What life skills are kids and teens going to need in this fast-paced digital world???

We can’t really predict what specific skills our kids will need in 20 years, BUT we know they’ll need to know how to learn and other “soft skills.”

Enjoy meeting a handful of our #LifeSkillsNow summer camp leaders as we explore what our youth need most and how parents can serve. Whether it’s about owning ones health, planning ahead, or responding well to others, you’ll love this info as well as a 3-step process to make it happen. Mental first, then verbal, then intentional. You got this, parents!

 

Time Stamps for The Importance of Life Skills

 

We can be pretty sure that all kids, all human beings, will need to know how to learn. – Katie Kimball

  • 4:03 – Dr. Robin Dickinson, founder of Doctor Robin’s School, says people don’t really understand their bodies. When you understand how your body works, there’s a lot less reason to “freak out”! 
  • 5:18 – Dr. Robin’s son is in a pre-professional ballet program. Despite the body issues that come from serious ballet practice, he does a great job taking care of his body.

No amount of “shoulding” and lists of things we should do is going to make us actually do those things. – Dr. Robin Dickinson

  • 6:50 – Dr. Robin’s kids (and probably yours too) don’t like to do anything without knowing why. If they know the whys about their bodies, they’re more likely to take care of themselves.

one-page cheat sheets for the Healthy Parenting Handbook

Do you forget everything immediately? (My hand is raised …)

That’s why we created the one-page summaries of each podcast episode, in a simple Google Doc so there’s nothing to download.

Print them off and make yourself an actual handbook or just view online and search for what you want!

GET THE CHEAT SHEETS NOW

  • 8:05 – As we get older, our bodies will age and change. Understanding what is happening in our body will make it much easier to deal with.
  • 8:23 – Jessica Litman of The Organized Mama joins us here; and she believes organization, planning, and interpersonal communications are some of the most important life skills. 

There are so many team projects! You need to know how to effectively communicate with a multitude of people. – Jessica Litman

  • 9:41 – Argavan Nilforoush is a pediatric dietician and the founder of Baby Steps Nutrition. 
  • 10:14 – Basic cooking skills and understand nutrition are life skills kids really need to grasp! 
  • 10:44 – Critical thinking skills will help us in many places in life, and that includes assessing what we should put in our bodies. 
  • 10:54 – Argavan has a tip for getting picky eaters involved in the kitchen!

Being able to sift through conflicting information and make informed choices about food is essential. – Argavan Nilforoush, RDN

  • 11:30 – Wendy Snyder is a positive parenting educator, and one of the skills she believes kids need is the ability to feel powerful in a healthy way. 
  • 11:55 – Parents often fall into the habit of overpowering their children with threats, bribes, and anger. We need to teach them healthier ways of feeling powerful – and setting that example. 
  • 13:16 – Wendy shares several avenues toward healthy feelings of power like sports, music, and more. 

We always say that kids who are really empowered in the home demand it less out in the world. – Wendy Snyder

  • 15:36 – We need both philosophical and practical life skills, and #LifeSkillsNow has both!
  • 17:25 – Our four camp leaders talk about the workshops they are leading in #LifeSkillsNow Season 3.

  • 20:02 – I want you to be aware of the skills you are using on a daily basis – both the “hard skills” like organization, laundry, other chores, maintaining your car, and also the “soft skills” like negotiation and flexibility. And start to narrate these things out loud to your kids.
  • 21:33 – Here’s an example of how I talk about money management with my 19-year-old son, Paul. 
  • 23:05 – And here’s an example of me not narrating and one of my kids figuring something out the hard way! (Me, the Sunscreen Queen, apparently didn’t teach my child to put on sunscreen at the beach!)
  • 25:56 – After you become aware of the skills and talk about them out loud, create opportunities for your kids to practice them hands-on.