Someday your kids will be adults and will need to know how to cook and clean and maintain a home and life of their own. This checklist will help you teach them the things they need to know!
I am raising arrows. That means I am raising adults. I am sharpening these little arrows that will one day leave our quiver and be shot unto the ends of this earth. Every last one of them must be ready.
Part of that being ready is teaching them to manage a home for themselves. What good is it for me to do everything for them and leave them void of the skills they need to take care of their own home someday?
How do you teach kids what they need to know about being an adult?
Honestly, you can never teach your children EVERYTHING. That is an impossibility. So, be prepared for gaps; however, as mentioned in my post Gaps in Homeschooling, this is actually an opportunity for your child to learn valuable lessons on their own.
So, my #1 tip for teaching your children what they need to know to manage a home of their own is…
Tip #1 – Don’t Stress!
Get my checklist, work through it, add to it, subtract from it, but don’t stress about it! We all have to make mistakes and muddle through at times. Forgetting to teach your child something isn’t going to make or break their success as adults.
>> GET YOUR FREE CHECKLIST! <<
Tip #2 – Don’t Try to be Perfect!
Often, parents are hesitant to even try to teach their children about managing a home because they don’t do it perfectly themselves.
Get that thought out of your head right now! Doing nothing to prepare your kids for adulthood is WAY worse than doing it all imperfectly.
Feel free to tell your children there’s probably a better way (like using a potato peeler instead of using a paring knife the way my mom taught me!), but that life isn’t always neat and tidy and sometimes you just have to do the best you can.
Which leads me to tip #3…
Tip #3 – Teach Adaptability
In my book, Home Management for the Homeschool Mom, I teach systems that work for homeschool moms who are trying to both educate their children and keep a home running smoothly. Their circumstances are wildly different from the mom with 1 or 2 kids in public school, so they have to be adaptable.
In fact, ALL OF US need to be adaptable. Life isn’t always “normal,” so learning skills to manage a home provides a BASIS, not a be-all-end-all.
As you are teaching the skills on this checklist, be sure to share with your children how life has ups and downs and what works right now may not work in the middle of a difficult circumstance.
Always be prepared to be adaptable!
Tip #4 – Pray
This may sound trite, but I mean it. Pray, pray hard, pray often and teach your children to do the same.
This checklist isn’t comprehensive and it isn’t to give you and your children some false sense of security about their future. It’s a guideline. It’s a tool. But the best tool we have as adults is prayer and knowing that God has a firm hold on our future, no matter how much we (or our kids) mess it up!
Keep your prayer life tuned up and teach your children to do likewise!
>> GET YOUR CHECKLIST HERE! <<
Not quite ready for home management training?
How about getting the Age Appropriate Chore List! >>
Leah Williams says
I’m not the only one who refers to the process as raising adults 😉 I like to think of it as the on-ramp to the interstate highway of the rest of your life. It’s cheesy, but if you don’t pick up speed as you go along, you’ll cause a wreck!
Jackie B. says
Thanks for sharing this, Amy. My daughter is like you described: the official coffee maker! I’m sure glad you mentioned how not to squander her passion. Thank you!
Regina Katz says
How about training the sons as well? I don’t want them to grow into the helpless slob that my husband can be! I am working on little things with them to help their future wives not hate me so much one day!
Amy says
This list is most definitely for my sons as well!
Sarah says
This is an excellent list!!!! Wonderful way to see our young people. I think I might have to reorganize it by age, just because I’m like that 😉
Anna Carter says
Thanks for sharing.
Carrie says
Thanks for making this available!
Leigh says
I can’t find the list anywhere 🙁
Can you e-mail a link please? OR… point me in that direction.
Thanks!!!!
Amy says
Did you sign up for emails? It will come via your email. 🙂
Pam Moore says
I wold love to receive your emails! Pam
Sara says
I also cannot find a link, or access it. The email has a bunch of characters but nothing to click.
Danielle b says
I also had a problem with the email. :-(. Somehow I get 2 emails everyday lol. The one at 1:30 am (est) had weird characters, and no link to be found, but the second one I got was fine. And that was around 8 am (est).
Amy says
Every single day? Eek! I am so frustrated! The email should go out every day around 8am EST and the link was there, but for some reason it ended up getting cut off. Can you let me know if you have gotten every post twice. Thank you!
Angie says
Yes, same here. I get every post twice, but I did find the link in the second one today. Thanks!
Amy says
I am so sorry about that! This new email has been a bit of a headache to say the least!
Danielle b says
Hey Amy, yep, everyday. I never thought to say something until today. It wasn’t a big deal :-). The second one today had the link on it, and it seemed a few others experienced the same thing with the broken link.
Don’t be frustrated. I never minded.
Amy says
You are sweet to say so. Very strange!
Danielle b says
I meant it. Love your blog, so down to earth. :-).
Lian Peet says
Thank you!
Janet says
Thank you so much for this checklist! Your blog is helping us all the way here in Manila, Philippines. 🙂 Bless you.
Amy says
How neat! 🙂
Ellen Grace says
I would use 3 on a daily basis. 8 on a weekly basis. But as many as 14-18 on special occasions.
Meredith Black says
Thanks for sending the list!
Deborah says
The submit button doesn’t seem to be working.
Amy says
I am so sorry about that! The link in the post was old, so I updated it and it should work for you now – https://raisingarrows.net/training-our-children-to-manage-a-home/
Sheri Prescott says
I just found your blog and look forward to reading more (and checking out your chore list)! I’m also married to an officer in the military and have always homeschooled our children! I also totally agree with not letting perfection stop you from allowing children to learn to care for our homes. My youngest sons put clean towels away and I realized when we had overnight guests last week (smile) that towels were quite a shambles in the linen closet. But that’s OK! My kiddoes are learning and I’m so proud of them for folding and putting away – which saves me time!
Amy says
Welcome, Sheri! Looking forward to getting to know you better!