How to Teach Teens Life Skills

Teaching teens life skills is very important if they are to develop into responsible adults. Life skills are those skills that people need to do on a regular basis, such as paying bills, keeping a check book, cooking, frugal shopping, cleaning, maintaining an apartment, finding and keeping a job, driving, voting and taking care of babies and children. The best way to learn is by doing, so in the steps below are some ideas for how to teach these life skills to teens so that they will come naturally and easily when the teens reach adulthood.

Instructions

1. Teach the teen how to pay bills by charging them room and board once they start working. You can always put that money in a special account that you've set up for them and give it back upon graduation. Keep that as a surprise because you want them to know that the money once paid is gone and not to be counted on like a savings account.

2. Open a checking account for your teen. You will need to co sign for the account and with your name on it you will be able to keep track of it so things don't get out of hand. Teach the teen how to write a check, how to use a debit card, and how to balance the checkbook.

3. Assign the teen chores to teach cooking and cleaning. The teen can then plan and cook the family dinner once a week. You may also want to make it the teens job to vacuum or wash clothes on a regular basis.

4. As soon as the teen is old enough help them to get a part-time job. Talk to your teen about what they are interested in as a career later on and take it from there. For instance, if the teen wants to be a veterinarian, help them to look for a job at a vet's office, a humane society or even a pet store.

5. Go over a budget with the teen to teach frugal shopping. Show them how to use coupons and take advantage of sales. The teen should use their own money for this. If they use your money they may not care as much about saving. It's different when it's their own.

6. Teach your teen about the responsibilities of being a driver. They usually learn actual driving in school and get their license at 16. You can further teach them by instilling strict rules about who and how many people they can have in the car, the times they are allowed to drive, and the condition of the car when it's returned home. Do a home suspension of their license if they break rules. They should pay for the added car insurance and the gas they use out of their money.

7. Teach teens to babysit. They should know how to feed, dress, diaper, burp and bathe a baby or a small child. Even boys should be encouraged to do these things at least once or twice.

Resources

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