So what is a skill? A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both.
So thankfully I am teaching human skills...although sometimes I wonder. ;o) When I think of the term Life Skills though, I think of things like cooking, cleaning, sewing, etc. Hopefully I will pass on a little information in each of those areas, but there is more to Life Skills than that.
Can a child learn skills like oral, listening, problem-solving, creative thinking, self-esteem, leadership, career development, teamwork, negotiation, and money management at home? Am I preparing my child for all of that?? My answer is YES and you are too, whether you know it or not.
Oral - Working on speaking clearly, thinking before formulating a sentence, and practicing oral narration.
Listening - Don't speak when someone else is talking and listening to instructions (we have to work on this one).
Problem-Solving - Taking the time to think through a problem to come to a solution.
Creative Thinking - Lots of reading and imaginative play.
Self-Esteem - Plenty of praising from adults.
Leadership - Taking turns picking games and making up rules.
Career Development - Talking about the future and what it takes to work in certain fields.
Teamwork - Playing nicely with friends and avoiding conflict.
Negotiation - Evaluating options and working on getting the best one (she seems to be proficient in this already, at least in negotiating with us).
Money Management - Deciding how to split allowance between saving, spending, and donating.
As our daughter gets older, as with most children, she will encounter many different situations and hopefully we are preparing her for some of them!
1 comments:
Great post! I think about this often, as I am my daughters main contact on most days. I think that these skills are just as important for suriving the "real world" as being book smart. It does little good to be a genius if you can't articulate your knowledge.
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