Six life skills kids should learn before leaving home

When the right time comes and your kids are ready to move out, you can’t help but feel proud of them. It’s never easy to let go of that attachment you’ve had since they were babies but this shift is definitely one of the hallmarks in life for both parents and kids.

Before they are ready to fly off the nest, you do need to give them a few tips here and there to ensure they have an easier transition.

They might be used to getting everything done for them, or at least most of the tasks handled and that can make it hard for them to navigate their life away from home.

Here are a few important tips to teach and remind them as they leave home.

i.Managing finances

The basic foundation that holds a home together is finances. Without proper management, there is no way for any household to survive.

They will be late on rent and risk being kicked out and they will definitely have a hard time budgeting correctly for basic necessities like food.

ii.Safety tips

Safety is a top concern before moving out. They need to let go of any naivety they have been accustomed to as a result of being shielded and protected from dangers in the outside world.

Have a talk with them about not allowing random people into their home and the fact that they should be extra careful because many people have hidden intentions.

Other areas of safety include handling home equipment like cooking gas, learning basic first aid skills and any other area of concern.

iii.Survival skills

Since there won’t be anyone to handle what they need all the time, they need to learn things like cooking, changing the bulb, buying electricity tokens properly, just to name a few. One of the challenges we see today is that so many people actually don’t know how to cook and that means they can’t prepare even the simplest healthy meals.

This compromises their health and wellbeing. They also can’t be spending all their money on takeaway foods forever. Make sure you show them how to handle these things beforehand.

iv.Hygiene basics

Having a dirty home will give them a bad reputation. You don’t want them to be embarrassed when their house is always a mess every time they have someone over.

Some kids genuinely don’t even know how to do their laundry properly when there is no washing machine around so you should help them learn different hygiene hacks you’ve adopted over the years.

v.Interpersonal skills

It’s very important for them to have good interpersonal skills so that they’re able to get along with others around them.

No man is an island and they eventually have to open up and build good rapport with their housemates and neighbors.

vi.Time management

This is the only way they can balance their home life with their work or school schedule. They won’t have to get stressed over deadlines and due dates when they respect their time and other people’s time as well.