30 essential life skills for kids to learn (by age group)

Teaching your kids the right skills as they grow can instill confidence and resilience around everything, from becoming financially literate to looking after themselves and being able to bounce back from disappointment.

The Pew Research Center asked a sample of US adults which skills they think are most important for children to get head in today’s world. Communication skills were the clear winner, followed by reading, math, teamwork, writing and logic. Science fell somewhere in the middle. 

With that in mind, here are some essential life skills to teach your kids.

1. Goal setting

2. Staying safe

3. Mental health management

4. Financial literacy skills

5. Time management

6. Organization

7. Empathy

8. Resilience

9. Taking on challenges

10. Standing up for yourself

Life skills to teach 7 to 10-year-olds

Decision making

Making a decision and standing by it is a life skill that all children need. Kids aged 7 to 10 can grasp it with choices around what they want for dinner, which book they want to read and even when they want to do their homework. Choices within choices are the best way to help them make informed decisions that weigh up what they want. 

Money skills 

Research from Cambridge University has found that by the age of seven, most children have grasped how to recognise the value of money. By this age, they will also understand that money can be exchanged for goods. For this reason, getting them a debit card like Acorns Early can help them learn and manage their allowance effectively.

Looking after themselves

Health and hygiene are key life skills all kids need to learn. From brushing their teeth to washing their hands to wearing clean clothes - learning to look after themselves is crucial to their development and ability to do things independently.

Delaying gratification

Helping children to understand why they need to delay gratification can start early with simple requests such as waiting to speak when someone else is talking, saving treats for the end of the day, and being patient when they ask for something. All these requests help them to understand that they have to control their impulses for a better reward later. 

Time management

The best way to teach your child time management is for them to learn through small tasks completed in short blocks of time. Age-appropriate chores around the house can help here, as you can set start and end times.

Standing up for themselves

One of the best ways to teach your kids how to stand up for themselves is to encourage assertiveness with role play. This means getting them to practice speaking up for themselves in various situations, at school, at home, and with friends.

Communication

Knowing how to express their needs confidently is the key to good communication skills. Show your child how to do it by encouraging them to be clear when they ask for something.

Being a good friend

​​Studies have shown friendship has a positive effect on children’s mental and physical health, school performance, and self-esteem. Teaching your children how to be a good friend and develop friendships is essential to their overall well-being. Talk to them about what being a good friend means. 

How to stay safe

You may have already talked about personal safety and how to stay safe online. But it’s essential to talk to your children about trusting their gut too and how to act on it when they feel something might be wrong.

How to deal with failure

No one likes to lose, come last or get a bad grade on a test. However, failure happens, and it’s vital to teach kids that they can learn from the experience. Reassure them they can cope, move on and focus on what to do next.

Life skills to teach 11 to 14-year-olds

Household chores

They may not love doing them, but chores can teach kids valuable life skills. Understanding why chores need to be done when you’re part of a household is important for their future. Up the incentive for your kids by helping them earn money for extra chores. 

Money management

Building their money skills is essential to making your child financially literate. Money management is about budgeting, saving and understanding how to make the most out of an allowance. Acorns Early can help with these money skills with our in-app Money Missions tool. Through bite-sized lessons, they’ll build financial literacy and confidence.

Organization

Organizational skills are essential for teens as they need to know how to prioritize, so they can feel in control of their lives and set and achieve goals. Help them set a routine as this gives a sense of security and control. When life is well-organized at home, children begin to see how this benefits them.

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to bounce back during difficult times. Kids and teens can build resilience by being encouraged to try again, working on the understanding that school, work and relationships can be challenging.

Taking on challenges

Kids also need healthy challenges to develop and mature. Encouraging them to face and take on challenges helps them become confident and independent as well as acknowledge their abilities.

Responsibility

Teaching your child to be responsible is another life skill worth teaching kids. It’ll help them become confident decision-makers, able to accomplish tasks for themselves. Start by giving your child age-appropriate chores to do every day. Show them how to do a job, then let them get on with it—and resist the temptation to keep reminding them!  

How to handle stress

Life can be stressful, and stress can be harmful when kids aren’t shown how to manage it. Teach kids the strategies that can help limit stress. How to prepare for the day ahead the night before, for example. How to leave enough time for revision before tests, and when to take a break when they feel tired.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand the emotions of others. It’s an essential life skill as it teaches kids to reflect and think about their behavior. To help them understand this, talk about feelings in real-life situations and use examples from their own lives.

Cooking

All kids need to learn how to cook, not only for their confidence but as an extension of being able to look after themselves when you’re not around. Not only does cooking teach them to be self-sufficient but also how to stay healthy.

Personal grooming

With puberty comes a desire for more privacy. This makes it even more important to talk to teens about personal grooming and hygiene. Explain the importance of keeping their bodies clean and caring for their skin and hair, alongside dealing with bodily changes.

Life skills for teens 15 to 18-year-olds

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to use available evidence to form an opinion. It’s something this age group is used to doing academically but often needs to be translated into real life. Encourage your teen to practice making choices. Give them an allowance and let them decide how to spend it. This requires your child to think critically about choices and their possible consequences before they make a decision.

Finding a job

Another valuable skill to teach your teens is how to find a job. Alongside explaining job search methods, show them how to complete an application, and what to expect in an interview. 

Financial planning

Following on from money skills and money management, now is the time to teach your teen about financial planning skills. Acorns Early can help with Money Missions which are bite-sized lessons on areas like investing, borrowing,  credit and spending wisely.

Looking after themselves

One life skill teens should learn is how to take care of themselves and their health. This includes knowing when to go to the doctor, what a prescription is, what’s good for their health and how to handle their own health emergencies.

Work skills

As we know, work life is very different to life at school. Teens need to know what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Talk about time management, organization and motivation. A part-time job can help prepare your teen for the world of work. 

Goal setting

Goal-setting skills are essential life skills. Teach your teen to set goals, such as saving for something they want. Then, talk about how they can reach that goal and set a time frame to help them stay motivated.

Conflict resolution

Conflict resolution is a crucial lesson, especially as no one ​​can be expected to agree on everything at all times. It’s vital for your child to learn to deal with conflict in a  healthy way. Teach them to be in charge of their emotions, so they can communicate their needs and seek a compromise.

Basic household management

When teens leave home, they need to know more than how to do simple chores. Teach your teen how to register for electric and heating bills, how to pay them, and how to make simple repairs. They should also know how to do laundry.

Soft skills

A study from the World Economic Forum shows that young workers lack the “soft skills” needed for success in the workforce. Soft skills are how you interact with others, such as good listening, teamwork, and respecting other people’s views. Be a good role model for these skills to show your teen why they are essential in life.

Mental health management

Knowing how to manage stress and anxiety is an important life skill for teens who are almost ready to venture into the world without you. Talk about coping mechanisms, what can make mental health worse, managing emotions, and when to seek further help. 

How Acorns Early can help

All of the lessons around money and financial literacy can be put into practice with Acorns Early. From learning the value of money to experimenting with their own, it helps your child to become financially confident and capable.