How To Help Your Teen Build Necessary Life Skills For Adulthood

Your baby is now a teen. It feels like just yesterday you were changing diapers and teaching them how to walk. Now you're getting ready to send them off into the adult world.

These years are important for teaching them the necessary skills they’ll rely on when they make that transition. As a parent, you’ve been there to guide them this far on their journey. The lessons they learn in the coming years may be the most important ones you'll teach them.

No matter what direction they choose to go in, here are some helpful lessons that every teen should learn to prepare them for adulthood.

Assign Household Responsibilities

If there’s one thing every adult knows, it’s that there’s always another responsibility waiting for you in the background. By the time your child becomes a teenager, they should have started taking on some responsibilities in the form of household chores.

No matter how much moaning and groaning they do, having household responsibilities is a great way to start preparing them for the future. At this age, they’ll be juggling schoolwork, personal life, possibly a job, and these chores.

Teach Basic Life Skills

Your teen spends a lot of time in the classroom learning about academic topics that they may or may not use. One thing the school system isn’t necessarily going in depth with is basic, fundamental life skills. This is something that needs to be handled by parents.

Not many teens understand the importance of meal planning, cooking, and grocery shopping. Generally, that’s something mom or dad takes care of.

Next time you’re planning weekly meals, have your teen work on that plan with you. Ask them to come up with a grocery list for needed items. Have your teen participate in cooking one night. Bring them with you on a shopping trip to see how you plan your trip, where items are located, and budgeting.

Help Them Understand Financial Management

Having a good understanding of the power of a dollar is crucial to navigating adulthood. They can have the best work ethic, but if they don’t know how to manage their money, they will find themselves in undesirable predicaments.

Go over some tips on how to create a budget. Teach them tools that can be helpful, such as having a spreadsheet or an expense tracker. Explain how paychecks work and what deductions mean. Talk about paying taxes. Stress the importance of building up savings rather than spending extra money.

Teach Time Management

Another thing many teens struggle with, simply because they don't have a full understanding, is time management. Time allocated to certain activities is often determined by their priorities. More time is given to personal interests and social time, leaving less time for other responsibilities. Before you know it, they’re behind.

Every adult needs to know how to manage their time. Teach them the importance of being timely and respecting the time of others. Encourage the use of a planner, a calendar app, or some other method to keep them organized.

Support Their Mental Health

No matter what age your teen is, it’s important to teach them about taking care of their mental health. The transition from a teen to an adult is going to pose many challenges. It can be easy to become stressed or anxious about all the uncertainties.

Help remove the stigma around mental health. Encourage them to share their feelings and be honest about their emotions. Let them know it’s alright to say no. Set a good example of how to handle mental health matters, including prioritizing your own.

Do you need a little extra help working with your teen? Reach out to us to schedule time to talk about teen counseling and learn more.