M.L. Lewis
With states officially declaring the end of the school year the children rejoiced, while their parents groan in distaste. This left many parents wondering what to do about their education, so next year they don’t fall behind other students. Their anxiety grew as schools are becoming uncertain as to when, if, they’ll open next year. With the schools being close it falls on the parents’ shoulders to teach their children, but what? I feel these are the top subjects you should be focusing on when homeschooling your children. Here are Seven Things You Should Be Teaching Your Kids:
7. Basic Educational Skills
Don’t let your child fall behind their class. Try to help them by keeping up with their grade by providing them with age-appropriate workbooks and flashcards. There are tons of printable material available online for you to even make your own. Video sites like Amazon Prime and Curiosity Stream have documentaries available for free, or a small monthly fee. This is not a never-ending summer and shouldn’t be treated as such. Your kids’ education should be a top priority.
6. Home Economics
In some areas, home economics or home science is becoming more of an elective than a requirement. The younger generations lack basic home skills to complete even the most basic tasks these days. When it comes to doing their laundry most don’t know the basic principles of doing it. As for maintaining it, 70% don’t even know how to fix a simple loose button. Because of our dependence on fast food, only 38% of young people know the basics of cooking, whereas 30% can’t even boil an egg and 18% can’t make toast. Parents, use this time to teach your children to do these skills, society would greatly appreciate it.
5. Car Maintenance
Three out of four young people will get their licenses this year. This will be roughly 76% of their generations. Don’t let these numbers scare you from teaching them how to maintain a car. I worked for many years as a fuel pump technician and can’t even count how many times I had to yell at a young person for illegal pumping practices. They swear I was bullying them, but in reality, I just didn’t want to fill out the paperwork surrounding their death. Another common occurrence I have seen is people’s inability to do basic emergency repairs, like jumping a dead battery, checking oil, or changing a tire. According to the statistics, 52% don’t know what to do if they get a flat tire.
4. Economics
To things, you can’t escape death and taxes. This should be a good opportunity to teach your children how to file taxes and what deductions are. When it comes to utilities most don’t know how to get them turned on, and once they’re on 35% can’t figure out how to pay them. This is good news for these companies because they can easily take advantage of overcharging and billing for extra fees. I know a gas company tried that with me. With 6.6 million Americans on the unemployment line right now this would be a good chance to teach your children how to draft a practical budget, how to draft a shopping list focusing on needs, and how to use coupons and sales to maximize their savings.
3. The Arts
In times of crisis, we turn to the artists who shape our world. Many museums offer free virtual tours to see there exhibits from the comfort of your home. Use this time to take an online trip to your favorite art museum to teach your kids about famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci or Andy Warhol. Take an hour out of the day to introduce them to Beethoven or Bach. Cennarium is an online streaming platform for plays, theater shows, musicals, and operas. Show your kids some classic films they would likely never see in a classroom.
2. Home Repairs
63% of young people regret buying a house because they had no idea what they were getting into. Many don’t take into account insurance and closing costs when figuring out if they can even afford the home. They don’t know what a Home Owners Association is and what they do. Okay, that one could be more me than other young people in general, but still, what are they? If it wasn’t for the internet 81% of young people wouldn’t even know how to complete a basic repair task like patching a hole in the wall or unclog a toilet.
1. Disaster Preparedness
COVID-19 may be scary, but it’s okay to talk about it with your children. Children are more in tune with what is going on in the world then you think. Just keep things age-appropriate with them. The CDC has some helpful tips on their website to help drive the conversation. While on the topic of COVID use it as a stepping stone to discuss other possible disasters that could happen. Extreme weather doesn’t take a break regardless of what is going on. Teach them how to make a basic go bag and what to do during certain locally-based emergencies. You should also talk about what to do in the event of a house fire or blackout since these are two of the most common disasters that affect everybody. You should develop an emergency safety plan since everybody is at home right now.