Role of Parents in teaching Life Skills [Life Skills Education at Home]

According to the World Health Organization, life skills are:

“A group of psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and responsible manner”

In this constantly changing post-covid world - developing life skills is an essential part of being able to meet the challenges of everyday life and even more. Parents have a pivotal role in the overall development of the child. So awareness about life skills and advantages of having good life skills, are essential for bringing up a child as a successful and happy individual. The present video deals with the Role of Parents for the Life Skill Development in Children.

According to several key organizations including UNICEF, UNESCO, and WHO, the following are the basic life skills:
- Self-awareness
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationships
- Empathy
- Coping with stress
- Coping with emotion

Of course, these skills overlap, with each of them aiding and supporting the others. There may also be other life skills and there may be subcategories of life skills within each of these basic life skill types.

Imagine young people graduating from school with excellent scores but not knowing the first thing about coping with reality. What if they couldn't communicate effectively? Or couldn’t handle money issues and were always in debt?

It’s both alarming and all-too-common. That’s why parents and teachers alike should play an active role in preparing kids for the future.

Think of life skills as the building blocks or framework that allow students to apply the knowledge they acquire in school to real world problems and situations. Life skills provide children with important tools for development, such as independent thinking, how to socialize and make new friends, and how to take action in situations where their parents or teachers may not be around to help or intervene (dealing with a bully or personal insecurities and fears, for example.) Unlike motor skills and basic intelligence, executive function and decision-making skills are not innate but learned.

Teaching our children life skills is essential so that they can have a rough idea of what they want to accomplish with their lives and, more crucially, recall the type of person they want to be. Focus your efforts on educating children in a fun and engaging way so that they may be confident in their values and talents!