10 Practical Skills to Teach Your Teens Before They Move Out of the House

Time flies by really fast. If you’re a parent, you know how it is. One minute, you’re busy changing diapers then the next, you realize that your boys are starting to grow facial hair and your girls are shopping for training bras. 

Growth is inevitable, whether you like it or not. We know a lot of parents who wish their children would stay the small-but-sometimes-mischievous-yet-overall-adorable little kids they were. But alas, life has other plans for them. 

Sooner or later, they’re bound to leave your home and start living an independent life. The question now is have you equipped them with the important skills they need to succeed in life?

10 Essential Practical Skills Every Teenager Needs to Know Before Moving Out

1. Basic cooking

If you expect your child to survive on their own, they need to learn how to feed themselves properly and not just keep ordering take-out. Teach them how to cook a few simple but healthy dishes and educate them about the benefits of learning how to cook. 

2. Money management

Financial management is a practical life skill that kids should learn early in life. They need to understand that money doesn’t grow on trees and that the wise handling of money will help them build a solid future for themselves. 

3. Grooming

Of course, kids will have their own sense of style but there should still be a standard for grooming that they need to follow. There are ways to compromise preference and style with good grooming standards. 

4. Cleanliness and hygiene

With the present global health crisis, hygiene is an important skill to keep diseases like COVID-19 at bay. On top of health reasons, cleanliness goes beyond just the physical body. It extends even to their surroundings like their rooms. 

5. Basic First Aid

Your kids should also know how to take care of their health and those around them. Knowing basic first aid could potentially help your teenagers save lives, whether other people’s or theirs. 

6. Troubleshooting computer problems

Now that everything is transitioning to the digital platform, computer troubleshooting skills will come in handy. It’s also a plus if your kids know how to build a gaming PC or a regular one. The point is, in the digital world, this skill will be important. 

7. Driving and auto maintenance

Teach your children how to become responsible drivers. Road etiquette and manners count for a lot. If you’re teaching your kids how to get behind the wheel, it is equally important that you teach them how to work under the hood just in case they get some minor car trouble while they’re on the road. 

8. Organization

Organizational skills matter a lot especially when it comes to work. The ability to organize and manage their time, responsibilities, and surroundings can lessen their stress as they face real-life challenges at university or work. 

9. Home management

One of the most important things teens can learn at this crucial time is how to manage a home properly. Developing and honing those domestic skills early on in life can be a huge advantage for them when they eventually move out into their own apartment. 

10. Problem-solving and critical thinking

The ability to process information, assess a problem, and come up with a sound solution is not just a skill they will need for school and work but throughout their lives. 

As parents, our job is not just to provide for our kids financially and materially. It is also our duty to prepare them for life. 

Meta Title: Teach Your Teenagers These Practical Skills Before They Move Out

Meta Description: If you already have a teenager at home, it’s just a matter of time before he or she moves out. Equip them with these practical skills to give them an edge in life.

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