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"Life Skills" are the tools your child needs to succeed in life...
  • momsaidnomomsaidno
    Posts: 1,813Member
    so this is a book/site. my mother sent it to me. its a list of things your children should know how to do at a specific age. its from 2 - 18 link to the web site

    My point can your children do these things? i printed the ones up until age 9 my oldest is 8. I am going to work on making sure my kids can do most of the things on the list.

    Some seem a bit over the top for the ages but tell me what you think.



  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    Just remember, these are guidelines.  When they get older it's easier to teach them specific things, and I agree, there are certain things that we, as parents, must teach our children just to make it through their days successfully.  Stuff that's no longer taught in schools:  how to cook, sew a button back on, balance a check book, etc.

    And the earlier you start teaching these things, the more successful they'll be, and the more likely they'll be to WANT to do them on their own!  IMHO
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • wonderwomanx3
    Posts: 468Member
    What a great site. Some of them are a little advanced, I think. A 5yo cleaning a toilet? But its a great guide. Its funny the things that i don't think about. My boys are homeschooled & I know there are dumb things that they don't know about. When my ds12 was around 9 or 10 he went to vbs for the first time. They have then milk out of a carton. He'd never seen little individual milks like that so he didn't know how to open it. Dumb right? I always buy a gallon with a screw off cap. He was confused & I felt stupid because he didn't know but I never thought about it
  • wonderwomanx3
    Posts: 468Member
    A lot of schools here are no longer teaching cursive. Um what? How will kids learn to sign their name? My kids have learned it & my youngest will too
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    @wonderwomanx3:  yeah, I heard that too, BIZARRO!  I like actually writing letters, in my journal, etc.  there's something very calming about putting a pen to paper...and of course signing your name...
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • momsaidnomomsaidno
    Posts: 1,813Member
    my children's school does cursive in 3rd grade.

  • missmama5missmama5
    Posts: 3,580Member
    I really, really wish that my MIL would have given my DH some of those. You know, LIFE SKILLS. I had to teach the man how to work a washing machine and an oven....at 25 years old.
  • Twins911Twins911
    Posts: 213Member
    It's a wonderful list to have. Thanks

    I'm probably a bad mom for not teaching my oldest (now15) all of these things. I am sure that he knows how to do most but like all teens you have to repeatedly ask them to do and finish something. I just hope that I can do a better job with my twins. (crossing my fingers)
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,964Administrator, Moderator
    Mine were learning cursive at the end of kindy...

    And now they are printing everything in the 5th and 6th grades LOL  I think the teachers decided messy print was more legible than messy cursive!

    community-manager


  • missmama5missmama5
    Posts: 3,580Member
    I have never written anything in cursive past grade school. not even when I "sign" my name. I can't read the stupid shit and I'm crap at writing it so fuck that, I say. fuck it hard. as long as my kid can cross his I's and dot his T's in regular writing, I'm happy. Either that or i won't be able to read anything he writes!
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,865Member
    My kids are pretty on target or above with these things. The only one I don't see happening, like ever...leaving the bathroom clean after use by age 5. Ha! Still waiting for adult males to be able to do this!!
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    The schools here in AZ are actually NOT teaching cursive, which I find dumbfounding...
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • OnmylastnerveOnmylastnerve
    Posts: 1,660Member
    I had to teach dh how to clean, I walked in on him cleaning my bathroom sink with the toilet brush :-& :-& :-&
    not my chair, not my problem
  • GritsGrits
    Posts: 3,749Member
    chaosmom said:

    My kids are pretty on target or above with these things. The only one I don't see happening, like ever...leaving the bathroom clean after use by age 5. Ha! Still waiting for adult males to be able to do this!!



    Um, yep. DH can't even hit the toilet 100% of the time. I certainly am not expecting it from DS when he learns to potty. That's one thing I'll miss about having all girls.
    "I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." ~Audrey Hepburn
  • stinkersmommystinkersmommy
    Posts: 1,322Member
    At four my kiddo can do almost all except tie shoes (working on it) and unload the dishwasher (we don't have one) but he can wash his plastic dishes .
    Glitter Words
    [Glitterfy.com - *Glitter Words*]
  • Katescrazymom
    Posts: 1,848Member
    Dd has trouble getting shirts off and just plain refuses to dress herself. I don't know if she can, because she's determined to be a nudist. We're on track with the rest!
  • LargeMargeSentMe
    Posts: 120Member
    I think these guidelines are pretty good. I wouldn't expect my kids to do every one of them perfectly but they seem to be reasonable skills to work on for the ages listed. My 3yo still has some trouble dressing himself but he does a lot of the chores listed for age 4.
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    my 3 yo can dress herself, she just won't...and she LOVES to help unload the dishwasher...tying her shoes is something we have to work on, but shit, she's been playing the violin since she was 2 1/2, I'm not real worried she can't tie her shoes yet!
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • LargeMargeSentMe
    Posts: 120Member
    Mine puts his pants on backwards every time and vastly prefers undressing to dressing. Half the time when I get him up from his nap he's naked!
  • AnonUser26
    Posts: 1,161Guest
    Um, yeah. I'm a college graduate with people's lives in my hands every day, and I can't do some of this shit, lol!
  • ZidashaZidasha
    Posts: 830Member
    So, my oldest, who will be 7 this month, is behind.  I know he's behind cause being my first child I kinda did everything for him.  Partly due to not being patient to let him try and partly cause I always thought he was too young to do half that stuff.  I basically babied him, until I moved in and married Dh.  He's been a great influence as far as a kick in the butt.  Yes I feel crappy for it but he's getting there.

    My youngest who will be 3 next month is right on for the most part because he likes to copy what big brother is doing or we are doing.  

    I think a lot of it is I also for some reason have more patience with my second than I did with my first.  
    "I have a theory that placenta is brain matter I push out, so with each child I get dumber and dumber." ~ Unknown

  • AnonUser27
    Posts: 1,779Guest
    Don't think my DD4 can do snaps on her pants, but I'm going to find out today! Thanks for this list, I'm going to work on it.
  • momsaidnomomsaidno
    Posts: 1,813Member
    I am glad to see that some of you are like me and your children and on schedule with the "LIST"

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