How to help your kids become more independent this summer
The craziest thing happened last year. This very normal thing I do with my kids every summer went VIRAL. A fellow-mama-on-IG reposted my reel and included her own spin on it. The next thing I knew, Good Morning America, The DailyMail, and ABCNews were calling! Crazy, right?! We all want to help our kids become more independent, so I thought it’d be awesome to deep dive into my viral strategy here.
What is How to Be a Person Camp?
Born out of the boredom of the pandemic and early lockdown, and my own frustration with how they were brushing their teeth, (a quick swipe with a dry toothbrush does not a toothbrushing session make). I decided to use the time to help my kids become a little more independent. My dad has always said, “You are raising them to be adults, not children,” and that was the foundation of this idea. There are skills they need to know by the time they move out of our home. And even the best-meaning parents can forget some of these, sometimes. So I wrote them down! And put a “camp” spin on them since we couldn’t attend actual camps that summer. Every day, we tackled a few — and it wasn’t just “mom showing kids how to do stuff,” we did an actual deep dive into each thing. We watched YouTube videos from dentists about HOW to properly brush your teeth. We learned about what social security numbers are and why we need to memorize them. We practiced cracking eggs on the side of a bowl until we got the feel for it (and then made a LOT of scrambled eggs).
Can someone “be a person” without knowing how to do these things? Of course. These things are just great life skills for “people” to have.
How did your kids feel about How to Be a Person Camp?
I wasn’t sure how they’d feel at first. I wondered if they might roll their eyes at me. But, in fact, they did not! They jumped at the idea! Every day, they asked me when we were going to do more HTBAPC! I was surprised by this because they do not get this excited when asked to do people things like take out the trash. To this day, they still ask if we can learn things from the list (and our list keeps growing and evolving as they get older).
What’s actually on “The List” for How to Be a Person Camp?
Children of different ages will be ready to learn different skills. Use your own judgment and what you know about your child’s motor skills, responsibility level, and abilities to make your list for them (I just used a poster board and a sharpie…) I’ve broken these down into three groups: little kids, middle kids, and big kids. There are a zillion I haven’t listed here, so definitely leave me a comment with ideas you have and I’ll add them! Oh and also: this is important— big kids need to master middle and little kid skills too. And so on. So make sure you include all the “easier” ones for the bigger kids! I know you guys know how to do these tasks already, so you’re perfectly capable of teaching them, but I’ve found a couple YouTube videos and other resources for a few tasks that make great deep dives, so I’ll link them here for you also.
Little Kids
- How to tie your shoes. (Sesame Street, Step-by-step)
- How to brush and floss your teeth well. (we used this one and the app, How-To)
- How to wash your hair.
- How to brush your hair.
- How to choose an outfit. (Miacademy Learning video)
- How to politely order at a restaurant. (Emily Post’s Table Etiquette for Kids)
- How to call 911 and report an emergency. (YouTube video)
- Memorize your parent / guardian’s phone number. (use a Disney song)
- Memorize your address.
- How to pour from a pitcher. (Montessori practice lesson)
- What to do if lost in a public place. (Busy Toddler tips)
- How to properly make your bed. (Miacademy Learning video)
- How to properly shake someone’s hand. (English Manner video)
- How to introduce yourself.
- How to genuinely apologize.
- How to effectively wash your hands. (infographics from the CDC)
Middle Kids
- How to do a load of laundry. (10 step video)
- How to fold clothes. (The DadLab, Marie Kondo)
- How to blow dry your hair.
- How to empty a dishwasher.
- How to make a sandwich.
- How to trim your nails. (info/videos from Nemours KidsHealth)
- How to address an envelope. (video from GoNoodle)
- How to write a thank you note. (details and templates from Shutterfly)
- How to braid hair. (Basic Braid for Beginners video)
- How to do a ponytail. (how-to video by a Pediatric OT)
- How to practice simple first aid. (tips from ParentCircle)
- How to sign your name in cursive. (how-to video by JetPens, worksheets)
- How to cut your food with a fork and knife.
- How to properly answer the phone. (how-to video by kids, for kids)
- How to hang clothes on a hanger.
- How to pack a lunch box.
- How to sweep and vacuum.
- How to fold a fitted sheet. (YouTube video)
- How to leave a voicemail.
- How to pack a suitcase.
- How to clean a toilet. (Step-By-Step by Lysol)
- How to apply sunscreen. (American Academy of Dermatology)
Big Kids
- How to scramble eggs. (YouTube w/ Jamie Oliver)
- How to make noodles.
- How to wrap a gift. (YouTube w/ The Kidsplainer)
- How to do the electric slide (!)
- How to pay with a debit card.
- How to safely use a knife. (tips from PlanToEat.com, great kid knives on Amazon)
- Memorize your social security number. (a very, very deep dive at ssa.gov)
- How to change out batteries.
- How to write a check. (diagram from Business Insider)
- How to send a proper email. (tips from Grammarly)
- How to calculate a tip. (2023 Tipping Guide from RealSimple)
- How to make a grocery list (and navigate the grocery store).
- How to tie a tie. (video from Dad, How do I?)
- How to put gas in a car (note: some states have age limits).
- How to sew on a button or fix a tear. (sewing basics on YouTube)
- How to use an iron safely.
- How to use a planner, to-do list, or app to stay organized.
And guess what… I made you a print out!! Feel free to print this out and add as you go. Happy people-skill teaching! Comment with skills we’re missing here!
xo,
Emily
Consider a few extra resources:
