7 Life Skills For Teens to Learn Before Going Off to College

Parenting a teenager comes with its own set of joys and struggles. Though they can be stubborn as all get out, the reality is they are just trying to figure out the world around them. In those teenage years, they are dealing with a multitude of changes. Hormones are kicking in, drama with friends, dating and curfews are just a few things that are going on that they are trying to navigate. If that wasn’t enough, the anxiety of getting ready for college and the world outside their parent’s home is ever looming. They are excited, but often have no idea what life skills they need to learn before going off to college.

As parents, we want our children to have the best experiences in life. We want life to be as joyful as possible for them, while having as little bumps in the road as possible. Though it is sometimes easier to do everything for them, it is not what is best for them. It is essential to teach them the skill they need to succeed in life.

Here are seven life skills to teach your teen before they go off to college. As adults, they will be very thankful they learned these skills early on.

Basics About Transportation

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No matter where you live, you must know how to get from point A to point B. My parents did a great job of teaching my how to drive and maintenance a vehicle. I knew the area around me and how to use a map. This was all great until my car broke down beyond repair. I had never learned how to use any form of public transportation.

Teaching teens how to get around town in any situation is key. Most major cities have some sort of bus system. Using a bus system may seem simple enough, but to a teen who has never been on one, this can be an overwhelming feat. They need to learn not only how to catch a bus, but also how much it costs, where bus stops are, and basic safety when riding alone.

When it comes to vehicles, getting their drivers licenses is only the first step. They must also learn how to put gas in the car, know when to get basic maintenance, what to do if the car breaks down, and how to use a map. Yes, even in this world of smart phones they need to understand a map. Cell phones can lose coverage or the battery could die and become an unreliable source for directions. Learning how to use a map sets them up for success in multiple scenarios.

How to Manage Money

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Money management is such an important life skill. As they get their first jobs, the instant response from most teens is to go shopping for the items parents won’t buy. While spending some money on fun items is okay, this is the perfect time to teach them lifelong money skills.

Many high schools do teach a basic finance course, which covers just that: the basics. This is great, but there is so much more to learn from there. The first of these skills they need to learn is how to save money. As adults, we know things come up unexpectedly that we need to dip into our savings to afford. Teens don’t always realize how we are able to do this. Teaching them to always save a certain percentage of every check is the best way to start.

From there, learning how to manage the money they do have is extremely important! Learning how to budget for basic expenses such groceries and bills will get them through the day to day of adult life. Learning that it is more important to pay the electric bill on time as opposed to buying a new pair of sneakers, unfortunately does not always come naturally.

Speak For Themselves

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In the adult world, there is rarely anyone that will be able to speak on our behalf. As children, they are taught to listen to their teachers and other authority figures. If something does come up, we as parents are the ones to handle the situation. Though we would all go to bat for our children, it won’t work very well to go to your thirty-year old’s boss and tell them your child needs a raise.

Learning how to speak up for yourself so many benefits. Even during the younger teen years, this is an important skill to help keep themselves safe. Learning how and when to speak up is key.

When in the work force, there are many rules and regulations they will have to follow. There are times though, where they may realize a rule is unfair or have a suggestion on improving it. On the other end, unfortunately there may be situations where someone wrongs them and they need to know when to speak up.

Teaching your teens to speak up for themselves means learning proper action steps, as well as giving them the confidence to approach someone in authority. Remind them that you are always there for them if they need some advice on how to handle different situations.

Basic Culinary Skills

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Many teenager’s idea of cooking is placing ramen noodles in the microwave. The thought of using an oven is overwhelming to many teens. Having a well-balanced meal prepared at home is essential to a healthy life. So learning how to prepare these meals is an essential life skill.

Most nights, parents prepare meals in absence of their children due to school, sports, homework. They then come home to a meal that is prepared, hot and ready for them to eat. While you are doing your job as a parent to feed them, always doing this leaves them without any culinary skills.

When possible, include your children in at least one part of the meal preparation process. For younger children, you can start by having them gather the ingredients needed and setting the table. For older children, begin by having them learn how to safely cut fruits and vegetables with a knife. From there, they can learn how to read and follow through recipes.

Another huge aspect of meal preparation is learning how to clean up. As adults, you will not be there to follow behind them and clean up their dishes. Teaching them how to clean dishes not only helps them, but it also helps you out with family chores.

Basic Household Maintenance

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Learning how to maintain a household is major life skill for teens to learn. As parents, we often find ourselves overwhelmed with the daunting task of cleaning up after the children. Most children are required to clean their own rooms, but that is not the only place they make a mess.

When it comes to maintaining a household, there is a lot to do. Every teen needs to learn what is needed to maintain a clean home. Laundry is a great first step! Learning how to properly separate, clean, and fold laundry is a great start.

Since there self-cleaning floor has not been invented yet, the floors will always need cleaning. Teens need to know how to sweep, mop, and vacuum the floors. They will also need a basic understanding of which cleaners to use on different types of flooring.

The biggest aspect of keeping a well-maintained home is cleaning. Every surface in a home needs to be wipe, scrubbed, or sanitized on a routine basis. Teaching your children how to clean the bathroom is a great place for them to grasp this idea. Bathrooms have a ton of different surfaces and are often one of the messiest places in the home. Teaching them how to safely use these chemicals and what never to mix is absolutely an essential life skill for your teen to know!

Manners

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It only takes one trip out to any major store to figure out how few adults have real manners. Being someone with great manners does not mean that you are stuck up or better than everyone else. Having manners truly means not only that you know how to speak to others, but you yourself are a respectful individual who is considerate of others.

Having great manners will help your teenager out in so many ways. In the work force, an employer is much more likely to hire and promote people who are polite to others and treat their customers with respect. When you use proper manners, you are making others feel good as well as yourself.

Having manners does cover a wide array of topics. The first thing that pops in most minds when you mention proper etiquette is saying please, thank you, and your welcome. Those are key, but not the only things your teenager should learn. They also need to learn how to give a proper introduction, RSVPs, thank you notes, being on time, when not to use a cell phone, and how to respond to disappointing situations. Having basic manners and everyday common curiosity is one of the top life skills for all of us to have.

Time Management

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Hurry up, you are going to be late! Do you know what time it is? What is taking you so long? Most parents have said these lines, many more than once. As adults, we understand the concepts of time management. This is a learned behavior though, and does not come natural for many.

Teaching your teenager time management is extremely important. Life becomes so hectic once they are out of the home. With many going to college, they must learn how to balance class schedules, deadlines, and homework. Add that on top of having to learn how to balance a job, maintaining their home, and social life, it is a lot to handle for a new adult. Even after they graduate college, they will have to use time management skills in whatever career they have chosen.

Learning time management really is not that hard, it just takes a lot of practice. They need to understand how to keep a calendar or weekly schedule. The key though, is learning why time management is so important. Having them understand why helps all of us with motivation to get a job done. Knowing that if you do not turn your assignment in on time, you will fail the test is easy motivation for most students. Similarly, with the work force, if you show up late, it is very likely you may not have a job for long.

Teaching Your Child Life Skills

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If you are starting out with a younger child, it may not take much to incorporate these new skills into their everyday routine. If you are starting this in the teenage years, it is best to start small and work your way up.

Start with inviting them to help prepare dinner. Making them feel like they are needed helps to build their confidence. Once they have helped with a few meals, chances are they will want to learn even more.

As you get ready to leave the house, talk about why it is important to get to the doctor’s office on time as well as how it affects others. Most importantly, model these behaviors yourself. Our children learn best from the example we give. These life skills for teens to learn before going off to college will help them in the future, as well as now.