As a special educator who works with homeschoolers, developing life skills is a priority for most of my students and families. Life skills are the skills needed to meet one’s needs with increasing independence and live autonomously.
Life skills are important for all children not just children with disabilities. Life skills may look different depending on the child, their abilities, needs, interests, and age. I collaborate with parents to embed life skills into academic learning in our virtual tutoring sessions while parents support the practical application of these skills at home.
I like to integrate academic learning (reading comprehension, writing, science, and social studies) into teaching life skill topics. Below are 21 life skills that can benefit all children.
Combination of Academic + Life Skills Topics
The benefits of physical activity/exercise and how to incorporate preferred physical activity into daily life
The basics of nutrition, meal planning, shopping, and food preparation
The benefits of drinking water
Human body systems and managing medical care routines
Understanding and navigating anxiety and other strong emotions
The benefits of rest and sleep
Gardening
Organization strategies for personal belongings
Community economics, personal finance, and understanding advertisements
Cause and Effect social/life scenarios
Understanding weather forecasts and natural disaster preparation
Personal hygiene
Researching interests and inquiries
Caring for pets and plant life
Personal power routines for morning and evening
List-making, note-taking, and annotation
Calendar skills and scheduling
How to read directions and recipes
Internet safety and communicating online
Basic first aid
Effective conflict resolution
What life skills do you feel are most important? What are you teaching that's not on this list? Comment below.
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