Learning does not stop when the school year is over. Summer is a great time to teach your children valuable skills they don't learn in the classroom. The pace in summer is slower and less hectic. You will have more time to work with your kids one-on-one. During the school year I often tackle household projects on my own because it is easier and faster than showing my kids how to do something. During the summer I have more time and patience for teaching my kids.

When I talk about life skills I am referring to skills children will need to manage their own life. Some examples of life skills are cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, car maintenance, and other similar skills. Some of you may have small children and others may have preteen or teenage children. All children can learn how to help around the house if you give them age appropriate tasks.

COOKING

Young children can help in the kitchen by retrieving items from the pantry, washing fruits and vegetables, or measuring ingredients for your recipe. Make sure that you keep younger children in a safe area of the kitchen away from open flames or hot surfaces. Preteen children are old enough to learn more sophisticated kitchen skills. They can learn how to operate a can opener, mix ingredients with a mixer, or stir the contents of a saucepan. Teenagers are capable of acting as assistant chefs in the kitchen. If you start them early enough they will have valuable skills by this age. They might be skilled enough to prepare side dishes while you concentrate on the main dish. Let them prepare salads or read a recipe and follow directions to make muffins or cakes. Working in the kitchen together provides quality time with your kids. Neither you nor your children will be distracted by tv and you will have time to talk while you are mixing and dicing.

GROCERY SHOPPING

Grocery shopping is a skill that everyone will need to have. Surprisingly, some adults never mastered this crucial skill. In order to have a successful shopping trip you must learn to prepare and follow a list, stay within your budget, and get everything you need for the week in one trip. Younger children can help retrieve items from the shelves or put fruits and vegetables into plastic bags for you. Preteen kids can help you prepare the list at home and cross items off the list as you work your way through the grocery store. Teenage children should be able to follow your list, comparison shop, and help with unloading the groceries. If everyone pitches in and helps, grocery shopping won't seem so much like a chore.

LAUNDRY

Laundry is such a huge chore that there should be plenty to go around. When my children were very small I used to ask them to go through my mismatched sock basket for me. They would match up all of the socks that did not have a mate. I was always amazed at how many pairs they could match up. You can even make a contest out of it and see who can match the most pairs. Elementary aged children make great laundry sorters. Ask them to sort your huge pile of laundry into manageable piles by color. This task is fairly easy for them and will save you a lot of time. Older children should be able to learn how to operate the washer and dryer. Make sure they understand that certain items are prone to shrinking and need to be hung up rather than dried. Older children can also fold clothes and carry them to the appropriate rooms. They are young than you and have more energy.

With a little patience and a little extra work you can teach your children these life skills during the summer. Once they get in the habit of helping more around the house you will have more free time for fun activities with them.