5 Best Skill Development Activities for Students

An emergency can happen at any time. No matter how much we would like to believe that only parents can keep their kids safe, incidents and emergencies affect each one of us, indiscriminately. It is our parental duty to shelter our kids and keep them safe from the harsh realities of the world, but everything should be done in balance. By the age of 4 or 5, your child should not look to you to tie their laces, by the age of 6-7, your child should know that one should always cross the road using the Zebra crossing, and to look both ways while crossing a busy street. These are some tiny examples of important life skills that should be taught to kids.

Shifting the narrative to students and school-going children and teens, these skills increase in number. In urban cities and environments, with both parents working- it is essential to foster a level of independence in your child. Especially your teens, if they have younger siblings- a basic level of understanding of skills needed for survival is expected of them. Studies show that fostering a level of independence early on in your child’s life can be great for their mental and emotional development.

From being able to use common tools to memorizing emergency contacts, understanding kitchen safety & more- here are some basic life skills every child must learn.

Learning To Cook Easy Recipes - Hunger does not discriminate between gender. Only allowing your daughter in the kitchen, while letting your son take a free ride will only rob him of essential survival skills, not to mention the serious gender discrimination this entails. However, your child, by a certain age needs to know how to switch on the gas and cook an egg. If you are strictly vegetarian, cooking a basic breakfast, boiling water without creating a mess, the proper way to handle a microwave without causing an electric shock- are essential and important for a child, especially for a teen to learn!

Memorize Emergency Contacts! - This is an important skill for young kids! Learning the numbers of both parents, close relatives, and caregivers, and vital emergency services and resources is IMPORTANT, and in some cases, life-saving. There have been several instances, in cases of emergencies, children don’t know the way to reach their parents, and get stuck in the loop, worsening the situation. Also, in day-to-day life, a bus may get late, the school may end early, or worse- your child may be stuck somewhere- knowing to approach an elder and call a parent or caregiver is an essential skill that needs to be taught to children.

Using Common Tools - In the era of technology, the most common tools and mechanisms of our homes are automated. Teach your children some basic know-how about the ways in which essential home systems can be navigated. Does your lock use commands? Teach them how to say it. Getting a table delivered from IKEA? Build it together. Doing these essential skills, like screwing in a nail, (under supervision of course), and learning how to use home-management systems are important skills!

Be Polite and Wary Of Strangers - We have all heard of stranger danger! But an essential life skill or life hack is to be polite but aloof. For example, your child may greet a stranger but should know to keep their guard up at all times. These require systematic teaching of essential social skills that can teach your children to be respectful, yet maintain their safety at all times.

Lastly, Time Management - 24 hours may technically seem like a lot, but teach your child the essential skill of managing their time. From setting up a daily routine to knowing how to allocate time to leisure and academics, how to prioritize time is an important life skill everyone needs to learn.

For more useful recommendations, you can also read our Soft Skill Development blog and check out the Podar Education Blogs!