Many kids make it to adulthood with a vast knowledge of technology, but without some basic practical skills. Here are nine basic skills we owe it to our kids to teach them, and they're simple to pass along!

1. 9 important skills
we owe it to our kids
to teach them
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2. Our children are the first
generation in history to grow up
in a world where the internet
has always existed. Many of
them know how to work an
iPhone before they can talk.
In many ways, their generation
will have incredible potential and
the ability to create and excel at
things that didn’t even exist
when we were children.

3. All of that is incredible, but the
one downside to the “app
generation” is that many of
them are making it to adulthood
without some basic life skills.

4. I often wonder what my
grandfather’s generation would think
of our current generation of
children. My guess is that the child
from my grandparent’s generation
would excel at practical skills and
academics. The child from our current
generation would, of course, excel at
technology.
With all the benefits of technology,
we shouldn’t let these basic and
important skills be lost to time…

5. Cooking

6. • Statistically, we all cook less than we
did a few decades ago, and we eat
out more often.
• My grandparents talked of a time
when almost every meal was cooked
at home. Statistically, people were
also thinner and healthier at that time.
• Of course, there are many factors
involved, but experts continually warn
that eating out is linked to obesity
and other health problems.

7. • All of us have to eat, and most of us eat
multiple times a day. Cooking is one of the
most useful skills we can teach our children,
and most of them really enjoy learning it!
• I highly recommend this online video course
for teaching kids of all ages to cook! “Mrs.
Kimball” (a licensed teacher) teaches basic
to advanced skills for kids of all ages.

8. Swimming

9. • This skill isn’t as useful as cooking, but it can certainly be life-saving if it is ever needed.
• Recreational swimming or swim teams can be really fun and a great source of exercise
for kids who enjoy the water.
• Swim lessons are available in many places!

10. Budgeting

11. • Many adults don’t even have a clear picture of
their monthly finances and expenses.
• 38% of adults in the US report having credit card
debt of some kind, with the average being over
$5,000!
• Teaching kids the basics of finances and teaching
them to track and not outspend their income is one
way to help them avoid these pitfalls as adults.
• Online programs like Mint make this process
simple and kids can start learning to manage
finances long before they live on their own.

12. First Aid

13. • Babies will put anything in their mouth,
and while I thankfully have never needed
to use CPR on one of my own, I’m glad
to know it in case I ever do need to use it
until medical help can arrive.
• On top of that, kids are walking “boo-
boo creators”.
• Knowing a skill like CPR won’t benefit
you directly, but it is a great skill to have
and it may be life-saving for someone
else some day!
• Many cities have free or low-cost first aid
and CPR classes for kids and adults.

14. Self Defense

15. • Thousands of children and young adults are
the victim of abuse or assault each year.
• It is sad to think that we live in a world where
it is important to teach our kids how to
defend themselves, but we do.
• Hopefully this is never a skill that your child
has to use in a real-life situation, but there
are many benefits to taking self-defense or
martial arts classes, including:
- Learning self-control and self-discipline
- Gaining confidence
- Improving reflexes and balance

16. Basic Cleaning

17. • By adulthood, we should all have the ability to keep our living areas
clean and livable.
• Teaching kids basic cleaning skills (and helping them learn
consistency in cleaning) is also a great way to get them involved in
keeping their living space clean now!

18. Critical Thinking

19. • There may be many factors to blame, but experts seem to
agree that we are seeing a broad decline in critical thinking
ability.
• With the vast and unceasing amount of information we
encounter on a daily basis, it seems that in many cases, it
is easier to just choose to agree with or believe the
information or to disagree or disbelieve it, rather than to
think critically about it.
• One of the most valuable (and difficult) skills we can teach
our children in today’s world is to question information,
even from “trusted” sources like textbooks, teachers, and
the news.
• It will serve them well to teach them how to think, rather
than just what to think.

20. coding

21. • The education and hiring worlds are shifting. While a college degree was
once almost a guarantee of a job, many of the top companies today are
hiring based on skill, not formal education level. This opens many new
opportunities for anyone willing to take the initiative to learn.
• Students can easily learn coding online, and in an increasingly
technological world, these skills may continue to increase in value.
• We use Codecademy for online instruction on how to code. It is easy to
understand and interactive. Any student who is able to read can start
learning many different coding languages on this site.

22. Car Care

23. • I’ve saved so much money over the years by being able to fix
minor car issues myself (or with the help of my dad).
• Even the ability to change a tire can save money and hassle
when that skill is needed.

24. For more information about
raising well-rounded kids in a
tech-saturated world, Click here.

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