Life Skills…what are they and why are they important to teach our teens? Life skills are skills necessary to effectively manage the challenges of everyday life. Teaching teenagers to master these skills will make them confident, independent, adaptable, and caring adults. These skills can help them improve both their professional and personal lives. I think as parents, we all agree, we want our children to have the skills necessary to be successful in all areas of life. So let’s get started learning about the life skills we should teach our teens!

Life Skills Components

The three components of life skills are 1) Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills, 2) Interpersonal & Communications Skills, and 3) Coping & Self-Management Skills. We will cover all three components. But in this post, we will concentrate on the first component Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills.

Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills

As parents, we have thought for and made many of our children’s decisions throughout the years. This is part of being a parent. But, with each year, we should try to let our children start thinking more on their own and making more and more of their own decisions. At times I know this can be hard. You might know the decision they choose is not right for them and will cause them heartache. But sometimes heartache can be part of the process of truly learning this skill. We should continue to be there for support, as a sounding board, and to give our perspective, if asked, as they navigate learning Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills.

Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills can be defined as the act of analyzing information or a situation that will lead to a judgment or a decision. The act of analyzing should include skills such as logic, reasoning, and creativity.

Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills can be broken down into three life skills: Critical Thinking Skills, Creative Thinking Skills, and Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Skills. Most people are usually more comfortable using either critical thinking skills or creative thinking skills. It’s in our DNA. However, we should not think of one type of thinking as being better than the other. Both types of thinking should be looked at as being companions to bring about the best solution. Don’t worry if you or your child leans more heavily toward one type of thinking because both types of thinking skills can be learned by practicing certain ways of analysis. Let’s learn the differences between Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking and the ways that each skill can be practiced.

Critical Thinking-Life Skill to Teach Teens

Critical Thinking is analyzing information or a situation based on logic, reasoning, and facts to draw conclusions that lead to a solution. After a problem and relevant information about the problem have been identified, here are some ways teens can practice Critical Thinking Life Skills. First, teens should learn to identify the “how” and the “why” of the problem. Next, teens should be able to provide evidence or facts that prove the “how” and “why” of the problem. Once your teen has worked through the “how” and “why” of the problem using logic, reasoning, and facts, they should try practicing Creative Thinking to compliment their Critical Thinking analysis.

Creative Thinking-Life Skill to Teach Teens

Creative Thinking is looking at the problem from different perspectives and drawing conclusions that lead to a solution. Here are some ways teens can practice Creative Thinking Life Skills once a problem and the relevant information about the problem have been identified. First, teens should examine the problem from different angles by putting themselves in someone else’s position. Teens should ask as many questions as they can think of to try to gain perspective. Next, teens should step away from the problem and give their minds time to absorb the information. This also gives them time to allow their thoughts to be flexible and adaptable while contemplating solutions. Now your teen should be ready to move on to the Decision-Making Life Skill.

Problem-Solving & Decision-Making-Life Skills to Teach Teens

Problem-Solving is the act of brainstorming possible solutions after fully analyzing the issue. Decision-Making is choosing the best solution to move forward and take action. Here are some steps your teen can take to practice this life skill. First, have your teen list possible solutions to the problem using the information they obtained from their Critical & Creative Thinking analysis. Next, they should list the pros and cons of each possible solution. At this point, your teen will need to make a decision on their preferred solution and take action.

One of the best learning experiences is to reflect on the outcome of one’s decision. Did that decision work well? If the decision did not work well, the teen will need to face the natural consequences of their decision. In some situations, they may have an opportunity for a second chance. If this is an option, they should review their list of possible solutions and try again.

Life Skills are hard! Encourage your teen through this process. Life is all about trial and error until success is found. The more they can practice these skills now the more success they will have with Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making in the future. And as we all know, adulthood can bring some big challenges that require lots of thinking, solutions & decisions. So let’s help set them up to become confident, independent, adaptable, and caring adults.

In our second post related to Life Skills, Teach Teens Life Skills Now for Future Success, we will be looking at the second component of life skills, Interpersonal & Communication Skills. In our third post related to Life Skills, Life Skills Teens Should Learn for a Successful Future, we will be discussing the third component of life skills, Coping & Self-Management Skills.

I would love to hear from you. Send me a comment or email to let me know of your successes or failures in teaching your teen life skills. Parenting is hard and we all need support sometimes!

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