Raising Kids With Practical Job Skills

A parent’s job is to raise children who are happy, capable, and ready for the world of adulthood. One of the biggest aspects of a successful adult life is work — after all, if you can’t support yourself, not a whole lot else can fall into place. More and more often, parents are preparing kids not only for their high school or summer jobs but for their permanent career by working practical job skills in with all the other lessons parents pass down.

The question, then, is what basic job skills can parents teach their children so they grow up more capable of a successful career?

Ages 0-9

The first nine years of your child’s life is full of the wonders of the universe. Colors, shapes, sounds, the beginnings of literature and art, music, early math — it’s all important and all applicable. For modern kids, technology is one of the biggest must-learn skills. Kids start at an early age; apps on cell phones and tablets can entertain kids while helping them learn their ABCs.

It doesn’t stop there. A lot of kids pick up those incredibly important computer literacy skills with computer educational tools. Savvy parents can hit two birds with one stone (and save money) using programs like ABCmouse.com. Kids can learn useful things like numbers, colors, math and more which will help things like basic job skills come easier. Later you can use things like Go Henry to help your kids track their finances.

Ages 10-14

This age group is perfect to start picking up the basics of business. From selling Girl Scout Cookies to opening up their own lemonade stand, kids can learn the beginning lessons of economics and finance from their parents. The ins and outs of money aren’t just good for learning about profit margins and the service industry; they’re also a great way to give your kid practical application experience with their math skills.

Learning how to run a business, even if it’s just a lemonade stand or babysitting business, shows your children how money is earned and the direct link between hard work and higher profit. They’ll learn how to market themselves, salesmanship, and business planning, all of which are important job skills.

Ages 15+

As your kids get older, they’ll start moving into the world of part-time jobs. Entering the workforce means that it’s time for parents to teach them basic job skills and the practical side of finding a job. They’ll need to know how to fill out an application and create a resume. You can walk them through identifying their marketable skills and how to turn their previous work history into something fit for a resume. You’ll also want to teach your child best practices for a job interview and the kinds of questions they’ll get asked in most interviews. Likewise, they’ll need to know how taxes work, how they’ll get paid, and how to manage all the new money they’ll earn.

Your child will have a lifetime to navigate the business world and learn job skills, but with your help they’ll go into adulthood a step above the rest: better prepared, capable, and ready to forge a bright future.