Life Skills Every Child Should Learn By The Age of 10: Hacks for Parents

Introduction

A life skill can be defined as a set of skills that can help a child carry out their day-to-day functions and face regular challenges that they might encounter. This helps reinforce positive behavior. During a child's growing years, it is especially important to make the best use of the time and teach them all the possible important life skills. With a tight schedule for both parents and kids, it might become a bit tricky for parents to invest extra time in teaching their kids necessary life skills.

However, these skills are not only measures to improve your kid's behavior but also affect their academic and extracurricular performance in a lot of aspects.

Life Skills That Kids Must Learn by Age 10

If you're wondering what are the correct set of life skills that you must be instructing your child before they reach the age of 10, then here is a list for your reference.

• Cleaning

Maintaining proper hygiene is a basic and much-needed life skill that promotes the overall well-being of a child and the people around them. It encompasses all the cleaning habits related to self-hygiene, doing laundry, cleaning the room, and helping parents with cleaning chores of the house. Teaching these skills to the child early will make them independent and promote a more positive environment in the house.

• Healthy Eating Habits

Now that so many junk food options are available, a child is more likely to get swayed away and opt for junk food rather than having proper nutritious food. As a parent, you must educate your child about the importance of eating a properly balanced diet every day. Reinforcing healthy eating habits is a sustainable way of keeping them fit and protecting them from unwanted health problems.

• Basic Cooking

Cooking is a survival skill that everyone must learn. Although a child below the age of 10 might be too young to learn advanced cooking, some basic fireless cooking can be taught to the child. Teach them how to make sandwiches or some fruit salad. Under your surveillance, you can also teach your child how to boil milk and make tea.

• Money Management

Money management is an essential life skill that comes in use throughout life. Teaching children the importance of saving can make their money management so much better as an adult. Give your kids some kind of allowance after they complete a set of assigned tasks. Then teach them the importance of budgeting and encourage them to save the money to buy something for themselves. This will promote more fiscal prudence in your child.

• Being Respectful

Being respectful towards people around always helps in developing positive relations. A child who is respectful and kind is more likely to do better in life than the opposite. A child learns these behavioral patterns from their parents. Hence, parents must teach soft skills to the child and become an example for their child.

• How To Navigate

Although these days people have GPS systems on phones and even on vehicles, it is always better to have good spatial skills. Being able to navigate and find your way back is an important skill that all young children must learn about. Educate your child about the important landmarks in your area so that if they are ever lost, they can find their way back home easily.

• Basic First Aid

A child below the age of 10 should also know how to provide basic first aid to themselves or anyone near them in case of a medical emergency. You must teach your child how to use a band-Aid and clean a wound with an antiseptic treatment. Also, educate them about the importance of cleaning hands before providing any kind of first aid.

• Create Cards

Cards are heartfelt gifts that express a lot of individualized touch and emotions. Parents can teach their child how to make greeting cards that can be given to the near and dear ones on birthdays, or any special event. This is a pleasant gesture and is often liked by the receiver. It also allows the child to exhibit their creative prowess.

• Wrapping Parcels & Notebooks

Being able to wrap gifts and one's notebooks with the respective covers is also a remarkable skill. It makes a child very independent, and they can finish these tasks without any assistance from parents. Initially, parents should help the child as rapping may involve the use of scissors. Show them how to safely use scissors and be precise with the cuts.

• Having a Routine

Routine management is critical for the efficient use of time during the day. It allows the child to do various activities and enjoy the time to the fullest. Parents should teach their children how to manage time and avoid procrastination. Following a routine makes one habitual of utilizing time properly.

Tips For Parents to Inculcate Life Skills Among Kids

Here are some helpful tips for parents to inculcate life skills among kids.

• Constant Encouragement

Constantly encourage your child to do better than the previous day and provide them with lots of emotional support in the form of positive words. Help them wherever they feel confused and give them tips on how they can improve at what they are doing.

• Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement in the form of giving records to the child. After all, small achievements are an effective way to keep them motivated. Give them a prize and appreciate them for their efforts.

• Let Them Do Their Thing

While your job is to aid and provide guidance to your child, you also have to let them do their things on their own. Do not be too controlling and critical of your child's activities. This may highly de-motivate them and affect their self-confidence.

• Integrate Different Activities

Keep rotating the kind of activities that you're teaching to your child. This will help them stay engaged for a longer period without getting bored. Make them do basic cooking one day and cleaning the other day.

Conclusion

Life skills are necessary for an excellent quality of life for a child. These transform an individual completely and enhance the quality of everyday activities. Parents can shape their children into responsible adults through teaching these life skills.