Life Skills to Learn Before High School Graduation

Life Skills to Learn Before High School Graduation

In this time of COVID, parents are feeling the pressure to ensure their kids are engaging in their schoolwork. I think family togetherness time can offer a great opportunity to learn needed LIFE SKILLS…..you know: the stuff that is actually relevant for young people to know when they leave the nest (algebra usually isn’t one of them😉).

 This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but here are some things to consider:

1. How to fact check what you read online (good one for us adults, too)
2. How to sew a button and mend a hem or seam
3. How to cook at least 5 economical meals
4. Familiarize Self with basic cooking measurements (what is bigger: a half cup or quarter cup? A teaspoon or tablespoon?)
5. How to budget for groceries
6. How to do basic First Aid
7. How to make own doctor’s/therapist’s/dentist’s appointments
8. How to wake Self on time
9. How to unclog a toilet/sink
10. How to do laundry (separate, wash, fold)
11. Create a signature
12. Open a savings account
13. How to pump gas
14. Figure out how to navigate public transport (even if there is currently nowhere to go!)
15. Write a resume
16. Experience a mock interview
17. Experience an informational interview
18. Put together an interview-worthy outfit
19. How to wash dishes
20. Compile a list for how to remove stains
21. How to bargain
22. How to use a credit card to build credit (not create debt)
23. Make a restaurant reservation
24. Order a meal by yourself (even if it is only take-out)
25. How to do an e-transfer
26. How to scan a document and attach it to an email
27. Be able to manage time (chores/school/work/activities)
28. Take initiative in pursuing a goal
29. How to iron a shirt
30. Identify at least 3 personal strengths
31. How to paint a wall/room (what supplies needed/strategize how best to proceed)
32. How to parallel park
33. How to make change from a $20 by counting up (VERY needed skill for retail or food service)
34. How to advocate for Self
35. How to change a printer ink cartridge
36. How to change a lightbulb
37. How to use a screwdriver, hammer, Level, Stud Finder, Allan Key (ever so needed for the assembly of future Ikea purchases!)
38. How to light a fire
39. How to chop wood
40. How to write a Thank You note
41. How to polish a pair of shoes
42. How to offer a sincere apology
43. Program emergency telephone numbers into phone
44. How to shake hands
45. How to pack a suitcase
46. Party etiquette – how to be a host; how to be a gracious guest
47. Learn to ask for help when individual efforts have failed
48. Create a solid safety plan to use when feeling uncomfortable in social settings (have a taxi app/Uber downloaded on phone; let others know when you are going out and with who)
49. Identify values, ethics, and beliefs
50. Embrace the fact that a polite “no” can be a complete sentence

What else is relevant for our young people to know in today’s world?