Our children are the future, and as they grow up in our homes we need to import wisdom and skills onto them to help them prepare for adulthood. Teaching our children about the important things in life, and giving them the skills to be independent is a privilege, and today we want to share some of the things you need to teach them.
Here are some of the most important things you should be teaching your children this year that will prepare them for growing up.
The importance of our planet
Our planet is a wonderful and magical place. It harbours millions of living things and more species than we could ever imagine or comprehend. The problem is, humans are taking over the planet and we are killing it. Teaching our children about animals and climate change is something we can do to make sure that their generation makes better decisions than we did. Crack out the David Attenborough shows and show your children how they can make a difference in their lifetime.
Communication
Communication is important for everyone; whether your child is healthy, has hearing problems that hinder communication, or need to speak to others from other parts of the world. Teaching children to communicate through speech, sign language, other languages, and even through writing is a skill that is crucial for their future. Make sure to encourage your child to talk to others and to learn a new language: make sure they know how to communicate through writing and teach them creative writing. All of these things are important and will come in handy throughout their lives.
Empathy
Empathy is the practice of understanding someone else’s feelings and perspective in a situation, and your child needs to know this skill. By being able to recognise when someone is sad, to know why, and to understand why is an essential part of being human, and will help them grow up to be compassionate people.
Cooking
The last thing you want is to send your child off to college and leave them to burn their toast, eat microwave meals and ruin their pans in the first week! Teaching your child how to cook for themselves is one of the most important skills you can teach, and you can start early. Get your child involved in cooking by watching you make food in the kitchen, allowing them to watch meat and pasta cook, and allowing them to make decisions on their pizza toppings or soups. Teach them skills little by little and show them how to chop fruit and vegetables as they grow older. If your child learns how to cook they will be ahead of many of their peers and this is a great position for them to be in.
Responsibility
With great power comes great responsibility… but even though your child is not Peter Parker they still need to learn about being responsible. The best way to teach this skill from a young age is to buy your child a small pet and allow them to look after them. Of course, you can make sure they stay happy and healthy: but allowing your child to look after a pet by feeding and cleaning out their cage is important. Being responsible for another life will help your child grow up and make better decisions, and this will translate later in life when they become caring and independent individuals.