100 Skills to Teach Your Kids

I forgot that JAMZ was in town until I headed over to play poker this morning.  If you don't know what JAMZ is, it is some sort of cheerleading thing with a bajillion tiny cheerleaders (maybe 5 to 10 years of age?) hopping all over the place (well, at least hopping all over the food court, the arena, and all public spaces in between).  Which got me to wondering if parents still teach their kids actual skills these days (I have no idea what parents teach their kids these days as our kid-raising days are long since past).  Being able to lead cheers is a skill, I suppose, but I hope that parents also realize how important it is to teach their kids actual useful skills that could come in handy in an emergency.

Here's a hundred real life skills to teach your kids for both fun and usefulness (note, it is up to each parent to determine when to teach these skills based on the abilities and maturity of their child):

1. How to fish.
2. How to hunt.
3. How to prepare a fish or animal for cooking or preserving.
4. How to use and properly care for a firearm.
5. How to protect themselves from identity theft.
6. How to hike, camp, and backpack.
7. How to build an emergency shelter.
8. How to signal in a variety of situations.
9. How to purify water.
10. How to use a map, compass, and GPS.
11. How to speak in public.
12. How to be respectful of others.
13. How to lead a group on a project.
14. How to cook.
15. How to grow food.
16. How (and when) to harvest food.
17. How to preserve food.
18. How to forage for wild and medicinal edibles.
19. How to sew.
20. How to knit.
21. How to communicate in sign language.
22. How to speak, read, and write in a second language.
23. How to ride public transportation.
24. How to plan a vacation.
25. How to research.
26. How to physically protect themselves.
27. How to (safely) make and use a fire.
28. How to save money.
29. How to earn money.
30. How to spend money.
31. How to invest money.
32. How to start and run a business.
33. How to volunteer to help others.
34. How to be physically fit.
35. How to take care of their teeth.
36. How to take care of their health.
37. How to protect their hearing.
38. How to protect themselves online.
39. How (and why) to lockdown their house quickly.
40. How to escape from their house if necessary.
41. How to take care of and breed animals.
42. How to do construction work.
43. How to do plumbing work.
44. How to do electrical work.
45. How to drive a bike/car/motorcycle/boat.
46. How to do basic car maintenance (check the oil, change a tire, put in gas, etc).
47. How to take care of themselves when they are sick.
48. How to perform CPR/the Heimlich Maneuver/use an AED.
49. How to clean the house and do laundry.
50. How to handle a medical emergency.
51. How to call 911.
52. How to read (to at least college level).
53. How to write (reviews, essays, reports, etc).
54. How to do math (up to calculus).
55. How to understand science (biology, chemistry, physics, geology, etc).
56. How to think critically.
57. How to argue effectively.
58. How to learn on their own.
59. How to swim.
60. How to be independent.
61. How to advocate for themselves.
62. How to take responsibility for their actions.
63. How to be kind and helpful.
64. How to utilize technology.
65. How to play an instrument.
66. How to prepare for an emergency.
67. How to play chess and other games.
68. How to be good citizens in their community.
69. How to choose and enjoy hobbies.
70. How to repair things (home, bike, car, etc).
71. How to perform extreme sports (scuba diving, rock climbing, kayaking, etc).
72. How to take care of others (from small children to the elderly).
73. How to be disciplined (show up on time, take criticism, plan their day, etc).
74. How to do chores.
75. How to properly groom themselves.
76. How to do gardening tasks (mow the lawn, plant trees and flowers, mulch, etc).
77. How to understand contracts and other legal documents/situations.
78. How to find appropriate help when needed.
79. How to interact well with people (friends, adults, strangers, teachers, etc).
80. How to set and reach goals.
81. How to observe and "read" people.
82. How to comparison shop, use coupons, find deals.
83. How to make difficult choices.
84. How to participate in team sports.
85. How to keep good friends and end toxic friendships.
86. How to play unsupervised.
87. How to dress appropriately (for church, for a party, for winter, etc).
88. How to escape from a dangerous situation.
89. How to cope (with the death of a relative, with getting a bad grade, with losing a friend, etc).
90. How to compete (for a job, for a scholarship, in sports, etc).
91. How to fill out applications (for a job, for a rebate, for college, etc).
92. How to use social media appropriately.
93. How to respond if they get lost (in a city, in the wilderness).
94. How to maintain situational awareness.
95. How to spot a rip off or a scam.
96. How to manage anger and frustration.
97. How to understand biases (in what they read, in what they are taught, etc).
98. How to pack (for vacation, for backpacking, for everyday carry, etc).
99. How to de-escalate a negative situation (with siblings, with teachers, with the police, etc).
100. How to avoid peer pressure situations (drinking, drugs, illegal acts, etc).