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

Cooking and Laundry - save me doing it all the time!

Everyone seems to be obsessed with money, food and laundry!

I taught all of mine how to do CPR and basic first aid from an early age. We do an annual refresher too. I think it's really important. We live on a busy road and they've seen me attend multiple accidents and know exactly what they need to do in an emergency.

My 9 year old has learnt to play the kazoo during lockdown!!! He saw it on some tv programme so bought one off the internet And practised playing the Jurassic park theme tune.

cooking.
using their imagination
kindness,empathy.
how to think of others whilst holding their views
budgeting
house hold skills
garening and veggie growing then recipe making
nature
drawing
sewing and mending clothes

How to hire a cleaner,

Definitely cooking. I’d also like to teach them to be competent at diy but tbh I need someone to teach me first (why aren’t there classes for that.?!)

My 3 and 4 year old love to 'help' us in the kitchen. They can choose and make their own cereal and sandwiches and double check the oven and microwave timers are set to the correct numbers.

We have started small in our new garden with a strawberry plant, potatoes and some herbs that we have acquired from the previous owner. Hereby potato salad and strawberries for lunch!

And currently they are learning about upcycling and repair, all of our furniture is ikea and we often move the pieces around the house and change the look to make way for new purchases! Our tv bench is now moving into the 4 year olds room to be painted red and transformed into a garage for his cars

The confidence To give everything a try. For any new skill or experience I want them to try and do it themselves first before asking for help or getting someone else to do it for them. Whether that's cooking, DIY or a new sport each attempt at trying will teach it's own life lesson and skill.

since my 2 were tiny they put their own rubbish in the bin.

now they are 12 & 9, I'm starting to teach DIY. 12yo is pretty good at flat pack already.

Can wait to visit IKEA again

I try and teach them everything really - as they are old enough. 12yo is really getting into cooking now which is influencing 9yo.

I'm working on cleaning but sadly they are resistant there - so still working on that.

we swim a lot in the sea and both their swimming has come on so much since its been a regular thing.

we are now learning about how to camp for this summer - they will be involved with it all - tent, cooking, washing up, smores etc.

My two are age 5 and 3 so we're working on teaching them about jobs around the house and being responsible with their belongings so they don't break.
They both help with sorting washing into colours/ whites and hanging up washing on the airer.
They help with drying up dishes and getting cutlery for the table for dinner.
I will definitely be teaching them about finances and budgeting as they get a bit older and about being responsible financially.

I feel like mine have had a good foundation in the basics of running a household during thei time away from school. They can both weild a paintbrush and the little one has 'upcycled' a tatty chest of drawers for her bedroom. They now have an appreciation for all the stuff I do while they're normally at school and have been (reluctantly) hands on with the cleaning of bathrooms and looking after their own space. I found DS taking a plant up to his room because it needed more light 😂

My daughter is only 1 but she helps with emptying the dishwasher, setting the table and sometimes cooking with me (mainly sampling pizza toppings!). As she grows I hope to keep her involved in all our household chores and projects so she gains lots of skills that I hope will make her confident when she finally leaves home (in 18years or so!!) ☺️

Life skills:
How to run the house. Talking about bills, having a job, little DIY tasks eg putting up shelves, changing light bulbs, repairing bits and pieces, using a drill and other tools. Doing housework, regular routines for cleaning and keeping the place tidy.

I also like to get them engaged in wider things eg reading news articles, researching various things like historic events and any questions or ideas they’ve got.

The main thing really is just involving them in things that we grown ups do.

I am teaching my child to be comfortable making her own decisions in life by listening to her own mind, thinking things through logically and step by step, whilst taking on board advice and guidance, and without peer pressure. I think this will be important in all stages of her life.

To be able to cook basic healthy meals. To budget and understand the importance of your credit rating.

How to be comfortable in your own skin with self-respect and know that you are not better than anyone else and not worse than anyone else either. How to manage money competently to avoid debt and stress. How to clean up after yourself and manage a home efficiently again to avoid it dragging you down. How to enjoy yourself every day because it's a grand thing to be alive!

My kids are only relatively young but have had to become much more self sufficient during lockdown.
Yesterday DD changed her bedding no prompting and is delighted with herself.
Cooking, cleaning, budgeting and the like all essential but so is learning how to be kind, having empathy & being true to yourself.

I am teaching mine how to garden too, growing food is so important. Also how to cook basic food, how to read instructions, and the importance of methodology. You need to create a system with just about everything, every day, to avoid life getting chaotic. These are the main areas of focus for now.

To cook for obvious reasons. And then to try and help the understand money and the importance of saving (if you can)

We've been learning how to cook, and about nutrition during lockdown more than ever, the importance of helping others, how to manage little problems, managing money (spend half save half), etc.

Definitely hoe to cook the basics. I left home not even knowing how to boil an egg because my mother insisted on doing everything for me.

i include my daughters whenever i cook as i see learning how to shop, plan and cook as essential.

i also try to encourage hoovering their own rooms which i have varied success with.

my dds also attend martial arts classes as i believe knowing how to defend yourself is vital.

they also tidy their own rooms and have responsibility for their belongings, if they want something washed they put it in the communal wash bin etc

Most of the above.

And to be prepared that there are people at school / uni / work / elsewhere who just aren't very nice and to trust their instinct and be able to manage keep at arms length emotional vampires, people who play pathetic power games and those who are solely interested in their own selfish selves.

Manners, kindness, resilience, creativity, independence, empathy.

Plus self care, cleanliness, healthy eating and cooking.