Kids and life skills

tyllwyd

newyearnewme wrote: »

I think it is important that by the time they are all grown up they should

1) have a bank account
2) have a passport
3) be able to change a plug
4) be able to play a musical instrument/read music
5) be able to speak a foreign languauge
6) be able to swim

Not everyone might be agree with these but i think if you can aim for the 1st 3 an then at least one of the last 3!

Change a plug? I can't remember when I last did that but it must be twenty years ago! How to reboot a router is probably more relevant today ...

Hermia

tyllwyd wrote: »

Change a plug? I can't remember when I last did that but it must be twenty years ago! How to reboot a router is probably more relevant today ...

I think all my appliances have the new plugs that are sealed. My dad did teach me to change a plug, but I have never needed to do it.

sausageface

Great thread - I'm 32 and I don't know half the things on here (car maintenance, country code, how to change a plug/fuse to name but a few)

I think I should come and live in your house OP and pick up a few tips

dizziblonde

Some basic DIY like finding the stop-you-know-what-will-be-filtered and the like,
Likewise car stuff like changing a tyre (and not the method my mother told me of "wear short skirt and cry"... I do know how to do it properly - much to her dismay!)
Typing - so many kids I see in schools who are still one finger-pecking it up... indeed it can get primary classes of kids' jaws to drop in amazement at the novelty if you can type without looking at your hands (which cracks me up).

balletshoes

I touch-type, I tried to get my daughter interested (the school even offered an after-school class) but she just didn't want to learn. She has the random-but fast pecking of the keys method, I think she uses 4 fingers instead of 10 :rotfl:.

mishkanorman

I think its a great idea to teach them housework chores, my husband is brilliant around the house - he can see when the carpets need a hoover and just does it he also irons his own work shirts and cooks an awesome roast !

His dad wouldnt be able to manage cooking a meal by himself which I think is just not on in this day and age.

One other important life skill is time management, knowing how long things take you and how to make the most of it - one thing that annoys me is when my husband will for example wash up and then put the dinner on, if he instead started the dinner and THEN washed up and it would all be done at the same time, but then thats probably just a minor annoyance

GobbledyGook

Being able to make a reverse charge call.
Reading a map.
Reading timetables.
Never to plan to get the last bus/train without a back up plan.

I think the main thing it to teach them to know when is the time to ask for help (and sensible places to ask for said help).

lil.smartie

My 3yr old loves hoovering... I did buy a pink Hetty (like a Henry) to encourage her though!

Great list, agree with the budgeting idea including interest, nothing is free these days! I also get my daughter to ask for things for herself & hand over the money etc. She loves putting the coins in the self-service tills at the supermarket!

Kate

Mojisola

Don't forget that kids need to learn how to cope when modern life (temporarily, we hope) breaks down - how to manage during a power cut (board games by candlelight, anyone?), how to light a fire/barbecue and cook a meal over it, where all the emergency stuff is kept. What to do when the water is off and the loos won't flush! Keeping warm when there's no heating.

The occasional trip away from civilisation will stand them in good stead.

daska

pinkclouds wrote: »

The budgeting lessons seem OTT to me. Our parents certainly taught us about saving and borrowing but it seems extreme to actually charge your kids interest for the sake of it.

These days, I find it hard to believe that most kids won't grow up with good computer skills as computers and the internet are so prevalent. However, I definitely second the people skills. You can get by without nearly everything else (assuming you're willing and able to learn as you go) but it's really hard to manage without being able to communicate effectively. Not just writing reports or giving speeches. The so-called "small talk" that helps to forge bonds and smooth the road through life. It's not enough to be clever and hard-working. You must be able to interact with people and be, at least, superficially likeable.

Btw, while I don't consider shorthand particularly useful, I do think audio typing is a good skill. Many jobs that involve typing can use audio skills. Tbh, the most difficult aspect is being able to decipher odd accents and bizarre pronunciations. I have done audio typing in various admin roles when I was younger. I think it's rarer than touch typing so it would probably widen the potential job prospects. And, again, surely most kids learn how to touch type? Word processing was a compulsory part of IT when I was at school, donkeys ago. I'm touch typing right now. It would take forever if I had to keep looking at the keyboard!

And from a completely opposite perspective shorthand would have been very useful during those meetings when the amount of information being provided was too much for my normal writing to keep up with (and I'm a very fast and neat writer), definitely an underrated skill.

FWIW I'm touchtyping as well but neither of my teenagers have been taught to touch type at school - apparently they learn it if they do secretarial or computer skills at college but until then it's completely unstructured. When I found out I tried to get them to learn but encountered enormous resistance.

Shopping and asking directions are key skills as is cooking from scratch. Money management - I learned double entry book keeping at a very tender age. Telephone skills - learning that you sound much nicer when you're smiling etc. Basic DIY - fuses, plugs, tap washers, circuit breakers. Electrical and Gas safety!

But most importantly, how to ask the right question and listen to the answer!