Life Skills for Children in 5-10 Age Group

Today, kids can effortlessly operate a smartphone but may lag behind in basic life skills - skills that are essential for day-to-day survival. Along with ensuring right upbringing, parents need to understand that their kids have their own individuality. It's essential to equip them with life skills along with academia and help them become independent at an early age by conditioning their mind in that direction.
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Shaping & Nurturing the future :)
                                          
As a mommy to a five year old, I have listed down 12 life skills below that I feel are ideal for kids in the age group of 5-10 years. 

1. Compassion: It can be best demonstrated through sharing and caring activities and bedtime moral stories. Also, most of the play schools have their activities designed around compassion, gratitude, humility to shape the young minds. Basic small habits of showing gratitude by saying a thank you, greeting elders and apologizing - speaks volumes about your child and your parenting style.  

2. Social Skills: Social skills or interpersonal skills facilitate interaction with others through verbal and non verbal communication. Learning these skills enhances socialization. Lack of it creates social awkwardness. The best way to enhance social skills is to give kids a platform to explore their potential by making them a part of various hobby related or extra curricular activities that are engaging. 

3. Cleaning-tidying up: Start with teaching them to pick up their toys after each play session and gradually move to tidying up their bed, wardrobe, book shelves etc. I still remember the song taught to my lil one in her play school where teacher used to make kids pick up the toys after their play session. It went some what like this- It's time to put the toys away...toys away...toys are running...toys are running...lets catch them. :)

4. Table Mannerism: Often parents tend to ignore this grooming aspect and may still continue feeding their children upto 6-7 years because they feel that they are too small to eat alone. Remember, they will be forever too small to do anything independently. Inculcate a habit of dining together at an early age. Start with basic mannerism like washing hands before meals, laying the table, saying grace before meals, no chewing food with your mouth open, no speaking while eating etc.

5. Basic Cooking: Cooking is a major life skill and NOT a gender specific role because HUNGER doesn't know gender! Involve your kids in basic fire less cooking starting with applying butter on the bread, making sandwiches and salads. Gradually move on to basic microwave cooking -  starting with making cup cakes, cookies, pizza making etc. Gradually, as they are growing, involve them in quick and easy recipes.

6. Laundry: Kids learn maximum through observation. Hence, let them observe you while doing laundry. Let them learn to do their own laundry once a week. Teach them the settings of a washing machine, detergent measurements, drying and folding clothes. All these early grooming would come extremely handy when they embark on their career path and fly away from your nest.

7. Self Defence: Along with the lessons on good touch and bad touch, teach them the importance of self defence and its tactics. Make them memorize your cellphone number or numbers of any other important people whom they should reach out for help during such situations.

8. Navigation: The confusion mostly happens with the left and right direction. Do activities like treasure hunt in the house or garden to attain perfection. Teach them navigation through GPS when travelling and let them direct you along with the GPS to enhance their navigation skills.

9. Basic First Aid & Crisis Management: My lil one used to get scared if someone even said BLOOD! Seeing blood should not panic them but teach them to remain calm. Teach them how to hold the wound by applying a little pressure to stop bleeding, ice pack applications and applying  band aids.

10. Grocery Shopping: If you want them to understand the importance and value of money, take them for grocery shopping once in a while.  As you shop, keep speaking to them about how prices fluctuate and how discounts save your money. Negotiation is an art and involving them in the process at a tender age will make them better independent citizens who value scarce resources.

11. Time Management: Set time limits for everything - right from sleeping to eating to screen time to playing and even regular studying and exercising. Remember, everybody gets 24 hours a day. So stop complaining about lack of time. Being efficient in life is all about managing your time well.

12. Swimming and Riding a Bicycle: Though not considered as a major life skill, it's still essential to overcome the fear of water when in water and falling when riding. Also, these are amazing forms of exercise. 

Happy Parenting! :)

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