Teaching your child to navigate basic life skills
Without a daily commute, extracurricular activities or playdates, you’re going to find yourself with a lot of extra time spent with your family. This presents a perfect opportunity to teach your kids some of the basic life lessons we squeeze in on the weekends and evenings. We’ve got some ideas to make learning these (and teaching) some basic life skills.
Ride a two-wheeler
Be sure your child’s helmet fits their head properly before the pedaling starts. Download this helpful step-by-step guide.
A long weekend is a perfect time to remove those training wheels. Be sure to protect your child from inevitable falls by having them wear jeans and knee and elbow pads. To make your job a little easier you may want to pick-up a grab bar to attach to the bike.
If you prefer to get started with a balance bike rather then jump right into a two-wheeler, give it a try on a grassy area with a slight incline. Learning to balance while rolling down a small hill will give your child a good start when they are ready to try riding a bike.
Tie Shoes
True, it’s much easier to continue to purchase slip-on or velcro shoes, but eventually your child will have a need to tie their shoes. That said, the things we do without really thinking about it can be the hardest to teach. Here are some tips and tricks to help teach the art of tying a shoe:
- Choose soft, easy-to-hold laces. Many children do better with the wide, flat laces at first.
- Use light-colored or better yet, two-tone laces for more contrast. Shoe tying will be easier for your child if they can easily see which is which.
- Use a marker or pen to mark where your child should hold their laces.
- Be prepared to teach more than one technique in case the first method you show your child doesn’t “stick.”
- Watch a YouTube video with your child and learn a new knot together. Have your child “teach” you what they learned from the video.
- There are many shoe tying books and toys available that may be helpful to your child as they learn to tie.
Learn the ABCs and Count
Download a version of the ABCs and a counting song and mix it in with your kid’s favorite playlist. Your child will learn to sing the ABC’s and count to 100 as quickly as they learned Baby Shark (doo doo doo doo doo doo).
Dressing and Undressing
Zippers can be a challenge for a 5-year-old suddenly on their own in Kindergarten (especially if they really have to go to the bathroom). Spend some time practicing zipping and unzipping pants and jackets.
Address an Envelope
Receiving mail during a quarantine is a major highlight of anyone’s day. So, why not brighten someone’s day and teach your children the art of addressing an envelope! You can purchase stamps online to avoid going to the post office in person.
Don’t put-off important checkups and vaccines!
Skipping vaccines and checkups can be dangerous. IHA Pediatricians’ offices are open, and safety measures are in place. Call to schedule your child’s next appointment!