The Blueprint: How To Add Life Skills To Your Homeschooling Routine

Teaching Life Skills As A Part Of Homeschooling Is Necessary

Adding life skills to your homeschooling routine might seem unnecessary, but according to experts, it's a very important part of preparing your children for life. By teaching them how to budget, cook, and take care of their own finances, you're ensuring that they'll be able to handle themselves when they leave home.

It’s Important To Have A Plan

The easiest way to have a plan is to look for skills that are aligned to the information that you are already teaching your children. This will help you to have an outline for what specific life skills that you will teach. For example, if you are teaching fractions, it will be a great time to teach your child how to make homemade pizza. They can help with all of the measurements and making the pizza and then show you how much 3/8 of the pizza is. Not only will their math skills be reinforced with this activity, but they will enjoy the process. If you don’t want to align the life skills with the curricula that you are teaching, you can sit down and make your own outline. Think about the life skills that are important to you and your family and create a list to determine which skills you would like to teach, determine the order and the time that it will take to teach them.

Ask Your Children What They Are Interested In Learning

Very often our children see the day-to-day tasks that we complete and are interested in learning how we do them. It can range from how you change the oil in a car to how you paint a wall. The daily tasks that we as Parents take care of can be more interesting than we realize. Take the time to ask your child what interests them. For example, if your child is interested in cooking, you could research different cuisines from around the world or learn about food safety. If your child wants to learn about gardening, you could read about botany or plant propagation. It may be something that they see you or a family member do or it may be an opportunity for you to learn something new together.

Expand Their Horizons

While we want to find out what life skills are children are interested in learning, it is also important to expand their horizons. This could mean exposing them to new cultures or experiences, or teaching them about different topics that interest them. Doing this can help your child learn about the world around them and develop critical thinking skills. It can also help them build relationships with others who share their interests.

Feel Free To Outsource The Teaching

As your child’s Parent you are not expected to know everything or know how to do everything. You should be encouraged to reach out to family members, friends or instructors to teach life skills that you may not be comfortable teaching. You may not be comfortable fixing an air conditioning unit, which your child may be interested in, and that is okay. You should feel free to reach out to the friend of the family that you know who does HVAC work to see if they would mind showing your child a few things or having them shadow them for a day. You can also seek out college courses or online learning platforms that may offer classes in some of these areas that are of interest to your child.

Teaching Life Skills Are Important For Their Future Success

When it comes to homeschooling, many parents feel the need to focus solely on academics. While it is important for students to have a strong educational foundation, it is also important for them to learn life skills. These skills can help students in all aspects of their lives, from their personal relationships to their professional careers.

For example, good communication skills can help students build better relationships with the people around them. Additionally, strong problem-solving skills can help students when they encounter challenges in their lives. And finally, good time management skills can help students stay on track with their goals and avoid stress.

Including life skills in your homeschooling curriculum is a great way to help your children succeed both now and in the future.