✕
☰

Six Life Skills Kids Need for the Future

Flash forward to 2034.

by

Flash forward to 2034.

Your 5-year-old is now 25 and looking for a job. Several of the jobs he/she will be doing haven’t even been invented yet. What life skills can you teach now to help prepare for the future?

Problem Solving:

Regardless of vocation, learning to problem solve is an important life skill. In our instant gratification world, learning to be patient and not to give up easily are hard lessons to master.

“To help with problem solving, I work on not correcting my son when he tries to figure out something and comes to the wrong conclusion. I ask him questions or work with him to encourage him to self correct. I’ll say things like, ‘Why do you think that this happens?’ and ‘What makes you think that?’” Ronna Sparks Woodward, Kansas City mother of two, says.

Teamwork:

Learning to get along with others is important. Workplace confrontations can happen to anyone, and learning to get along with others starts at a young age.

“Daycare, school and sports are excellent teamwork building opportunities. Teach them to value the other person’s ideas, as well as recognize the talents others bring to the task at hand. Teach them to look forward to working with others so that they might learn from others and build on their own skills, Dionne Martin, Kearney mother of one, says. “Future employers love to see teamwork experiences on the resume. Do volunteer work, join a club, join the military, seek out opportunities to work with others.”

Technology Etiquette:

Technology etiquette wasn’t important 20 years ago, but now teaching children how to use technology appropriately is crucial.

“Teaching your children technology etiquette and responsibility starts at home when they are younger. Teach them to value the person in front of them more than the invisible person being communicated to. Teach them to turn down the phone ringer in public and to think about others. Practice acts of responsibility by not talking on the phone in a crowded area,” Martin says. “They need to be constantly aware of their surroundings and the effect it has on others. Technology is there for our convenience and not to abuse.”

Time Management:

Kids learn to procrastinate early. It’s up to us to teach them how to use their time well.

“One of the biggest things we can help our children with is planning, such as time management and being able to break a large project down into manageable steps. I think we can help our kids learn these techniques by helping them take big projects—such as cleaning their rooms or doing yard work—and looking at all the steps that make up the whole,” Jennifer Richey, Kansas City mother of two, says.

Focus and self-control:

No employer wants an employee who loses control or can’t stay focused on his or her job.

“Again, ways to model self-control and focus begin at home. As they get older, they have to be taught they are not the center of the universe, and that is a hard lesson to learn,” Martin says. “They tend to lose control when they learn they are not the only one in the room and cannot demand all of the attention all the time. Model to them how to stay focused on the task at hand and not let outside influences distract them. They learn this by watching their parents. Learning to wait your turn in a conversation and not interrupt are essential.”

Self directed learning:

It’s not about the grade, but about the skills they learn.

“We need to instill in our kids a lifelong love of learning, learning for the sake of learning. I think this is much easier than it was when we were kids. I think that kids need to understand that learning doesn't (or at least shouldn't) end when they are out of school. They will likely have to continue their education for their careers but also just to enjoy life—learn a new hobby, fix things around their home,” Richey says.

These jobs that didn’t exist 15 years ago...imagine what jobs will our kids have in 2034!

Jennifer Higgins is a freelance writer, mother and teacher from Kearney.

Back to topbutton