Essential Skills Your Teenagers Should Learn
Last Updated on 1 September 2023
If you're like most parents, you've probably wondered what essential skills your kids should learn. After all, there are so many options out there that it can be hard to find a good fit for your teen's personality and interests.
But the truth is that every day we face challenges in our personal and professional lives that require specific skill sets in order to overcome them. These include critical thinking, problem-solving and creative thinking just to name a few. And luckily for us (and our kids) these are also some of the easiest skills to teach!
Here's a list of essential skills every teenager should have under their belt before they leave home or go off to college:
Cooking
It's a fact: teenagers are growing up in an increasingly connected world. That means they have access to the best of what the internet has to offer, but it also means they're exposed to lots of information that isn't necessarily accurate or helpful.
It's important that kids learn how to do things for themselves and become self-sufficient, so teach them some basic cooking skills. Even if you don't have time to cook dinner every night, there are plenty of other ways in which kids can learn how to cook something useful and delicious without having too much difficulty with it. Start with simple recipes like scrambled eggs or omelets, then move on from there as their skills improve!
Driving
Driving is an essential skill that will benefit your teenager throughout their life. As they get older and gain more independence, they’ll be able to drive themselves places without relying on a parent or friend to provide transportation. This also gives them an opportunity to spend quality time with friends by going on road trips together.
However, it's important to remember that driving isn't just about getting from point A to point B; it's also about safety. You should teach your teen how to drive safely and defensively so that they can avoid accidents or at least minimize the damage in case of one. Here are some tips for teaching your teenager how to drive safely:
- Teach them not only the rules of the road but also how those rules apply in specific situations (e.g., when making left turns).
- Make sure that your teen knows their surroundings while driving (e.g., being aware of pedestrians).
- Tell them when they're doing something incorrectly (e.g., tailgating).
- Let them know what potential hazards could occur if they're not careful while behind the wheel (e.g., running out of gas).
Video editing
Video editing is a valuable skill to have, and one that will help your teenager in their future career. Video editing is used for many things, including basic video effects, like slow motion and stop motion.
It's also a good way to show off your creativity by adding visual effects that make the video more interesting or fun to watch.
Your teen will learn how to use editing software and how to combine multiple videos together into one piece of content (for example an Instagram story). This can be done with any kind of camera or phone, such as an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S9+. There’s a lot of free software that they can take advantage to learn this skill. If the videos will be posted on social media, they need to use a video compressor to ensure quality.
Teens will also enjoy creating GIFs, it's a fun way of combining images or short clips. GIF compressor can definitely help to create animated GIFs that they can share on Facebook or Instagram.
Music
Music can help children learn about time management and it makes them more patient and more tolerant of other people. It also helps them develop better social skills because they get to interact with others as part of their music lessons.
Here are some of the ways that music helps teenagers:
- Music teaches time management skills – When you’re learning an instrument or singing in a choir, you have to practice every day. You also have to practice at certain times so that you don’t lose your place or forget what comes next in the song. This teaches students how to manage their time and stay focused on what they want to accomplish.
- It improves listening skills – Listening is one of the most important skills that kids need in order to be successful in life, whether they want to be doctors or lawyers or teachers or engineers, or bloggers (yes, even bloggers!). Listening well means being able to understand what someone else is saying even when they aren’t
Foreign Language
Study after study has shown that learning a foreign language improves cognitive development and increases brain power. Language skills not only develop a child's memory but also improve their ability to pay attention and retain information. They also help with problem-solving, social interactions, creativity, and critical thinking.
Foreign language skills are an asset in the modern world where international business is a growing field and travel is common. Children who learn another language have an advantage when looking for employment later on in life as well as being able to communicate with people from other countries when traveling.
Conclusion
The days of not giving your kids chores and just giving them money are over. It is essential that you provide alternative ways to teach teens to become responsible adults. Life skills are important to everyone, no matter your age. Your teenager will likely thank you for these essential skills down the line.
Our aim is to help our children discover their talents, realise their full potential, and develop a passion for life-long learning.