September 13, 2021
Essential Life Skills For Children
What essential life skills should I begin teaching my child? With little steps, you can start today giving your child a strong start in life.

If you have young children then you will be thinking about the essential life skills they will need later on when they need to look after themselves. There are many things you can teach your child from social interaction to sewing!
The good news is that with little steps, you can start now. Plus, the earlier we begin teaching these important life skills, the faster they hone these skills when they are older.
Teach your child a second language
If you have the opportunity you should consider teaching your child a second language. By school age in the UK, most schools begin the basics of a modern foreign language such as French, German and Spanish but supporting this at home will give them the confidence to take it further. You might not be thinking about this right now but having a second and even third language under your child’s belt will open up a whole world of opportunities for them both in their home country and abroad.
Much further down the line, languages are shown to increase career opportunities. Incorporating a language at university level will mean unforgettable study adventures abroad! Where will they go? It is most parents’ dream to see their child travel the world. Studylink tours are one such example of a company that assists schools and higher educational bodies with travelling to far and wide places.
Cooking as a family
Cooking can be a very enjoyable and practical skill. Children are curious and in-context learning works well for their hands-on learning style so get them in the kitchen from a young age! It can be a really positive experience for the family and will encourage healthy eating.
Cooking can also assist in bolstering learning in other areas such as counting and time.
Being able to cook is an essential life skill for children and you can be safe in the knowledge that your child will be able to look after themselves in the future.
Budgeting
Learning about money is something you can start teaching your child from a young age. Giving your child pocket money or a small allowance is the start of them learning about money, budgets, and how to save. It may seem tough sometimes to deny your child an item that they ask for but it is so much more satisfying when they can save up and buy it themselves.
Teaching your child how to spend money wisely will go a long way in ensuring they know how to budget in the future. Setting short term goals and long term goals is one way to keep them on track. Debt can be a problem for young adults who have never been taught the importance of managing money, so this is an essential life skill for children.
There are many essential life skills that we can start at an early age but these are what I consider to be the top 3. If you can communicate well, cook delicious meals and look after your money wisely, I think you have a solid foundation for the future!