Life Skills for Kids

If you had to do your own laundry this week, what is the first step?

Then ask: What goes wrong if you skip the sorting?

What are three things you can do to leave a room better than you found it?

Then ask: Who notices when you do?

Where does the trash go after it leaves our house?

Then ask: What could we throw away less of?

How do you know when something is clean enough?

Then ask: Who decides, the one who cleaned it or the one who uses it?

Which job at home could be yours from now on?

Then ask: What would you need to remember without being told?

What would you pack for one night away if nobody checked your bag?

Then ask: What do people forget most often?

How would you make a simple breakfast for a younger kid?

Then ask: What in the kitchen would you keep them away from, and how?

Something is broken: a toy, a zipper, a wobbly chair. What do you try before you ask for help?

Then ask: How do you know when to stop trying?

What do you do with things you no longer use?

Then ask: Who could use them next?

How do you take care of something that is alive, like a plant or a pet?

Then ask: What happens if you forget for three days?

Which tool in the house do you want to learn to use?

Then ask: What is the safe way to start?

You have homework, practice and a friend coming over. What goes first?

Then ask: What did you base that on?

How do you remember something you must do tomorrow?

Then ask: What is your backup if that fails?

What is the difference between urgent and important?

Then ask: Name one thing from today that was one and not the other.

How long can you work before you need a break?

Then ask: What kind of break gets you back to work?

What do you do when a job looks too big to start?

Then ask: Which piece of it is small enough to do in five minutes?

If you are going to be late, what should you do?

Then ask: Who is waiting, and what do they need to know?

How do you plan for something a month away, like a birthday or a project?

Then ask: What has to happen this week for it to work?

What do you do the night before to make the morning easier?

Then ask: What is one more thing you could add?

When you say "I'll do it later," when is later?

Then ask: What would make later a real time?

How do you decide that something is finished?

Then ask: What is the difference between finished and perfect?

What do you waste time on, and do you mind?

Then ask: What would you rather have done with that hour?

What is the difference between something you need and something you want?

Then ask: Name one thing that is hard to sort.

How could the same toy cost more in one store than in another?

Then ask: How could you check before buying?

What is worth saving up for over a long time?

Then ask: How would you keep from spending the money on the way?

Have you ever bought something and wished you had not?

Then ask: What would you ask yourself next time before paying?

How do you decide whether a price is fair?

Then ask: What would you compare it to?

If a friend asks to borrow money, what do you think about before you answer?

Then ask: What happens to the friendship if it is not paid back?

What could you do to earn money at your age?

Then ask: What would people pay for, and what would make them come back?

What is an ad trying to make you feel?

Then ask: Does the thing still look as good after the ad is over?

Is the more expensive thing always the better one?

Then ask: When have you seen it go the other way?

If you wanted to help someone with your money, who would it be?

Then ask: How would you know it helped?

What is something valuable that money cannot buy?

Then ask: How do people get it, then?

How do you say no to a friend without losing the friend?

Then ask: What if they ask a second time?

What do you do when you disagree with a grown-up?

Then ask: How do you say it so they keep listening?

How do you join a game that has already started?

Then ask: What if they say no?

How can you tell that someone is upset when they say they are fine?

Then ask: What do you do with what you noticed?

What makes an apology work?

Then ask: What makes one fall flat?

How do you ask for help from someone who looks busy?

Then ask: What do you say first?

What do you do when two of your friends do not like each other?

Then ask: Whose problem is it to solve?

How do you introduce yourself to a grown-up, like a new coach?

Then ask: What do you want them to remember about you?

How do you thank someone so they know you mean it?

Then ask: How is that different from a quick "thanks"?

What do you do when someone is being left out?

Then ask: What does it cost you, and is it worth it?

How do you tell someone they hurt your feelings?

Then ask: What do you want to happen after you say it?

You lose your house key or your jacket. What are your first three steps?

Then ask: At what point do you tell a grown-up?

You break something that belongs to someone else. What do you do?

Then ask: What if nobody saw?

You left your homework at home. What are your choices?

Then ask: Which one would you be glad about tomorrow?

You spill something big at a friend's house. What do you say and do?

Then ask: What would you want a guest to do at our house?

Your phone or tablet stops working and you need to reach someone. How do you do it?

Then ask: Which phone numbers do you know by heart?

A plan falls through at the last minute. What do you do with the afternoon?

Then ask: How long do you let yourself be disappointed?

You do not understand what the teacher just explained. What do you do?

Then ask: What makes it hard to raise your hand?

You promised two people the same afternoon. How do you fix it?

Then ask: How do you keep it from happening again?

Someone you know only online asks where you live. What do you do?

Then ask: Who would you tell about it?

You are home and something starts beeping. How do you find out what it is?

Then ask: When is it time to call a grown-up?

You made a choice and it turned out badly. What do you do next?

Then ask: What is the difference between fixing it and feeling bad about it?