Hunting, gathering, foraging, sewing, hiking, building. These probably don’t sound like activities that would make your kid’s top ten list of things to do this weekend (and maybe not your list, either). The reality is that while our kids keep up with the fast pace of the present and look toward the future, they are losing out on opportunities to learn real, tangible skills, steeped in historical and social significance. These real skills can also help sharpen their cognitive and emotional IQ levels. Instead of having things handed to them, partially complete, ready to move forward at the push of a button, tasks that require more concentration from the ground up engage kids’ minds. All that by doing some good old fashioned tasks.
While they might not have to build a fire in order to cook the fish that they caught (in order to not be hungry), there are solid, practical skills that our kids need in order, if nothing else, than to know how far their world has come. You don’t need to be an expert in these areas, but you do need to consider teaching your children about these basic, forgotten skills.
Fun, Easy Ideas for Teaching Practical Skills
Building Blocks
You don’t even need to own your own hammer for your kids to learn how to use one. Attend a workshop with your kids at your local hardware or home improvement store. Big chain stores like Home Depot hold regular classes, often free or for a very small fee, where all of the necessary tools and extras are supplied. Kids build things like birdhouses, bird feeders, small stools, and picture frames. Building experts lead kids through the steps necessary to make their creations, and sometimes even throw in a child-sized woodworking apron.
Simple Sewing
Kids – even the boys (maybe especially the boys) need to know how to sew. Buttons falls off, pants get ripped, and curtains can be too long for the dorm room window. Sewing is a basic, but often overlooked skill. If you don’t own a sewing machine, check into community education courses near you. Sometimes local sewing clubs hold beginning sewing classes where they are more than happy to show the next generation how to wield a needle and thread. To get boys interested in the activity, let them pick out fabric for their favorite sport team and help them make a pillow case – you don’t even need to cut the fabric – just fold and sew!
Garden Games
Even if you live in a studio apartment you can teach your child how to grow something – anything. But don’t just hand him a Chia Pet and tell him to add water. Take him to the local nursery and check out all of the samples of dirt. Ask questions about which kind works best and for which seeds. Have your child choose seeds or a seedling and the proper equipment for it – dirt, natural fertilizer, whatever he chooses. Last summer I had the pleasure of taking my niece and nephew to the nursery where they each chose a seedling, brought it back to my house and potted it, then took it home. A couple of months later my niece called me and told me that she had a tomato on her plant and more flowers – she was so excited to have been able to nurture the plant and bring it to fruition.
Happy Hiking
This isn’t the kind of hiking where you take a color-coded map, plug in GPS coordinates, and follow a tour-guide through a one mile trail hike of a city park. Take the kids on a hike where you don’t know the trail, aren’t sure what to expect, or perhaps can just make your own trail. Pack a bottle of water and a camera and lace up the shoes. When kids are allowed to truly explore the environment they have the opportunity to become more connected with it and develop a deeper respect for their surroundings. They also might have to learn on the fly about NOT touching plants with leaves of 3, but those are the kinds of lessons you can’t duplicate by following someone else’s example.
Families are busy. We are connected and interconnected through technology and the crazy hours of our schedules. However, we are increasingly becoming disconnected from those basic, foundational activities that teach lessons of all kinds. So take a minute and get back to basics with your kids.
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