Mumsnet users tell IKEA which life skills they'd like to teach their children

[JustineBMumsnet]

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Summer is often a time parents spend more time with their children and it can be a great opportunity to teach life skills: whether that’s cooking, reading, drawing, gardening, or maybe even playing a sport. But, with parents spending more time with their children than ever and home education due to lockdown, many have taken to teaching their children life skills as well as their academic learning. IKEA would like to hear about the life skills you’ve taught - or would like to teach - your children.

Here’s what Marie Tenglund, Interior Design Leader at IKEA has to say: “The ‘Wonderful everyday’ has never been more in focus than it is in our homes today. With so many of us having to support our children with school education at home, try also using this time to broaden the spectrum of learning.

At IKEA we believe teaching children life skills is really important. Sustainable living tops the list for us, so with summer arriving early – try growing produce, outside or inside whilst having fun, experimenting and learning. Harvest your crop together, use it to cook together and finally teach them how to sustainably get rid of waste as you complete the full circle.

Changing your lightbulbs to energy efficient ones, encourage the use or re-usable water bottles, labelling your leftovers in see-through containers for less waste are all simple life skills to share with your children.

Often it’s the smaller things that are easy to do but will have a large impact if we all do it together.”

Would you like to ensure your children have an impressive repertoire of meals they can cook? Perhaps you’d like them to have a healthy understanding of how to budget? Maybe you’re keen for them to learn how to make the perfect cup of tea for very non-selfish reasons? How does your children’s age affect the life skills you’d like to teach them?

Whatever life skills you’ve taught or would like to teach your children, share with IKEA in the thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 IKEA voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

To manage money. My parents never discussed it with me and I made some disastrous mistakes in my teens/ twenties. My children's already love to help doing DIY.

Life skills I'll teach my DC are:
How to budget,
How to meal plan,
How to organise your clutter and clean properly.

DH can do the practical stuff like teach car maintenance and decorating (he thinks I'm too slap dash!)

I have started encouraging my 6 year old son to learn how to cook, its so important. His kitchen skills are already better than his dad's. Its such an important life skill.

Recently we have been teaching the younger children how to call for emergency services if needed and for our 11 year old, we have been teaching him how to cook from scratch with fresh fruit and veg.

I’ve started to teach my 6yo daughter to cook. Only small things first like scrambled egg, but we’ll progress to other things and she’ll be better prepared when she’s older than I was.

Cooking, money management, basic DIY/fixing things.

I've taught both of mine how to use the washing machine, basic cooking, how to paint and wallpaper.

But what if most like to teach them is how to deal with stress in a healthy way. I and my son have anxiety and my daughter is a bit of a worrier. So that's my aim over the next year or so.

I’d like DS1 and DS2 to be able to cook simple meals from scratch rather than resorting to ‘beige’ freezer food. We’re working on this!

Also, the importance of budgeting for every eventuality. I think they were surprised that’s it’s not just gas and electricity I pay for monthly but insurance, water, council tax etc etc.

Lastly, an important life skill would be learning how to dispatch spiders humanely to the garden... so it’s not always my job!

I want to teach my son everything and anything he's interested in encourage him to pursue his interests even if other kids arnt into it. I'd like to teach my son to be respectful, the value of money and to know its OK not to be OK

I'd like to teach my sons' good money management. It's important they can budget and are responsible with money. We've started this lesson already with the eldest deciding how/when and what he spends his own pocket money.

I want to teach them how to do all the domestic chores (have 2 DS) so they are good people to live with.

How to be smart with their money, so they can enjoy it and prepare for a rainy day too.

Ways to manage stress and anxiety.

To be content in themselves.

Thanks all for sharing your comments! The winner of the prize draw is @bigmove2020

@nadaley

We’ve been doing a great deal more growing and baking during lockdown. We’ve been adding life skills into the learning we’ve been doing from school growing a range of fruit and veg and learning how to bake scones, cakes, biscuits and giving the kids more age appropriate responsibilities.

@nadaley baking and cooking are underestimated as life skills and encouraging children to learn how to cook a balanced meal with important nutrients is important from an early age.

Giving children age appropriate responsibilities is key to making them feel welcome and comfortable in the kitchen, and this can be made easier with them a sturdy step stool or their own utensils so they can help you out safely. Maybe they'll even become a chef one day!

@rachaelsit

I am trying to teach basic routines to my 6 and 3 year old such as putting stuff in the bin, taking their plate to the kitchen bench, the older one putting in dishwasher. Putting clothes in washing basket and shoes coats away where they belong after school. I’m really trying to nail these little basics now. I’d like to teach my eldest how to tie shoe laces very soon.

@rachaelsit these are all really important steps, sometimes the basics are the best (and save you time and energy!)

If your little ones need any help with reaching things, a step stool has uses throughout the home. And if you want to make sure they have no excuse for leaving things on the floor, you could try hanging hooks or pegs at their height.

@coastergirl

That KALLAX is life when it comes to keeping toys tidy.

We agree, the KALLAX is a lifesaver! It can be difficult at the end of the day to tidy everything up and storage that means children can tidy up easily themselves makes everything easier

@starlight36

Learning to put things away as you go along. Not only will it help my sanity but will provide them with enough space to play, dance, draw and generally enjoy our living space! The added bonus is they should know where their belongings are rather than having to remember the pile of mess where they last left them! They are 7 and 9 and if they crack this now I think it will help them a lot in life.

@starlight36 Tidy house peaceful mind! We couldn't agree more, a house with children doesn't need to look like a nursery all of the time. Making sure your storage solutions fit your space and your lifestyle means encouraging your children to tidy as they go is even easier.

Using smart solutions with dual functionality (like coffee tables or footstools with hidden storage) is a great way to make sure children always have a place to put their ever expanding collection of belongings

I'm going to teach to cook and bugeting as well as keeping fit & healthy

I cook with my kids. Every Sunday I batch cook for the week, as me and my husband both work full time. I also have a tool kit; my Dad had three daughters and he brought us know knowing the basics of engines, and how to use a tool kit, and how to do things like painting in a house and odd jobs.
So I do that with the kids. We make do and mend. I have a nice drill, and my husband is NOT practical! So the girls do my jobs with me.. rewriting, mending things, sorting the tool shed..
Oh, and gardening. My kids do gardening with me.

I've been teaching my children food hygiene and keeping your house in order and clean. I think it's so important as having a chaotic home can really effect mental health and it helps if you keep the same way of living to all aspects of life.
Cooking is also a huge skill to have, especially my DS who started university. He can make £30 last a week with his good knowledge of cooking from scratch and making simple sauces and things like that.
And finally, to remember manners. Even if others don't show them to you, always smile and don't be afraid to say no, politely.

I am currently teaching my lot about sustainability and how little choices can make a big difference. From products we buy, to how much water we use, to cutting down food waste and single use plastics. I am also teaching my eldest DD's (8 & 10yrs) to sew so they can make clothes out of scrap material for their toys, and eventually mend their own clothes, etc..

I like to teach her to be self sufficient and adaptable. We've been growing vegetables and tending to the garden as well as learning why we need insects such as bees. I've been helping her make things she wants, a kite, pottery, mobile of planets, you don't always need lots of money to have the things you want you can make them! Lots of lessons and skills that are transferable, understanding how things are designed and made, achievements in finished item. Lockdown may have brought its own challenges but it taught us and our children to be resourceful and think outside the box, it's been a lot of fun, we've kept a scrapbook diary of her adventures.

I'd love my daughter (6) to start learning how to prepare food. We've started with breakfast and lunch and hopefully soon will move on to dinner

How to budget for the income you have and still save a little for emergencies.

How to cook five basic meals

How to iron a shirt

How to cook basic meals
How to use a washing machine
How to decorate
Budgeting for bills, shopping etc