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

There are so many life skills it’s worth having and are important to teach.

I’d like to think and hope I’d teach dc to be kind, empathic, thoughtful and respectful. I’d also love to teach them to value themselves and ensure they have good self confidence and self esteem.

I’d like to teach them about the joy in the small things and the importance of nature.

I’m teaching them to cook and one day hope that my cleaning will run off on them.

I’d like to give them the belief they can do whatever they want to in life and that the important things are happiness and health.

My son has autism and a physical disability.

We've spent time researching and buying adapted cooking aids and I've taught him how to cook some simple foods.

We've also reorganised the lounge and made a small office/dining area to help with me WFH, him studying and to eat what he's managed to cook. It also helps his organisation.

We've also set up google cal see to help him plan his day as lack of routine has been hard for him.

We have a white board put up in our office/dining area and write daily tasks to complete on it.

The ability to self-motivate and work without supervision!!! To think several steps in advance (with laundry, using last milk in the fridge, opening last shampoo etc...)
Learn how to meal plan and cook for the family, know which day what bins get collected, know how to mow the lawn.
But the biggest life skill is financial budgeting - money sense is vitally important and I wish I’d had more input in that when I was a child. If I teach my 3 kids anything, I hope this is the one that sinks in best!

I think cooking basic meals is an important one - Even making simple things like beans on toast or warming up some soup will give them confidence and start to become independent. My son was able to use a sharp knife to cut vegetables from age 6 although this obviously varies by child. I'd love for them to be able to sew a little just to be able to repair clothes and fix buttons etc. My eldest still cannot do his shoe laces due to his autism so that is a skill he is still working on.

I would like my children to be self sufficient by the time they leave home, to be able to cook and budget but also to be able to do basic DIY confidently.

I would really like to teach my child how to budget. My DH was not taught this and still struggles a lot now so I'd definitely love for my DC to jave this skill.

I want my son to be able to cook a decent number of meals for when he leaves home and to not be scared of cooking from new recipes

How to control weeds not dig all of them up them as many are so pretty and good for the insects.
Follow instructions especially good for all areas of life
Not to be afraid of asking questions and especially in person not always by email etc. Face to face seems so terrifying especially as their lives are now totally online.

My child isn't born yet, I am pregnant but already dreaming of all the things I would love to teach them!

Definitely cooking, not just following a recipe but really being able to look at a bunch of random things in the fridge even leftovers and be able to come up with a meal out of it! This was something I was taught from a young age and has really helped us with eating healthier as well as cutting down on food costs and wastage.

Also knitting, sewing and crochet, something else I was taught from a young age which is not only hugely relaxing but also great for repurposing old garments and fabric as well as expressing your own style.

And not really a lesson but I hope they share my love of plants and greenery! I find it really soothing to be surrounded by nature.

I'd love my 5 kids to be able to do 5 things :

Offer Kind gestures- Always look after the elderly doing shopping,crossing them over the road, helping change a lightbulb etc, that old person will be you and me one day and I'd like someone younger to help me out

Reading + following instructions - not skimming over them like their dad, that's how the flat pack furniture has 6 screws left over.

Budget and save - I've never had money for new clothes, a car, holidays abroad, a house etc so I'd love them to achieve it all without excessive loans etc.

Use a washing machine and iron- I don't want 5 loads of washing every week from them ALL had enough of that already and oldest is only 12 still.

Know that everyone is different- just because someone is disabled doesn't mean they can't play basketball, just because they have a drug problem doesn't make them a house burglar. Treat everyone kindly and equal.

There’s so much I would like to teach my children! The main thing is independence and coping under pressure. We are living in a “snowflake” generation as kids are super sensitive and get upset if they don’t get what they want. I want to make sure my kids can deal with negative situations as mental health is extremely important.

To be independent and cope in the real world when they become adults, that they have to work hard for money and they don’t just get things because they want it.

How to do organise your home -cooking, cleaning and keeping on top of admin; basic DIY; gardening and being as self sufficient as possible.

A friend’s DH went to work in China and for the past 18 months has been prevented from leaving as his boss is being investigated for financial irregularities. Friend’s DH has done nothing wrong and is not charged with anything. Just had his passport taken and can’t get it back. Family has not seen him for 18 months and are increasingly worried Friend has contacted govt but they haven’t done much yet....seem to be leaving it up to the family to sort it out She has hired a PR team, started a twitter campaign. I assume she’s hired a decent lawyer. Anyone have any experience of this kind of situation or knowledge of how best to proceed? Sad and worrying situation. Thanks.

Building flat pack furniture. Cooking. How to clean.

My father said that if I wanted to learn to drive I had to learn basic car maintenance, how to change a tyre etc. and I will pass this on.

During lockdown the main life skills we have prioritised is tolerance, patience and being kind.

Apart from that, the practical skills we have worked on are:
Sewing by hand (several different types of stitching) and by machine.
Cooking (but learning how to make meals from store cupboard items or from what’s left in the fridge as well as normal meal planning.
Decorating (left to paint own bedroom with some supervision).
Gardening (helping in the veg patch)
How to change light bulbs and replace ceiling light
Made up a CV for part-time work
Learnt how to use the washing machine, the tumble dryer and dishwasher.
How to work the gas BBQ.
How to hang curtains

I’m sure there’s loads more. My teenager turned 16 in lockdown and has developed into a reasonably useful person to have around. Just needs to work a bit harder on the tolerance, patience and kindness now to her older brother😂

I'm teaching my 8 year old son how to bake during lockdown. He's really interested and he's getting very independent at it now! Cooking is a great life skill. I've been cooking with him since he was a toddler. We have some vegetables growing in the garden too, and we're looking forward to cooking with our own home grown produce too!

Cooking as a priority. My mother only taught me one dish and I so wish she has taught me more before she passed away.

I want to show them both how to pay bills using online banking and how to set up a direct debit. It sounds simple but I’d like them to feel confident doing it.

Cooking! I want my boy to be able to cook a dish for every day of the week from scratch! Cooking a decent meal is so important!

Resilience
Buttons
Zips
Letter formation

Managing money, savings, finding bargains etc

It's important for us- parents that our children learn life skills whilst having fun and enjoy it whole experience. We often bake and cook together and tidy house after finished play. The other day we had a fun decorating our cupcakes. Each of my children has own bit of garden where they can grow vegetables or flowers. They enjoy digging, sowing, planting, watering and basically looking after their little gardens.Often we use their garden products to cook our meals. I teach them about recycling and importance of saving money. When they get older I am sure my boys would want learn other life skills from their dad such as painting fences and basic repair in and around home. The both are a very eager to learn something new.

We have been spending a lot of time in the garden in lockdown. Mainly growing food plants, so teaching the kids to plant the seeds, water and care for the plants and look out for the wildlife. Ds2 is a toddler terror for picking the fruit before it is ripe, so trying to teach him colours and waiting. Not going well on that one!

I wish I knew how to cook confidently- I always stick rigidly to the recipe and don't ever deviate! I'd like my DC to gave the confidence to experiment in the kitchen and do things by eye.

How to cook and plan meals, how to put up shelves and other basic DIY jobs, how to change tyres/ car maintenance, how to budget!