Teaching Life Skills
Teaching life skills is one of the most important types of teaching. Whether you're teaching youngsters or people learning later in life, or people with developmental disabilities, the skills you're imparting will help them very much in their daily lives.
Counting money is one life skill that is invaluable to people, regardless of what their housing and training-level are. There are all too many people who will take advantage of those who don't have a clear idea of how much money they are carrying. Knowing how much money you're spending, is also an important part of daily living for most people.
Earning money will teach children or adults that it pays to do their best work, whether it's for an allowance or a paycheck. In the world of grade-level teaching, life skills may be taught at an early elementary level, or much later in life, or anywhere in between.
Telling time allows children or adults with developmental disabilities to open another door and get out into the world on their own, or as alone as it is safe for them to be. You can use large clocks with easily moved hands, or worksheets to teach your students about minutes, hours and the combinations of them.
Basic math is another skill that is important to impart, when you are teaching life skills to students of any grade level. It dove-tails into earning and counting money, because your student needs to know how much money he will need to make a purchase, and how much he will have left after that purchase.
Calendar-reading is important for your students too, although maybe not as imperative to learn as telling time and counting money. Children and adults with disabilities generally enjoy holiday times, and their ability to read a calendar means that they can count down to their favorite holidays and their birthday. They can also use a calendar for earning money classes, so that they can figure out when they will be paid next and how long their current paycheck has to last.
When teaching life skills to older children or adults, it is important to include such classes as how to dress in situations like job interviews. You can also help teach your students how to handle themselves in an interview, to come across as confident, and to answer any questions the H-R person might have.
Grocery shopping is another chore we do every week that may be covered in a life skills program. You should teach your students as much as they can understand, about coupons and shopping at discount stores.
Adults who live in a semi-independent living situation should be taught to plan and prepare meals for themselves and the others in their household. Young children, too, can learn to help you in the kitchen, because that is a skill they will need later, even if they don't need it right now.
Everyday housework is something no one likes to do, but if you are teaching life skills, this is another area that needs to be covered, especially if you are dealing with adults. Children can learn chores too, and also learn about earning money as you steadily increase their allowance as they do more household work.
Teaching life skills is a rewarding career. You're helping young people or people with disabilities develop skills that will let them spend more time in the community, and less time at home.