Kids and life skills

Kiboko

ooh just realised I'm not a newbie anymore, I got a star

Kiboko

Sorry, back to topic.

heretolearn_2

As well as the above I'd suggest (at an appropriate age!)

How to use a sharp knife safely to chop veg etc

How to light a fire from scratch and keep it going. My son doesn't go up mountains but if he should for some reason and get stranded as long as he's got his lighter with him he'll be able to keep warm. Most people cannot light a fire. They'll hold a match against a big lump of wood and wonder why it isn't working. And don't understand how to feed it to keep it going.

and fire safety (you may not believe this but I volunteer in a situation where there are visiting children + fires and most of them have no understanding that fires are hot and will burn as they've never seen so much as a candle burning in real life. I've had to grab children when they've thought the logical way from one side of a fire to the other is to step through it). To get away from a fire calmly but quickly if possible. If trapped to shut doors and block the gaps and lay on floor away from smoke. Not to run if their clothes are on fire. How to smother a fire if there's no option. To run even a small burn under cold running water for 10 minutes.

How to write out a cheque and a paying in slip. Found at work recently that two people who are nearly 30 have never done either as they are the ATM for everything generation. May be old fashioned but you never know...

How cashback works. That shops aren't handing over their own money to you because you ask nicely :rotfl:

animals - especially dogs, do not run, do not touch without asking, do not put your face down to theirs. Horses - stay clear unless given permission to touch, do not scream shout or run near them.

Country code - I wish this was still pushed as it was when I was a kid, don't drop litter, shut gates, don't pick flowers, etc etc.

Def. how to swim.

How to be polite - look people in eye, how to shake hands, how to eat properly with knife and fork with good manners so elbows into sides for example,

an awareness of other lives and worlds beyond your way of doing things. Going places. Meeting all sorts of people from saying hi to a beardie biker on a trike to being able to hold their own against the posh private school types. To be tolerant of others and not to judge them by their age/gender/sexuality/religion/disability etc.

To be brave. !!!! happens, knees get cut, trees are there to climb, exams are hard work, to get on with things and not be a wimp.

To understand they are lucky to be among the tiny group of very privileged people in this world who have homes, food, water, heat, clothing, education, respect. They don't have to feel guilty that others don't have it, but they should be grateful for this instead of whinging on about not having the latest X box game. Not to be materialistic.

If a girl, not to grow up to be some sissy pinkified pathetic princessy embarrassment to other women!

Kiboko

marleyboy wrote: »

Has nobody mentioned creativity? Whereas computers and machinery are forever taking over manual labour, the World will always need artists and designers to create them.

The older two both knit and sew (I can't knit so my MIL taught them), one of the rules about their PM is that although I buy clothes for them I won't/can't buy expensive trainers etc, so if they want them they have to make up the difference from their money - makes them think about whether they 'really' need stuff. Also with being able to sew they customise boot fair/charity shop and jumble sale buys. They are both VERY savvy with their money

miss_independent

You have a lot covered, but a couple of SO obvious it's ridiculous but lots of teenagers and pre-teens don't know how to do;

Use the washing machine, (my mum never showed me how, at 17 I had to learn the hard way when she had a heart attack and spent a week in hospital, literally no one would help me and I was too embarrassed to admit how little life skills I had, I was very mollycoddled due to being very ill most of my life.)

Ironing (my mum DID start me on Tea Towels at about 11, then I got ill, no one ever showed me how to iron a shirt, when mum was in hospital I had to Iron my Dad's shirts when the only thing I'd ever ironed was a tea towel lol!)

How to change a duvet cover! SO many teenagers end up at uni staring at the duvet cover trying to figure out what the hell to do with it pmsl. Or it ends up over their head. Again, first time I changed a duvet I was 17 and my mum was in hospital.

Stain removal - from clothes, carpets etc. It will help you ALOT as you well know, the quicker you can soak it/put stain remover on it, the easier it is to remove the stain.

Basic (very basic) car maintainence. I.e you HAVE to check the oil, this is a dipstick etc, watch me check the tyre pressure.

How to change a lightbulb, fuse, plug, etc also what to do in a blackout, how to check the trip switch etc. Get them to read the meter, I used to find that fun lol. Show them how to turn water off in an emergency. My parents had to ask me to do this for them! How to check the boiler is ok, how to switch in off, what to do if you smell gas. How to get rid of creepy crawllies. I know so many people who called their parents from uni in the middle of the night saying, "there's a spider in my room, what do I do?"

I mean, some of these things are for well in the future, so I'm talking about by the time they go to uni or move out. My 30 year old friend and her 40 year old partner had to call me and get me to show them how to put the boiler and central heating on in their house and I'm ALOT younger than them!

How to compile a record of achievement and cv. Explain that they will have to pay tax at some point in the future lol - this came as a shock to ALOT of people I went to school with, give them a basic idea of outgoings, I had no idea what NI contributions where, that you have to pay council tax, that water isn't free etc!

You probably do most of these already though!

Sally_A

I think it is excellent that you are including a 3 year old in this...too many people are scared to let their children grow up.

I'm surprised you've not had a negative comment from the Cotton Wool Brigade re letting your youngest use a toaster :eek::rotfl:

Totally agree regarding swimming lessons.

Road safety is another obvious one - just because you are on a zebra crossing, does not mean the car will stop, or that there isn't an overtaking cyclist, there have also been instances of cars stopping, but the one behind did not, and shunted the first car into the pedestrian on the crossing. So be alert to all dangers on the road.

Unsure how old your 2 eldest are, but an Emergency Fund in the house is useful, it could be for electric/gas if you are on a key meter, or even to pay for a taxi if they've had to get home from town urgently or were feeling threatened. (they would need to repay this and keep the fund topped up unless you told them differently).

Play what if games ....keep it light or your kids will be come paranoid (either that, or Risk Assessors or H&S peeps).

gingin_2

This thread should be made a sticky really, it's perfect for this board and it would be a shame if it dropped off the first few pages. There is certainly lots I hadn't thought about.

heretolearn_2

How to read a map and navigate.

How to use public transport including how to use the tube/navigate round that and work out which bus to get where.

24 hour clock - so they can understand the bus timetables!

how to buy tickets and go through barriers

How to find out which platform your train is going from

How to do pay and display/parking meters. What different road markings mean ie double yellows, resident only bays, disabled bays.

How to cross the road safely and in that as they are older I'd include ways that don't mean using a crossing/always sensible place. In real life we all cross in very unsuitable places, they might as well learn to do it safely. That if you can see white lights on a car it means it is moving towards you. (even works for reversing). Not to trust indicators or lack of indicators to show where a car is about to go.

angelil

How to use the underground is another good one if you have one in your town. Every time we went to London as children my mum would talk us through where she was taking us/how she knew where to go, in front of a map.

Abbafan1972

I did audio at college and have not used it once since being in the workplace! I didn't do shorthand.

Touch typing has been invaluable, I do a lot of computer work and it makes things so much faster!

I agree with the other posters:- things like cooking, ironing, managing money etc would be much more useful!