Something that has been lost today in most public and private school curriculums is home economics. Our society has shifted from individuals having self reliant skills such as producing food for themselves and mending broken items such as clothing and machinery to having no knowledge necessary to run a household well. Now, you can buy countless items online to fix so many problems. All you have to do is spend a little money on a new gadget and your problems are solved. But is there a better way? There are so many home economic skills to teach your kids so that they aren’t reliant on our consumerist culture. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1. Cooking

While teaching your children basic cooking skills may seem obvious, it’s shocking how many young adults enter college and work without knowing how to even boil eggs. If a child learns all the basic skills to cook meals at home, not only will they save money but eat healthier as well. So many people think that they don’t have the time to cook at home. Maybe the idea of cooking in general is overwhelming. However, if someone can learn a few basic recipes for themselves, they can have save hundreds versus eating out.

Here are a few ideas of some easy meals to teach your children to cook for themselves:

Breakfast: pancakes, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fried bacon

Lunch: grilled cheese, egg salad, pizza

Dinner: Baked chicken, roasted vegetables, fried rice,

Having cooking skills can be an added income as well. I know of several local home bakers and cooks that make money selling from home because they can make quality breads and meals for those who don’t have the time, but don’t want fast food.

2. Gardening

Along with cooking meals, teaching a child to garden has so many benefits. They learn where their food comes from and may even enjoy it more after growing it themselves. They also learn the responsibility of caring for something and seeing a task through to completion. If you have never grown a garden yourself, start with something simple like herbs in a sunny window. There’s no shame in buying plant starts from a box store or local greenhouse either.

Gardening is another way that someone could earn a little extra money. Try growing a garden with your kids and sell extra produce at the farmer’s market or make homemade jams and jellies to sell.

3. Home maintenance

Something as simple as repairing a broken door knob or fixing a leaky faucet can save you a ton of money. It’s important for everyone to learn a few simple home repair skills, even if they live in a rental.

4. Sewing/Mending

In our world today, fast fashion reigns. Our clothing is sold so cheaply (and made cheaply) that most of us will throw a jacket away because of a small tear. But if you can learn to mend tears, replace buttons and even patch jeans, you can make clothes last so much longer and save money as well.

Going further than that, if someone finds out that they have a talent for sewing, crocheting or knitting, they have a potential side income opportunity.

5. Budgeting

Budgeting nowadays can look like juggling credit card bills. However, young adults should go into the working world knowing how to save money while being able to pay all of their necessary bills. We should be teaching our kids not to go into debt just because they want something now. This is where so many home economic skills come in handy. If we are teaching how to do things such as cooking, repairing and producing at home, then money isn’t disappearing before it’s even made.

But it’s not just important to teach kids how to save money. They also need to know how to make wise decisions with their money. Teaching them to have financial goals that are stewarding their resources well.

6. Time management

A skill that so many of us struggle with is time management. And while we could blame too much screen time (and in part, I do), learning to juggle free time, work, and all of the daily, necessary tasks such as laundry and cooking takes time and age. The best teacher I have had in time management has been my children. Having to know what time to start a meal so that we are all eating a hot meal when dad comes home takes practice. Making room for the inevitable interruptions that are going to occur when we are trying to get through school work or getting ready to go has to be made.

Kids can start learning time management with their parents help before they get out into “the real world”. When children are young, give them a set amount of time to get their room clean. Once they are older, give them more freedom with their free time and give them the responsibility of getting their chores done by the end of the day instead of right then.

These home economic skills to teach your kids are good for you too.

Often in parenting, we are learning right alongside our kids. Even if you don’t know many of these skills yourself, I encourage you to learn them right alongside your children. Not only will you both learn new skills, but you’ll be spending quality time together. Why not cook through a beginner cookbook together, or try and build a simple birdhouse together?

I hope you enjoyed this list of home economic skills to teach your kids and enjoy teaching them as well. If you have any other home economic skills you think kids should be learning, let us know in the comments below!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” Colossians 3:23