we educators impart certain level of literacy and numeracy, and of scientific and technological knowledge to the students* *we need to make sincere efforts to *make children learn the basic skills which helps children to learn faster* , as these basic skills are essential for successful participation in all aspects of modern society. *These skills are becoming even more important as the digital revolution gives rise to new forms of reading and writing, as well as diversifying sources of information*.
*However all basic skills can not be taught at school due to limitation of time*
*As a parent, *you if you take efforts to teach certain basic life skills to your wards , including social, interpersonal, coordination, problem-solving, and creative skills*.
*Children who are well-acquainted with these skills may find it easier to make decisions, meet day-to-day challenges, and handle situations better in the absence of elders*.
*Life skills are to be taught to children from an early age. Parents must make sure that their children learn and practice these skills to grow into successful adults in the future*.
*life skills “a group of psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills* that help people *make informed decisions, solve problems*, *think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build* *healthy relationships*, empathize with others, and cope with and* *manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner*.”
*Developing life skills is a lifelong process and helps individuals grow, become mature, and achieve success.* *possessing life skills greatly helps children to* :
- Find different ways of solving problems.
- Build self-confidence and self-esteem.
- Analyze options.
- Develop a greater sense of self-awareness.
- Appreciate others and build empathy.
- Make better decisions.
- Recognize the impact of their actions.
- Become responsible.
- Improve self-regulation.
- Prevent negative and high-risk behaviours.
*Here is a long list of essential life skills that parents should help their children acquire*.
- Cultivating independence:- *To let children, build independence, allow them to understand a few things on their own* and give them opportunities to do tasks and activities *without assistance*. This helps build self-confidence and self-esteem and encourages them to do simple tasks without help and be self-reliant.
- Decision-making:- *Making appropriate decisions is an essential life skill that every child should learn and practice from a tender age*. For example, allow your child to *choose between different types of clothes, toys, food, and games*. This will help your child learn the consequences of each decision they make. *Guide your child through this process*
- Self-defence:- *Self-defence skills will help the child gain self-confidence and inner strength* and serve them well in their lives. *Self-defence is not just about protecting oneself from physical force*. Instead, it *includes being proactive* to prevent problems* and using assertiveness to respond to bullying. *It also teaches children how to identify dangerous situations*
- Understanding anotherperson’s perspective:-*When your child explains some difficult situation that they or their friends encountered, encourage the child to look at the scenario from another person’s perspective. Teach your child the emotional reactions people give out in various situations*. .
- Talking to strangers:-*As your little child grows, they will meet different people, including teachers, classmates, bus drivers, and shopkeepers*. *Teach your child how to talk to strangers and explain themselves*. This will help improve their communication and listening skills*
- Time management:-*Time management is a skill that helps children in every activity they do. It teaches them to differentiate between important work and urgent work* and prioritize their tasks and duties.
- Coping with failure:- *Failure is a part of life, and it helps every individual learn life lessons. Remember that you won’t be there to soothe your child every single time they feel left out or falls short at a task. *Make your child understand that failure is a part of the learning process* and teach them to embrace their failures*. Explain to them that *failure doesn’t define a person and that it *is how people cope with failures and come out stronger* from that that counts.
- Critical thinking:-Critical thinking is one of the essential skills that every child should learn. Critical thinking helps one analyse and absorb information, compare situations, look at things from different angles, and make inferences. To develop critical thinking in your children, provide them with opportunities to play games that involve critical thinking, allow your child to solve their problems.
- Facing challenges :- Children can develop to become a confident adult if they can learn to tackle new challenges. Therefore, it is important to encourage your child to experiment with new and exciting things. Start by teaching them how to ride a bicycle or climb a tree. Let them pick their own challenges, confront failure, and bounce back from defeat*
- Resilience
Resilience is a vital ability you must teach to your kid. *This is taught by not supplying your child with answers constantly* however, *allowing them the ability to think about the problem, consider the solutions they have and then solve the problem on their own*. - Management and budgeting of money:-Being financially aware is a crucial ability that every person should have. *Help your child learn to budget their money and save to secure their future at a young age*. *Your child could be given the same amount of pocket money every fifteen days, or at least once per month. *If your child wants to purchase something costly then encourage them to save* t
- Hygiene and good health:-It is crucial to teach your child about the importance of good health and personal hygiene at a young age. *Teach them the importance of brushing their teeth two times every day as well as washing their hands, having a bath, and eating well*.
- Treatment of the wound / First-aid :-It’s impossible that you would be with your child all the time. *Encourage your child to manage themselves in the event of an emergency, to ensure that your child will not become anxious when seeing a cut be careful and not to overreact*. Make sure your child knows where the first aid kit is located and how to treat cuts and injuries*
- Cooking
Have your child help in the preparation of dinners. *You can assign them some tasks for example, cutting up fruits and vegetables and spreading butter or jam onto a slice from bread. Or pouring the chopped vegetables in the bowl* - Doing laundry:-Instructing your children on how to clean their laundry will ease the burden on you and help instill responsible habits in them. *Young children can assist with placing dirty clothes in the laundry basket. On the other hand, older children will be taught how to utilize washing machines*, determine the proper amount of detergent*.
- *Gift wrapping* :-*Wrapping presents can aid in developing the child’s imaginative thinking skills as well as aid them in learning various methods of wrapping*. You can provide them with paper and tape and request them to wrap gifts for family members*and-eye coordination.
- Gardening
Allow your child to assist you in the garden, and learn about the various kinds of flowers, fruits, and even vegetables. - Looking after pets:-
The presence of pets in your home can allow your child to develop empathy, and also learn to be responsible and caring. - Digital literacy:-
Generation X’s children spend a significant amount of time in front of their screens. *Therefore, it is crucial to establish a few guidelines to make sure they’re safe in the online world*. - Doing chores and cleaning:-
Involving children with cleaning tasks can be difficult. *Begin by asking them to keep their rooms clean or make their bed and then arrange their tables* - Preparing for event :-
*It is important to let your child prepare on their own. Let them choose the clothes for their day and put it on by their own. Help them clean their teeth and have bath and then comb their hair before going to school*. - *Table manners*:-
*Teach your child basic table manners, like eating with a knife and fork when eating, *washing their hands prior to meals as well as eating food with mouths shut*. It is also possible to teach your child to *behave in a restaurant and how to make a reservation for food*. - *Swimming*
Swimming is among the most important life skills needed by youngsters. *It helps children in a variety of ways both mentally and physically and can help them develop confidence*. - *Utilizing maps*:-
*Your child should be guided through the streets of the city. Help them remember the various routes using landmarks*. *You can also ask your child to guide you back to your home every time you travel to ensure they can remember the exact route*. Learn to teach them to read maps and how to use the *GPS*. - Travelling
*It is crucial that your child is aware of the fundamentals of travel. From public transportation to biking, ensure you’re educated on how to travel from one location to the next*.
*So, it is important to consider the teaching of these skills to your child at a younger stage*, in a way that they will find entertaining and engaging. *Remember that teaching life skills to your child takes dedication, patience, and constant effort*.