proper hand-washing
- Watering plants
- Picking up and putting away toys
- Sorting and matching socks
- Snapping, zipping, buttoning (Note: They won’t master these for a while.)
- Learning to swim
- Cracking eggs and stirring/whisking (with adult supervision)
- Speaking politely (saying please, thank you, excuse me) and waiting their turn to talk rather than interrupting. (This is a practice, remember—it will not work all the time! You’re getting them used to the idea of letting others have a turn to speak.)
During the Pre-K and kindergarten years, children are in love with learning and new challenges; catch them on a good day, and they’ll help with just about anything. And it’s not too early to teach decision-making skills by letting them make some decisions and experience the logical consequences—i.e., letting a child who refuses to wear a coat feel cold (within reason; bring it along for when they change their mind). During this time, you can also teach them to:
- Tie their shoes (Note: Many kids, my own included, do not master this until ages 6-7, and that is perfectly fine. Others are ready earlier.)
- Ride a bike (with or without training wheels)
- Empty wastebaskets and take out the trash
- Further their bed-making skills (pull up sheets, smooth out blankets and comforter, place pillows back on bed)
- Sweep, dust, and use a hand-held vacuum
- Clear the table, empty the dishwasher
- Memorize your address and phone number
- Help bring in and put away groceries
- Learn freestyle, and swim short distances unassisted
- Separate clothes by color to go in the washing machine
- Feed pets, get the mail, fold common area blankets
- Measure, stir, and use an electric mixer while cooking or baking with a parent
Early elementary students are experiencing an increased understanding of the adult world around them and are (usually) eager to take on more responsibility. Here are some top life skills to teach and reinforce with your first through third graders:
- All sorts of food prep, from sandwich making, vegetable chopping, and boiling water to scrambling eggs, following a basic recipe—and teaching them those toaster settings
- Putting together their school snack
- Bathing/showering on their own
- Following simple instructions if they are separated from you in public (I taught my kids to “look for a mommy with her kids” and ask to use her phone.)
- Mail things: Stamping a letter, how to write an address, getting mail from the mailbox
- Basic first aid skills
- Hanging up towels and rinsing toothpaste in bathroom sinks
- How to tell time
- Using the microwave
- Loading the dishwasher
- Clipping their nails
- Cutting their own food (chicken, pancakes)
- Folding and putting away laundry
- How to shake someone’s hand with eye contact
- Rudimentary polite conversational phrases like, “It’s nice to meet you,” “I’m good, how are you?” and “Thank you for having me.”
- Writing thank you notes
- Money basics (saving, spending, charitable giving)
- Time management—reading and following a schedule, meeting deadlines
Tweens are capable of doing more on their own than ever before. They need less supervision and crave pockets of independence. And you being the wonderful parent you are, can only oblige this need by imparting the following life skills:
- Putting them in charge of their own breakfast
- Simple sewing and mending (buttons)
- Using the oven, stovetop, or air fryer to prepare a basic meal (other than Hot Pockets)
- Making a salad
- Saving money for a goal, the basics of investing
- Map-reading
- Gift-wrapping
- Operating the washing machine and dryer (clean the lint trap)
- Writing in cursive (or at least how to sign their name)
- How to hand-wash dishes that can’t go in the dishwasher
- Putting clean sheets on their bed
- Bathroom cleaning (toilet and tub)
- Count money and make correct change
- Making a grocery list (and understand when food has expired)
- Basic comparison shopping (reading labels, checking prices and quantities)
- How to change a lightbulb or battery
- Basic lawn care like watering plants, weeding, and raking
- Ordering at a restaurant
- How and when to contact poison control and dial 911
The early teen years bring all kinds of new freedoms and independence. Kids can stay home alone, and even care for other living beings. Here’s what they can add to their life skill toolbox between 12 and 14. (And you don’t have to do it all yourself. Feel free to consult YouTube or enroll them in a local class.)
- Tying a tie
- Babysitting
- Doing volunteer work
- Creating a budget and spending plan
- Using basic tools (hammer, wrench, drill)
- Managing their own savings or investment account (with adult supervision)
- Learning CPR
- Scheduling and managing their time for a full day of activities
- Ironing clothes
- Writing a professional email
- Plunging a clogged toilet
- Mowing the lawn
- Understanding medicine labels, dosages, warnings
It’s nearly time for them to leave the roost and you want them to be prepared. Not only to help themselves, but to be helpful to others they meet (and live with) along the way. We all had that one roommate in college whose parents seemingly didn’t make them do one thing properly around the house—who we constantly had to clean up after or assist with basic tasks (toast!). But your kid won’t be like that, because you’re going to impart the following life skills during their last years living at home full-time.
- Basic car maintenance; pumping gas, how to check the oil, fill tires with air and change a flat
- Work experience (and understanding the importance of getting a good reference from previous jobs)
- How to write a résumé
- How to plan and prepare a nutritionally well-balance meal (My kids aren’t old enough yet, but I fully intend to assign them one night a month—or week!—to cook for the family.)
- Check-writing
- How to apply for a job, basic interviewing skills
- Creating a filing system to keep track of important papers
- Making their own medical appointments
