As homeschoolers, we all want our children to have a solid understanding of language arts, math, science, history, and other subjects. But in the pursuit of academic success, let’s not forget to teach them how to live.
We often use words without really understanding what they mean. When parents say they are looking for a curriculum to teach something, they often mean books and courses for a specific subject such as history.
What is a curriculum, though?
“A curriculum is a set of courses designed to give expertise, like the shoemaking curriculum at Shoe U: Advanced Cutting, Hammering, and Stitching; History of the Heel; and A Cultural History of Walking…” —Vocabulary.com
So let’s start with thinking about the life skills your teens need for “Life U”. When your children become adults, what skills do you want them to have mastered?
Here are a few ideas of life skills your teen will need, but it’s not an exhaustive list. Talk to your spouse and make your own list of the things you hope to help develop in your high schoolers.
What’s the easiest high school curriculum for teaching life skills? Life. This is where real-world learning happens. Of course, you can use resources along the way, but it’s in day-to-day life alongside you where your teens will really apply all that they are learning. That doesn’t mean you have to be an expert in all the things, either. You can teach them how to be life-long learners as you figure these things out together.
Some of the best resources are often those things your teens already have access to such as the library, mentors, YouTube or Vimeo videos, teaching shows, and YOU.
Using a few of the ideas for life skills teens need listed above, let’s consider what it might look like to teach them to your teens.
There are some great resources for teaching teens personal finance. Check out Dave Ramsey’s online store for a variety of products that are appropriate for teens. He has an article, How to Teach Teenages About Money, to help you get started. Or search on google or YouTube for other tips on teaching personal finance to teens.
After working through some of the resources, show them your household budget and help them come up with their own. If you don’t have one, now’s the perfect time to teach them it’s never too late to learn and implement something new!
Find cooking shows and YouTube videos, purchase or borrow books that include both recipes and how to stock a kitchen, research food prep and freezer cooking. There’s no reason today for anyone to say they can’t cook at home because they don’t know how!
Have your teens be in charge of planning and cooking a certain number of family meals each week. Take it a step further and ask them to do the planning and shopping at the grocery store. Encourage them to have fun and try new recipes and foods.
There are so many YouTube videos and blog posts about productivity! Search for terms like batching, block scheduling, and productivity tips. You may want to watch them together or have your teen do this in a central location such as the kitchen table, since teens can be tempted to click on other videos while on YouTube (and that wouldn’t be productive at all!).
Talk about what tips they want to incorporate into their schoolwork time. Have them make out a list of the ideas they want to try and create a plan. Be sure to check in with them to see how it’s going!
Don’t let the word easy fool you. Easy doesn’t mean you won’t need to be intentional about teaching life skills to your teens. What it does mean is that you can teach these skills in a way that directly relates to their lives right now with you right alongside them. The resources are readily available and often free, and the concepts aren’t difficult to learn. They only require some planning and effort on your part and your high schoolers.
We know having teens can seem overwhelming! But I assure you mom, you CAN do this!
Discover The High School Course of Study & Planning Workbook! It will simplify the process for you and your high schoolers! And you can get all of the details here!
That’s why we love to share with you the very best curriculum for your high schooler —one you design yourself. You can incorporate life skills and character education in their journey! Introducing The High School Character Building Workbook! Grab yours today to get started!
