As the world changes, so do the skills that students need to learn, right? Well… sort of. Families often share feedback that the emphasis on new skills and academics leaves their kids without the practical skills they need to get by in life after school.
Cate Reed, seasoned administrator, current Senior Vice President of Teach For America, and Possip Reporter, identifies ways for students to learn and practice life skills at school.
Twenty-five years ago, almost every middle or high school student took a home economics course. They learned to cook and sew and use basic tools, equipping them with skills to thrive after graduation. However, those classes don’t happen as much anymore, and as a result, families report that kids often can’t manage the basics of life beyond the classroom.
We’ve collected a set of ideas to bring practical skills into already packed school schedules, while ensuring kids can have fun at the same time!
Enhance Your Curriculum With Practical Skills
Build Financial Literacy Into Math Classes
Integrate financial literacy education into math or economics classes. Teach students the practical skills of budgeting, saving, investing, debt management, and how to balance their bank accounts. You can find free ideas here.
Tip: Have students manage a household budget as a long-term project for a semester or have them save up for a fictional vacation. They need to do the research, decide what they’d like to do, then plan their budget and spending.
Make Gym + PE = Wellness
Offer health and wellness programs to promote physical and mental well-being.
Tip: Host a 10,000-step challenge, before-school meditation opportunities or have students use a physical activity tracker. Developing these personal practices help students connect how a healthy mind and body support their academic success.
Include Communications Skills in ELA
Incorporate communication skills training into language arts or public speaking classes. Offer opportunities for students to practice communication skills through presentations, debates, and group projects.
Tip: Many schools require students to do an oral presentation at least once a semester to build up this critical skill.
Round Out Your Electives with Practical Skills
Create elective courses or workshops on life skills. Cover topics as broad as time management, decision-making, conflict resolution, and leadership and as specific as the practical skills of sewing and ironing.
Tip: Survey kids to find out what they KNOW how to do, instead of what they want to be able to do- and then teach them! Can they…
- Clean a room in a sanitary manner?
- Cook a basic meal in an oven?
- Do their own laundry?
- Repair a button?
- Use a basic tool like a screwdriver or wrench?
- Give basic first aid like CPR and the Heimlich maneuver?
- Use a fire extinguisher?
Offer Options for Kids to Explore Practical Skills
Offer Extracurricular and Practical Skill Classes Aligned to Careers
Provide career development courses or workshops to help students explore their interests, set goals, and develop career plans.
Tip: Reach out to parents or local businesses to see if they might come and offer workshops on resume writing, interview skills, and networking strategies. Invite guest speakers from different industries to share their experiences and insights.
Offer Practical Volunteer Opportunities
Encourage civic engagement through service-learning projects and community service initiatives.
Tip: Partner with local organizations or nonprofits to address community needs and make a positive impact– where kids learn to wash dishes at a soup kitchen, measure and use tools through Habitat for Humanity, and organize and clean by organizing a local food pantry.
And as always, communicate often with families about the things you are doing and why. Helping them see that you are committed to producing well-rounded students who can one day survive and thrive on their own makes everyone happy!
