5 Major Skills Your Child Needs To Be Successful (Part One)

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Ireyimika Oyegbami

There is a popular saying about how one is never too old to learn new things; nonetheless there are age appropriate skills and values which one ought to learn at the right period.

As parents to young kids, it is important to teach the child basic life skills and values from a very young age to help strengthen their character as they become an adult and begin to interact in the real world.

Here are a few of them:

1. Time Consciousness

While you may still be responsible for bathing and dressing up your child and taking her to school, you would help both of you by teaching her the different time sequences.

-You may ask her to help sort out her school wear for the next day in order to reduce the morning battles.

-Get your older child an alarm clock so that the morning rush battles between child and mom is shifted to child and alarm clock instead.

-Ensure that your child completes and packs away her school homework by a given period each day.
As your child gets into a daily routine, observe her pace from time to time and always ensure that she gets ample rest.

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2. Say the magic words

-Teach your kids good manners from toddlerhood and watch them grow into well rounded adults. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ are said to be magic words and they do work like magic. You should practise saying these words to your toddler at appropriate times; for example when she willingly hands you her favourite toy, smile and say “thank you”.

-In Nigeria we also judge good manners by how well you salute people older than you so teach your toddler how to greet properly. From age 3 and above your child should be able o communicate with others in a polite way.

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3. Groom their interactive skills

As your baby grows and leaves the house she would have to interact with people other than her parents. It is a given that conflicts will arise and how well you have taught your child to manage and resolve conflicts from her formative years will better prepare your child to handle conflicts in adulthood.

-You should teach her not to tear others down.

-Your child must stand up for herself while exhibiting self-control and respect for the other person, it takes many years to learn this though but it is worth it in adulthood.

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-Since quarrels are part of family life anyway, interactions with siblings provide target practice for the inevitable conflicts in marriage and employment.