Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular as parents seek out different ways to deliver their children’s education. Whilst core subjects such as Maths, English and Sciences are important, life skills such as problem-solving, communication and resilience are all qualities that will help your child become a fulfilled and happy adult. With this in mind, it’s never too soon to start teaching your children key life-skills that will benefit them the most in the years to come.
In this article, we will explore how to create a successful homeschool life skills curriculum.
1. What is a Life Skills Curriculum?
A life skills curriculum is designed to teach students soft skills such as problem-solving, communication, and resilience. It also teaches students important life lessons such as personal finance, nutrition, and career development.
Life skills are taught in a variety of formats – from real-world experiences to flashcards, team-building activities to computer-aided lessons. Life skills curricula are generally tailored to the unique needs of the child and encourages the development of the whole child.
2. Why is Life Skills Education Important?
Life skills education is important for many reasons. Developing these skills gives students the ability to think critically, communicate effectively and make informed decisions.
This can help them in the classroom and beyond, and help build confidence, self-esteem and independence. Furthermore, teaching life skills in the home can encourage a healthy, balanced lifestyle from an early age and instil in children core values such as personal responsibility, empathy and respect.
3. What Areas should be Covered in a Life Skills Curriculum?
A successful life skills curriculum should encompass a range of areas. Depending on the age and needs of the child, activities could include learning the basics of money management and finance, problem-solving, communication, time management, decision-making, being mindful, critical thinking, goal setting, self-awareness, personal responsibility, creative thinking and more.
4. How Can I Get Started with Creating a Life Skills Curriculum?
When creating a life skills curriculum for your child, it’s important to think about the individual needs of your child and what skills you feel will be most beneficial for them. It’s also important to consider their age, maturity and level of interest.
Start by brainstorming a list of the key life skills that you wish to include and then begin to research ways to teach these skills. This could involve books, online courses, group activities, and more.
5. What Learning Activities Could be Included in a Life Skills Curriculum?
Depending on the type of life skill being taught, activities could range from gaming and simulations, to real world role play, to helping in the local community. For teaching problem-solving skills for example, activities could include constructing a bridge out of paper, coming up with a new business plan or tackling a simple riddle or puzzle.
6. What Books Could I Include in a Homeschool Life Skills Curriculum?
If you are considering using books to teach life skills, there are many books suitable for different age groups. For example, the book ‘The Whole-Brain Child’ by Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson is an excellent resource for teaching problem-solving and communication skills, whilst ‘The Smartest Kids in the World’ by Amanda Ripley explores the importance of resilience.
7. Are There Any Online Courses That Could be Used in a Homeschool Life Skills Curriculum?
Yes, online courses are a great way to supplement a life skills curriculum. There are many websites with courses tailored to different ages, such as Coursera, Udemy and FutureLearn.
Typically, these courses may involve completing quizzes and tests as well as having live lessons or mentoring as part of the course.
8. Are there Any Resources for Stretching a Child’s Thinking and Problem Solving Skills?
Yes, there are many resources available for teaching problem-solving skills and stretching the thinking of the child. These could include puzzles, games and simulations such as chess and Othello. Learning mazes and computer programming such as Scratch are also great for teaching problem-solving.
9. How Can I Teach my Child About Personal Responsibility?
Personal responsibility is a key life skill and encouraging your child to have a sense of responsibility is important in all aspects of their life. To do this, clearly communicate expectations and encourage your child to complete chores and jobs independently. For example, getting them to sort their clothes and toys, set the dinner table or tidy their room.
10. How Can I Teach my Child About Time Management?
Time management is an important life skill and teaching it early in life can help to develop good habits. To do this, encourage your child to plan their time, set deadlines and complete tasks in a timely manner. This could involve setting a timer for when jobs are to be completed and having a monthly calendar which highlights important tasks or goals.
11. How Can I Teach my Child About Communications Skills?
Communication is an important life skill and involves the ability to effectively express emotions and thoughts. To help teach this skill, you could start by having age-appropriate conversations with your child, role play activities, or watching films or TV programmes which represent key themes. You could also encourage your child to participate in public speaking activities such as presentations or debates.
12. How Can I Encourage my Child to Reach their Goals?
When teaching goal setting skills, it’s important to encourage your child to identify and set realistic goals. This can be done by breaking down longer-term goals into more achievable and measurable shorter-term goals. It’s also important to celebrate milestones and progress made by the child and continue to encourage them to reach their goals.
13. What Computer Programming Could be Included in a Life Skills Curriculum?
Learning computer programming is an excellent way to teach problem-solving skills and is suitable for all ages. Popular computer programming languages to include in a life skills curriculum could include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python and Ruby.
You could also incorporate coding websites into your curriculum such as Code Academy or Khan Academy.
14. Are there Any Team Building Activities for a Homeschool Life Skills Curriculum?
Team building activities are a great way to teach important life skills such as communication, collaboration, goal setting and problem solving. When planning team-building activities for your child, take into account the age and maturity of the child.
Suitable activities could include outdoor activities such as treasure hunts, working together to build a model, or indoor activities such as making a film or even playing board games.
15. What Are Some Good Resources for Teaching Nutrition?
Teaching children about nutrition is an important part of any life skills curriculum. You could do this by visiting local farms or going grocery shopping together to learn about different foods, or by creating weekly meal plans and shopping lists full of healthy options. Websites such as My Plate also provide a wealth of information on nutrition and health.
Conclusion
Creating a life skills curriculum for your homeschool can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. It can help teach your child important skills such as problem-solving, communication, and resilience. By researching what resources and activities are available to you, you can create a successful curriculum tailored to the needs of your child.