Hey mamas,

A lot of things are changing right now, one of them being school for our kiddos. Many of you are probably homeschooling and trying to figure out what to teach your kids. Perhaps you’re thinking about what life skills you could teach them that they would not typically learn in a public school.

The curriculum most schools follow is fairly comprehensive and will help set your child up for success, no matter where their path in life takes them. However, there is still quite a difference between book smarts and street smarts.

Schools focus mainly on book smarts, yet they often fail to teach our kids some of the most basic skills they’ll need to get by in everyday life. It, therefore, falls on us parents to make sure our kids learn all the skills they’ll need to eventually fly the coop one day.

So taking advantage of this time spent at home with them could really be a huge benefit. Certain skills are a bit more necessary than others and will ensure that your child grows into a well-rounded adult.

This guide explores several life skills they don’t teach your kids in school, as well as a few tips for how you can take this schooling into your own hands with great success.

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Life Skills They Don’t Teach Your Kids In School

Basic car care

Even if your kid isn’t at driving age quite yet, it’s still a good idea to teach them a bit of basic car care. Some elements of car maintenance may come up in basic driver’s education courses, but this information often takes a backseat in favor of more hands-on learning.

As such, it falls to you to teach your kids the basics of how to clean, maintain, and conduct minor repairs on their cars. Start with a basic hands-on tutorial by going through all the components under your car’s hood. Teach them how to check the oil, wiper fluid, and tire pressure.

It’s also a good idea to explain the importance of a spare tire and to teach your kid how to change a flat tire so they’re prepared should such an incident ever occur.

Personal finance and budgeting

Unfortunately, one of the most common life skills they don’t teach your kids in school is also one of the most important. Some schools do still have personal finance classes, but they’re usually quite basic and do little to prepare kids to handle their own finances in the future.

Start by teaching your kids how to write a check and explaining the difference between a savings and a checking account. You can also prepare an activity in which your child must create a fake budget for themself and allocate funds to different bills and payments.

This not only teaches your child how to budget properly, but it also demonstrates the need for fiscal responsibility that will help them spend their money much more wisely in the future.

Cooking

Home economics classes may have fallen by the wayside in recent years, but the information they taught is no less important than it once was. Kids should still learn how to cook for themselves. You won’t be around to feed them forever, after all. Depending on your child’s age, you may need to start with a few simpler recipes at first.

Invite your kids to help you prepare dinner every once in a while. Teach them the proper way to hold a knife, and be sure to explain proper safety protocols when working in a kitchen.

As your child gets more comfortable in the kitchen, you can move on to more advanced recipes. Soon enough, you may have the next Gordon Ramsey on your hands.

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There are so many great resources for finding ways to teach these life skills and I highly recommend connecting with homeschooling moms or other parents who are implementing these skills and seeing how they incorporate these in daily life and schooling from home.

Of course, there is always YouTube! What kid doesn’t want to spend time watching YouTube? I wish you mamas luck during this challenging time, and if you need any help with homeschooling, you know who to ask! (me, if that wasn’t obvious…)

Be sure to share and subscribe before you go! I will be sharing more lifestyle content in the future so you won’t want to miss out! Plus when you subscribe you will get free motherhood quote graphics to share on Instagram! 

XO – Jess