Middle school isn’t like it used to be, as now we see how little middle schoolers prepare for their daily lives. Although most high schoolers are computer savvy and understand numerous tech-related subjects, they struggle with simple life skills that most of us learn through our years in high school. Moreover, our work as parents and tutors is to guide our kids to a better future, implying we need to teach them how to be better people.
Life can be rough and complicated for those who are unprepared, and the best way to help our kids in the future is to give them the right tools while they are young. There are numerous life skills to teach middle schoolers, and here we’ll learn the most crucial for their development as members of society. If you don’t know what to teach your kid while they grow up, here is a list for you.
Basic Home Repair Skills
Home improvement projects and repairing numerous items around the house are crucial skills your children will use countless times in the future. These life skills to teach middle schoolers will help them understand how everything in their home works. By learning home repair skills, they’ll save money by avoiding the services of a plumber, electrician, roofer, and many others. Moreover, learning basic home repair skills can be a side hustle, as they can repair and improve homes for an extra income.
Every house will need maintenance or something to be repaired, and sooner than later, you’ll have to call professionals to help you. However, if you know how to do your plumbing or electrical services, you won’t need help from others. Teaching basic repair skills sounds easy, but it takes time and effort to understand how everything in your home works. For instance, plumbing is a complicated subject, and you’ll need years of practice and studying to do a quality job that doesn’t compromise the state of your home.
Basic Technological Skills
Kids these days know how to use electronic devices such as smartphones and computers from a young age. However, they don’t understand how to fix any hardware or software issues that might come in the future. Understanding computer repair skills at a young age is crucial for those kids that want to work in the tech industry when they grow up. Giving them basic computer repair lessons when they are young will make their learning easier as they grow and help them save money by doing their repairs without calling a professional.
Of all the life skills to teach middle schoolers, computer repair skills might be one of the most crucial skills to teach them. The tech industry seems to be one of the most profitable industries in our near future, and learning the basics of computer repair at a young age might help your kid land a job in the IT industry when he grows up.
Physical Fitness
Your body is a temple that needs exercise and good food to perform better and be at the top. Teaching your children how to take good care of their bodies and make constant movement will keep them in good health. Although your child might not enjoy doing exercise routines at first, they need to understand that consistency is the key to success and that they are improving their body and mind with each workout.
Learning to take care of their body through physical activities is one of many crucial life skills to teach middle schoolers. A great way to promote daily physical activities while having fun is by getting an above ground pool, as your kid will keep their body and mind active while they have fun on their days off. Learning to swim is a life skill that can save you and a great way to keep yourself healthy and in good shape. Teaching your children how to swim and have fun in their pool will keep them in good physical health as they grow up.
Good Dental Hygiene
We all hate going to the dentist, and we understand why kids don’t like stepping inside a dentist’s office. However, good dental hygiene will help you avoid the dentist’s office for a good while. One of the life skills to teach middle schoolers that will help them avoid going to the dentist is learning how to brush their teeth. You might say to your kid that he needs to brush his teeth three times a day. However, you don’t know if they brush their teeth effectively or too fast. Learning how to clean at the right pace with an effective technique will improve their dental health as they grow up and make brushing their teeth a daily routine.
Flossing and using mouthwash are also two critical items for good dental hygiene. Teach your children how to use them and why they should use them regularly. Although your kids might be scared of going to the dentist, you should also teach them there’s nothing wrong with a regular dentist appointment. If they want to avoid going to a dental procedure, they need to understand how to take good care of their teeth.
Creative Expression
Teaching interpersonal skills to your children will make them see the world from a different perspective than the rest. Giving your kids the means of creative expression will help them understand their personalities and the things they like. Moreover, thriving in life means reaching your goals while still being yourself, and the arts and other forms of creative expression will help them achieve this.
Let’s say your kid wants to be a painter when they grow up. A good course of action is giving them the right tools to become a professional painter. If your child wants to keep their painting skills as a hobby while they learn what career path they want to take, you can help them explore other career alternatives while supporting them in their painting. Helping your child develop an artistic passion is one of the most crucial life skills to teach middle schoolers. Whether it’s a musical hobby or performing arts, everything related to creative expressionism will improve their social skills and make them develop their personality.
Cleanliness
Keeping your house and workplace clean and organized is more than an aesthetic reason, as learning how to keep your surroundings in pristine condition brings numerous benefits to your mental health, social skills, and physical health. Cleaning is part of the most crucial life skills to teach middle schoolers, as they will understand the importance of an organized workplace and learn about cleaning routines. Cleaning your house promotes the learning of good time management, as you’ll be administrating and scheduling your time by cleaning each room of your home. Critical thinking is crucial when cleaning your room, as a clean environment promotes critical thinking and social awareness.
House cleaning is one of the most important life skills to teach middle schoolers for countless reasons, but one of them is understanding their influence on their surroundings. A great, respectable member of society will keep their workplace and home in good shape, as they know how crucial time management is in their life. A good starting point for teaching middle schoolers how to be more organized is establishing a place for everything. Let them know how everything needs a specific place in their home and how, each time they use it, they have to return it to their respective zone.
Respect for Animals
Empathy is within every human being, and we see how it reflects on each human being by seeing how they treat animals. Whether you have a dog or a cat, you should teach your kids how to take good care of them and respect them as living creatures they are. Although teaching respect for animals isn’t a regular part of life skills to teach middle schoolers, it is crucial to teach them how to be better people. Seeing how a person treats animals and other living creatures around them will teach you about the type of person they are. Moreover, many kids will see pets as their toys and won’t show respect for them as they see them as their property.
Encourage your kids to visit a local petting zoo, where they’ll learn about pet care and how they feel when they play or do other activities with them. Another great way to promote good care for animals is to take a nature hike and teach them about wild animals and how to be careful with them.
Taking Care of Their Appearance
Appearance plays a crucial role in our lives, and teaching your kids how to dress to impress might help them land a better job or improve their social skills as they grow up. Most life skills to teach middle schoolers are related to teaching them how to take care of themselves, and taking care of their appearance is a critical step in growing up. We understand that every person has their own clothing and haircut, but middle schoolers might be unaware of how crucial a good appearance is. Moreover, they don’t know about dress codes and the role they play at social events and job interviews.
Learning to care about their appearance goes beyond their clothing, as a good haircut shows how much you care about how you present yourself. A hair stylist can teach them what type of hair suits them the most and give them tips on keeping it in mint condition. Furthermore, wearing deodorant and a captivating fragrance will also improve how most people see them and make them more elegant and well-presented. Good appearance is part of the crucial life skills to teach middle schoolers, one life skill that will serve them their whole life.
Knowing When to Ask for Help
We often see proud adults who have countless problems but are too afraid to ask for help and go to a therapy session. Well, most of these adults were once kids that didn’t know how to deal with their emotions. Talking with your child about their issues and emotions is one of the best life skills to teach middle schoolers, as they need to understand that it’s normal to feel that way and there’s no shame in asking for help. Middle schoolers are at a weird stage in their lives where every small opinion and issue can damage their personality and self-esteem, and these emotions can lead to trauma if they don’t ask for help.
Furthermore, building resilient and positive emotions in them will make them understand that there’s a silver lining to every event in their lives, and they can move on by asking for help. Talking with your child about their problems and listening to everything he says will help them know they aren’t alone and can count on you. However, some situations require professional help, and therapy sessions from a psychiatrist dedicated to helping teens might give your child the tools to face forward and be a better person. Remember to be patient and understand that these life skills to teach middle schoolers are for their improvement as individuals.
This list of life skills to teach middle schoolers is a good starting point for letting your children know how to be prepared for anything. These life skills will give them the tools to tackle countless problems in their adult life and learn how to face forward at every challenge ahead.
Being a good parent or protector is more than providing food and shelter; it’s teaching them how to survive without your help. The world can be a cold place for those who don’t know how to navigate it. Furthermore, it’s your responsibility as a parent to give your child the tools to become a better person.
