Passing down knowledge is part of being a family. The adults can teach the children what they’ve learned in their lives so that the kids can benefit from it. It’s also a way for the younger and older generations to bond.
There are certain things that it’s appropriate to teach a child or a young adult. As a parent, you can impart your wisdom at every stage, and you might enjoy doing it. Let’s talk about a few of the skills you can teach your kids that should serve them well in their lives.
You Can Teach Your Kids to Drive
By the time a child gets into their middle teens, they are well on their way toward adulthood. It beckons, and as a parent, that might make you a little bit sad. Your youngster is growing up, and soon they will probably go off to college or get a job.
Teaching them to drive is one of the most useful skills you can pass on to them. They might end up living in an area with little public transportation, and they’ll most likely need to buy a car.
You can teach them tips for parking lot driving. You can teach them about highway driving, how to stop at a four-way stop, and how to merge safely. You can also teach them about bad weather driving, which is especially useful if you live in a region with a lot of winter snow.
You can start by teaching them the basics in an empty parking lot or on a deserted back road. When they become a bit more confident, you can move into heavier traffic so they can experience a rush-hour commute.
You Can Teach Them Some Basic Car Maintenance
You can also teach your kids some of the more basic car maintenance skills you think they’ll need, offers Money Crashers. You might teach them how to change a tire. That’s a skill that not enough people have these days, and it’s a great way to be self-reliant if your teenager ever gets a flat when they’re far from any assistance.
You can teach them how to change their vehicle’s oil. That’s another skill not enough people have anymore. You can also supply them with jumper cables and teach them how to jumpstart a dead battery.
You can teach them how to put air in their tires and refill the windshield wiper fluid. If you know more about cars than just the basics, you can also pass on some more advanced skills. This can save your teenager some money down the road since they won’t have to go to a mechanic for everything car-related.
You Can Teach Them Some Household Cleaning Techniques
You know that your kids will go off on their own at some point. You should teach them how to clean up a house or apartment.
You can teach them how to run a vacuum cleaner and how often to do it. The NY Times shares that you can show them how to do laundry, such as how much detergent and fabric softener to use. You might show them how to iron their clothing if they’re going to a job interview or have an office job.
You can show them how to fold clothing. You might point out the various bathroom cleaning supplies, and you can demonstrate how to scrub a toilet and clean a shower. You can show them how to dust and wash dishes by hand if you don’t have a dishwasher.
You can also stress that they should keep their home clean. It’s not just for aesthetics. You can inform them that if they don’t clean their home regularly, allergens like dust and pet dander can build up, making them sick.
You Can Teach Them How to Cook
You can also definitely pass along some cooking techniques (Bonappetit).
You might be an excellent cook yourself, or maybe you’re not so great.
Still, even the least accomplished cook can probably pass along the basics.
You can show the kids how to use the oven and microwave.
If you utilize a blender in your cooking or an instant pot, you can show them how to use those.
You can show them how they can boil water for pasta and check to see if they cooked the meat all the way through so they don’t eat it when it’s still partially raw. You can also show them how to clean up the kitchen after a cooking project, such as wiping down the counters so there is no residual bacteria.
You Can Teach Them How to Maintain a Yard
If you have a spacious front or back yard, you can teach your kids how to maintain them. You might show them how to mow the lawn in the spring, summer, and autumn months. You can show them how to rake leaves or use a leaf blower if you have one.
You might show them how to weed a flowerbed. You can demonstrate how to plant flowers or how to put up a birdfeeder. You can buy some new mulch in the spring, and your kids can help you spread it in your flowerbeds.
You can explain to them how a well-maintained yard helps a home’s resale value. You can also tell them how to be a good neighbor (Washington Post). That means no loud music in the middle of the night, throwing trash in the neighbor’s yard, etc.
These are just a few of the dozens of skills you can teach your kids, but you can probably think of some more without much trouble. You’ll probably want to teach them about finances. You can teach them about checking and savings accounts, and when they’re a bit older, you can teach them about building a portfolio with stocks, bonds, CDs, and other investment instruments.
The more you teach your kids about being an adult, the better it will be for them when they finally strike out on their own.