What are some of the life skills your high schooler should have as he heads off to college or to the workforce? On this week’s Home School Heartbeat, Mike Smith discusses some answers to this question with HSLDA High School Coordinator Diane Kummer.
Mike Smith:
Diane, if a parent is homeschooling a high schooler who will be going directly into the workplace after high school graduation, what are some of the skills that student should develop during their high school years?
Diane Kummer:
Mike, the high school years provide a great opportunity for parents to teach life skills. If a teen is planning to enter the workforce directly after graduation, here are a couple of areas parents may want to focus on. One important area is finances. Does the teen have good financial management skills such as keeping and reconciling a bank account? Or, what about setting up a simple budget? Another area is home management and car management. Does your teen know how to do simple home repairs, how to plan meals, or how to change the oil in the car? Next, is the area of health and fitness. You may want to take time to teach your teen basic first aid and also nutrition. Incorporate the teaching of these kinds of life skills into your homeschool day. A good resource to help you teach these skills is Barbara Frank’s book, Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers.
Mike:
Well, thank you, Diane. That’s very practical. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.
