Book Smarts And Life Smarts: The Lessons Your Child Needs To Learn Before University

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You begin to realise that time is precious with your children when they start to fill out their university application forms. They are moving onto the next stage of their life, and this can mean that you are partially mourning the loss of your little baby. But on the other hand, if you are like this, you've got to think about what you've already armed them with in terms of skills. If you've spent a long time looking after your precious baby, have you given them the appropriate life skills to cope? In its most basic sense, moving away to university is about learning to function by yourself. But we can make things a lot easier for them by giving them appropriate skills. Let's give you some of these.

Cooking A Proper Meal

Spending time in private student accommodation can mean that they could go to the kitchen, quickly microwave a meal, before running back to their room. But even if they don't get along with other people in the accommodation, they can still make a proper meal that's nutritious, and quick to make. Also, as is the cliche of being a student, they will be perennially poor. By learning to make their own meals, especially those that go further, they will have more money to socialise! It's a good idea for you to teach them a handful of meals that they can make that's not just nutritional, but cheap. The fact of the matter is you can do a lot with a handful of vegetables, pulses, and a sauce!

Time Management

There's going to be a lot of pressures heaped upon them so they need to learn how to manage their time effectively. There may be numerous essays to complete, but also, they've got friends that will want them to come out at a moment's notice. It's possible to do both, but as long as they have adequate skills to manage their time. A lot of people do essays the night before, and while many students continue to do this, it's amazing that these days there are some fantastic tools to get these things done. A great example is dictation software, but also, time management skills can be achieved by following specific tools online. The Pomodoro Technique is a very useful one that gives them adequate breaks, but also helps them to focus.

Actual Study Skills

You would be surprised as to how many students struggle by the time they get to university because everything was mapped out for them. Because passing an exam in school or college may very well have been about learning information by memory, learning how to apply these facts and figures can prove troublesome. A study skill is not just about reading a textbook, it's about applying information in other ways. It could be beneficial for them to learn their learning style, and this can help them to study in different ways. It's not just about reading information, especially if they have spent more than 10 years learning things parrot fashion to get by. 

Balancing Work And Play

It isn't just about academic smarts! One of the cleverest things about being a student is making the most out of your time there. Because being a student seems to be a lot of work in an academic sense, we can forget there are so many more opportunities beyond the lecture hall. Balancing work and play is a hard thing for many of us to achieve. University is arguably the best time for your child to learn how to make the most of both. There are so many opportunities to be creative, to socialise, but also to discover who they are; there are so many things they cannot afford to pass up! As such, because of pressures to achieve high grades, they may very well feel inclined to barricade themselves in their room. While this is, to an extent, about their study skills, it's also about ensuring that they are making the most of what's at their disposal. It's important to teach them that this is the best time of their lives, to make friends for life, take the opportunities that they may not get ever again, but also to learn valuable life skills. 

As a parent, you may find that teaching your child is life skills proved futile, and this will only mean that they'll learn them as they go. But it can benefit them to be armed with a plethora of important tools. Sometimes, these skills won't present themselves until way after they leave university. But if you can give them the basics, it will help them go a long way, personally, as well as academically.