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9 Life Skills You Should Teach Your Kids

9 Life Skills You Should Teach Your Kids
Basic cooking is an easy life skill to teach Kids

As a parent, one of your top priorities is to provide your child with all the life skills they’ll need, so they can navigate their adult lives, even after they’re no longer under your care. 

On one hand, this seems like a relatively straightforward task. However, on the other hand, it can be one of the most overwhelming duties that a parent will face. First, it can be difficult to determine what “life skills” even are. What skills are going to be the most vital to your child in the future? What should you be focusing on, exactly, as you help your child to build these fundamental skills? 

Although the number of potential “life skills” is substantial, and they can vary from child to child, there are some skills that everyone can benefit from mastering. Here are nine of those key skills that are important to teach to just about any kid.

9 Important Life Skills to Teach Children (By Age)

Skills to Teach Preschoolers

Some of the skills you’ll focus on with preschoolers will be performed independently, however, others will require help or supervision from an adult. As your child grows up, they will be able to continue refining these skills, until they can confidently perform them on their own.

1. Cleaning Up

Allow your child to begin cleaning up after themselves, in certain situations. For instance, you can ask your kid to put away and organize their toys after they’re done playing. 

2. Choosing Clothes or Outfits

Make sure your child understands how to dress appropriately, given the event or weather. You can even allow them to set out their own outfits each night, to wear to school the next day.

3. Setting the Table

By helping your child to set the table, you’re giving them a great chance to practice numbers, counting, and even symmetry. It’s also an opportunity for your child to develop their procedural and spatial memorization abilities. 

Skills to Teach Young Kids, Age Five to Seven

At this age, try to take a step back and allow your child to problem-solve, whenever possible. It can be tempting to step in and lend a hand, but five to seven-year-olds can benefit from learning and practicing some tasks independently. Plus, kids around this age are always eager to perform “grown-up” tasks, and this will show in their willingness to learn and develop skills.

4. Simple Cleaning Duties

Although they’re not ready to clean the whole house top to bottom, you can begin introducing your child to some basic cleaning tasks. For instance, teach them how to wipe down the sink, or how to sort the trash from the recycling.

5. Basic Cooking Skills

You’ll probably need to supervise some, but try involving your child in food preparation. Find ways to allow your kid to take part in preparing their own meals, or help out with family mealtime, whenever possible. 

Skills to Teach Older Kids

Finally, here are some more independent or complicated skills, which you can help older children and tweens to develop.

6. Loading the Dishwasher

Kids at this age can help with both loading dirty dishes in the dishwasher, as well as unloading clean ones, and putting dishes away. Help children understand where the dishes belong once clean, and how to load the dirty ones for maximum effectiveness.

7. Gardening

Keeping a garden isn’t just a fun hobby — it can teach responsibility and can even provide fresh food! Teaching your children a love of gardening and some basic plant care tips can be an extremely important lifelong skill. 

8. Money Management

Budgeting and money management skills are absolutely necessary later on in life, and many people grow up without a basic knowledge of simple household finances. Start young and add in age-appropriate money basics so that your children are able to successfully budget and manage their own finances in adulthood.

9. Personal Hygiene

Sometimes, hygiene can seem so basic, you may not even think to teach your children some of these skills. However, it’s important to help your children understand these basics so they can keep themselves clean and better promote personal health. 

Of course, as your child grows up, you’ll find endless opportunities to teach them a variety of life skills (more ideas here). This is really one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of being a parent.

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5 Ways to Help a Highly Sensitive Child

Ways to Help a Child Who Is Highly Sensitive
Ways to Help a Child Who Is Highly Sensitive

It isn’t uncommon for young children to be sensitive and to respond intensely to certain emotional situations. After all, young children have yet to acquire experience with regulating their own emotions. So, if your five-year-old is upset, a tantrum is often the response. However, it is entirely possible for this sensitivity to exceed healthy levels. It may have a negative impact on your child’s emotional wellbeing. While some children are simply emotional, others are known as highly sensitive children. 

When a child is highly sensitive, their emotional responses or outbursts are generally more frequent than in children who aren’t highly sensitive. Highly sensitive children have an increased awareness of their surroundings. This hyper-awareness can sometimes take a toll on the child’s ability to remain calm and react in ways that are less immediate and emotional. 

Highly sensitive children experience their emotions on a deeper, more intense level, compared to many of their peers. On one hand, this increased level of empathy is a positive trait. However, being highly sensitive can take a toll on the child’s own wellbeing and even their ability to interact and form relationships with their peers. 

The Top 5 Ways to Help a Child Who Is Highly Sensitive

If you believe that your child is highly sensitive, you’re likely searching for ways to help them better manage their emotions, using means that won’t cause them any additional distress. Here are five of the most effective ways to begin helping your highly sensitive child.

Show the Child Empathy

As we’ve established, highly sensitive children are incredibly empathetic — this can be both positive and negative. Still, when your child is highly empathetic, it’s important to interact with them in a way that demonstrates empathy to them, in turn. 

For instance, maybe your child is throwing a tantrum. You feel unable to calm them down. In highly sensitive children it isn’t helpful to simply walk away, giving them time to relax. In fact, this can even leave the impression on your child that you aren’t accepting of them, and that you don’t care about their feelings.

Instead, speak warmly to the child. Allow them the chance to verbally express how they feel, giving them the opportunity to openly express their own emotions.

Avoid Becoming Defensive

Walking away isn’t the only negative response a parent can have to their highly sensitive child if that child is currently experiencing an outburst. As the parent, try your best to keep your own emotions in check. Don’t respond defensively to your child. Instead, put in the effort to validate your child’s feelings even if they contend with your own. Keep in mind that your child is an individual person and their feelings aren’t always going to be in agreement with your own in every situation. Simply put, it’s always best to think before you speak.

Help Your Child Feel Prepared

The truth is, highly sensitive children thrive on routine. If your child knows exactly what to expect in a given situation, they’re more likely to remain at ease. However, unexpected scenarios or events might cause a highly sensitive child to respond intensely. So help your child to ease into unfamiliar situations. Prepare them with responses whenever possible. For instance, prior to the first day of school, allow your child the chance to meet their teacher and get a look at the classroom. This will typically make the first day more manageable for them.

Create Safe Spaces and Avoid Overwhelming the Child

Remember that your child may need additional downtime to safely process their emotions. If your child needs some quiet alone time every day after school, then give them the space they need. Try not to force your child to invest large quantities of emotional energy all in a short span of time. Instead, give them safe spaces and time to work through their feelings if that’s what they want.

Use Gentle Discipline

As you discipline a highly emotional child, make sure that you’re taking their increased sensitivity into account. These children are more likely to be intensely self-critical. Therefore it’s important not to shame them or make them feel like a “bad kid.” Ensure that punishments are consistent and make sure to discipline them calmly whenever possible.

If you have a highly sensitive child, make sure to account for their unique awareness of their own emotions, as well as their increased empathy. Interacting with a highly sensitive child does take some added considerations. Here are a few books that may help. It’s possible to help them feel safe and accepted as you work together to process their emotions.

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The Best Children’s Books That Show Diversity

The Best Children's Books That Show Diversity
There are many titles to choose from in books that celebrate diversity.

Books are amazing because no matter where you are, they can take you anywhere. They offer perspectives and experiences that you might not normally get to experience in your lifetime. Having the ability to glimpse into someone else’s story can play a huge role in your ability to have an open and accepting mind and heart. Children’s books are no different. They offer a look into different lives and experiences in a way that creates the ability to have open discussions with your children about diversity.

Our country is multi-cultural. That means it’s vital to offer your kids the opportunity to see different realities outside of their own. Children’s books on diversity allow your young child the opportunity to understand important concepts early on. It is a great way to open the door for honest discussions on differences, privilege, respect, empathy, and more. When it comes to finding your child books that highlight and celebrate diversity, there are many amazing titles to choose from. These are just a few.

Children’s Books Celebrating Diversity

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

This children’s book revolves around a little girl named Lena. Lena paints a self-portrait of herself using brown paint. On a later walk around her neighborhood, she notices the many different shades of brown found in her own neighborhood, and how we are all different and unique. This book is best for ages 4-8.

The Skin You Live in by Michael Tyler

This children’s book is not only beautifully illustrated, but it also packs an important message. It is a rhyming book that is ideal for reading aloud with your little one. This book reinforces the important message that the person within is what matters most. It is best for ages 4-6.

It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr

This funny children’s book is another great choice in highlighting the diversity of people you encounter each day, no matter how big or little that difference may be. It includes a wide variety of characters with different traits from braces, glasses, to wheelchairs and cultural differences. This book truly celebrates the different aspects that make us all unique. This is an excellent choice for ages 3-6.

Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang

Talk about an adorable book! This is a combination of families depicted as silly animals. It is a celebration of family, no matter in what form. This book highlights all forms of family, including adoption, stepsiblings, kids raised by grandparents, and so much more! The overall theme is that if you love one another, you’re family. This book is great from ages 3-7.

Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes collected by Elizabeth Hammill

Many of us fondly remember growing up with nursery rhymes. This collection is fantastic because it includes 150 rhymes from 23 different countries. It is also illustrated by 76 different artists. If you’re looking for diversity in your reading, this collection is a must-have. It demonstrates the similarities and differences in folk songs, stories, and rhymes across the globe and is ideal for ages 3-7.

When it comes to finding children’s books that celebrate diversity, there are numerous amazing choices. Understanding our complex world doesn’t have to be difficult, and the earlier the immersion into the mixing bowl we live in globally, the better. Your children will love learning to not only embrace what makes themselves unique but also embrace what makes others so unique and special as well.

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4 Bedtime Mistakes Parents Make

4 Bedtime Mistakes Parents Make
Too much excitement at bedtime makes it hard to get to sleep

Do you ever find yourself dreading your kid’s bedtime? You hope for a picture-perfect sequence where teeth are brushed, pajamas are put on, and they snuggle up ready to fall into dreamland. At times, you may instead experience whining, tantrums, and an overall power struggle to get even the simplest task done. When it comes to your kid’s bedtime, there are a few common mistakes that can greatly impact your ability to achieve the perfect bedtime you’ve been dreaming of. The good news is that these common mistakes are easy to fix!

1. Bedtime Snack Choices

For many households, bedtime snacks are a must. There is nothing wrong with a snack before bed, but there are two main things to keep an eye out for. One is the time. With any food, it should be enjoyed at least an hour before bed. Going to sleep on a full stomach can interrupt sleep, leading to a more restless night. The other thing to watch for is the level of sugar in the snack item. Caffeine is counterproductive when it comes to relaxing your child, and unsuspecting items can include a lot of unnecessary sugar. In general, you’ll want to avoid chocolate, soda, and tea. You’ll instead want to rely on food items that induce tryptophan, which helps initiate sleep. These foods include nuts, soybeans, meats, and dairy, as well as complex carbs.

2. Not Enough Sleep or Stimulation

It is important that kids are able to expel their energy throughout the day. While everyone enjoys a lazy day, this can impact your ability to peacefully get your kids’ bedtime consistent. This pent-up energy can begin to overflow when you truly want relaxation to happen. Not enough sleep can also factor into the success of your kid’s bedtime. In general, the earlier the bedtime, the easier it can be for your child to fall asleep. When your child is overtired, their body will naturally pump out adrenaline, making bedtime a hassle. Nighttime should be about relaxing. When it comes to homework and chores, make sure those are accomplished earlier in the day. This allows your evening to truly be focused on relaxation.

3. The Bedtime Battle

Some nights, it feels as though you must prepare for battle. Your kid’s bedtime should be a send-off, not a standoff. When it comes to a bedtime routine, you do want to be consistent and stay firm to your established rules. How you present your commitment to the routine can make all the difference. When trying to enforce, you may be faced with resistance that can lead to unwanted bedtime drama. While you want to stick to your boundaries, it also helps to allow your child to feel that they are responsible for their own actions. You want to present the situation in a way that they feel decision-making is still on their end. It can help to create a type of reward system. For each successful bedtime, they gain a star, sticker, or small token. In time, these successful achievements could lead to a special treat, such as a movie night or a trip to the zoo.

4. Irregular Routine

Routine truly is key for kids. It may feel easy to read one book one night, then three or four another night. Or maybe one night you allow them to stay up later, etc. While these may seem like small inconsistencies, they are enough to impact the overall success of your routine. It is important to keep things as consistent as possible. Same time of night, same activities, same order. This predictable sequence of events cues your child’s subconscious that it is time to relax and settle into bed.

Your kid’s bedtime doesn’t have to be a hassle! With a few changes, you’ll see that bedtime can be a calm and enjoyable event to end each night. Consistency is key, as well as creating a peaceful experience where your child feels they are making their own decisions. Watching what they eat, and the activities they participate in during the day also helps. It may take some planning and preparation, but once it is a natural routine, it will feel easy. A better night’s sleep leads to a healthier, happier kid who will be able to better perform at school and at home.

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What Do 2 TIA Alumni Recommend for Future College Students?

Nixy Salcido and Maria Carmella Ocaya are TIA alumni and freshmen college students at the University of Arizona
Nixy Salcido and Maria Carmella Ocaya are TIA alumni and freshmen college students at the University of Arizona

Nixy Salcido and Maria Carmella Ocaya are TIA alumni and freshmen college students at the University of Arizona. Nixy is majoring in nursing. Maria Carmella Ocaya is majoring in Biomedical Engineering. They both met in the 6th grade at TIA and become good friends.

How Did TIA Prepare Nixie and Maria to be Good College Students?

They feel that TIA prepared them for college life by teaching them the basic fundamentals of being a successful student. Examples are: turning in quality work, leadership skills, communication skills. All very important for succeeding in college. TIA also helped them prepare for college by not settling for less. They never turned in work at TIA that wasn’t almost perfect.

What they also loved about their years at TIA was how their small school was very family-like with their relationships with the teachers. 

Why Did the Girls Choose U of A?

Nixy and Maria chose to go to the University of Arizona because of the scholarship opportunities that they got. It is also very close to home, which they both like. They are both family-oriented people so when picking a college, it was important to them to be able to be close to their families, at least for the first few years.

One of the things that Nixy and Maria liked about the U of A is how nice and approachable the professors are. They have been able to bond with the professors, even in an online format during the pandemic, the same way they would when coming in-person to classes. They also really like the environment on the campus. People at the school are friendly and approachable. The projects that they do with their groups in the classes really help them be able to make friends. 

What Does the Upcoming Semester Hold For Nixy and Maria?

For the returning semester, they are able to attend classes in person. They are both very excited about the clubs that they will be able to join. Also, being able to walk to class, rather than everything being online will be another plus. 

Maria is excited about this next semester with the research opportunities that the college will provide. Also, she is looking forward to joining clubs that are geared towards engineering. This will give her more experience than what she could get during the pandemic. 

Maria and Nixy are both very glad to have had each other to lean on for their first year at the U of A. Since so many of their classes were online, it was harder to make friends. But they knew each other well from all their years together at TIA. That helped a lot. Now they are looking forward to attendant U of A football games and getting into the school spirit.

What are Their Future Plans?

After Nixy graduates from the U of A, she will be a Labor and Delivery nurse and work in a hospital. 

When Maria graduates with a Biomedical Engineering degree, her ultimate goal is to work in the field of cancer research or other possible areas would be cardiac and diabetes research. 

Nixy and Maria Recommend for Future College Students

The girls recommend to other TIA students to go to a college like the U of A. You will have an adult life but still have your parents to live with if you chose (if you go to a college in your hometown). And if you go to a college out of town, that is good too. At any college, you will still make many great connections for your future, in addition to all that you learn. Link to their YouTube video

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4 Things to Do to Prepare for Back to School

Prepare for back to school
New bedtimes help prepare for back to school early mornings

It is time to prepare for back to school. The upcoming school year has just about arrived. However, it might seem like there are too many tasks to handle. What are those tasks again? Back-to-school shopping, planning meals, and adjusting to a different sleep routine. So, where should you begin?

We’ve compiled a list of several tasks to consider before the start of the new school year. Even though some of these may not be necessary, they are still incredibly useful to make the transition process as smooth as possible — for you as a parent, but also for your kids.

The Top Ways to Prepare for Back to School

1. Get Started on Back-to-School Shopping

The earlier you get back-to-school shopping taken care of, the better. It can be tempting to wait until the last minute, but this generally isn’t a wise decision. When you get this task out of the way early, not only will you be able to avoid long check-out lines, but you’ll also give yourself some peace of mind. After all, it’s never fun to wait until the last second to shop for back to school, only to discover that it’s difficult to find a particular product that you’re in need of.

Although this can seem like a chore, you can always make back-to-school shopping more entertaining (and efficient) by getting your kids involved in the process. Try setting spending limits on items, and then allow your children to select whatever they like the best. Your child might even have fun, and you’ll be able to take care of an important task.

2. Prepare for Back to School by Stocking Up on School Supplies

This is in a similar vein to the last point we made, although it is still a task of its own. While finding and purchasing all the necessary school supplies is one thing, sometimes, it can be beneficial to stock up on more than just the bare minimum. After all, most stationery items aren’t going to last forever. It’s also entirely possible for your child to misplace particular school supplies, leaving them in need of an urgent replacement. If you’ve stocked up on school supplies prior to the start of the school year, then you will always be good to go, should a mishap occur.

Also, it’s a smart idea to keep any school supplies you purchase (whether it’s pencils, erasers, notebooks, or something else entirely) organized and easy to find. This way, as soon as you are in need of an item, you’ll be able to quickly fetch it — without any digging. Link to TIA school supply list

3. Set Up a Homework Station for Your Child

Generally speaking, it isn’t a good idea for your child to do their homework in locations where they also complete other activities. This can make it more difficult for them to focus, and to truly get in the mindset of “if I’m here, then that means all I have to do is work on homework.” This is why it is beneficial to set up a designated “homework station” for your child.

For instance, you could set up desk space in a quiet location of your home. Then, this area can be exclusively used by your child while working on homework or other school assignments. This area should provide minimal distractions for your child, allowing them to stay focused on their work.

4. Prepare for Early Mornings

As most parents are well aware, during summer vacation, your child’s sleep and wake-up schedule is going to look quite different from during the school year. Try not to wait until the last minute to help your child get back on track. This could lead to some groggy mornings at the start, but it’s a good idea to take care of this transition before the school year has kicked off.

Plus, mornings are typically hectic, during the school year. Make sure you have a routine planned out, to make them easier for both you and your children. Consider preparing lunches the night prior, whenever possible.

Good luck with all your back-to-school preparations!

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