The World Health Organization (WHO) defines life skills as “the ability for positive and adaptive behavior that enables a person to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of every day life.” 

HOME STRATEGIES

1.  Nurture the development of self-care skills.

• Teach your child what self-care is by providing examples of self-care behaviors and strategies such as taking a walk when feeling stressed.
• Notice and nuture your child’s efforts toward self-care.
• Support your child’s increasing independence. 

2.  Foster a sense of personal responsibility for actions and choices.

• Promote and nurture honesty as a guiding value.
• Encourage your child to admit and learn from their mistakes and wrongdoings.
        ◊ Facilitate a de-briefing time in which your child can reflect on situations and engage in problem-solving strategies.
• Encourage children’s use of I-statements.  Model this skill for your children.
        ◊ Adult to child example: “I feel overwhelmed by this messy house and would feel more relieved if you could help me by putting away your laundry”  or “I worry a lot about you when you come home after your curfew.”   

3.  Encourage development of healthy decision-making skills.

• Support your child in understanding the choices available to them and the pros and cons of each.  
• Engage children in reflecting on past decisions and behaviors from which they can learn/grow.
• Prompt children to engage in future-oriented thinking regarding making healthy decisions.
• Offer opportunities for children to make decisions independently.

SCHOOL STRATEGIES

1.  Nurture the development of self-care skills.

• Teach students about self-care skills.
        ◊ Encourage students to share examples of self-care behaviors and strategies with each other.  
        ◊ Invite the school nurse, a mental health professional, and/or a school counselor into your classroom to discuss self-care strategies and promote self-care behaviors.
• Notice and nurture students’ self-soothing strategies and skills.

2.  Foster a sense of personal responsibility for actions and choices.

• Promote and nurture honesty as a guiding value.
• Encourage your students to admit and learn from their mistakes and wrongdoings.
        ◊ Facilitate a de-briefing time in which your students can reflect on situations and engage in problem-solving strategies.
• Encourage students’ use of I-statements. 
        ◊ Teacher to student example: “I worry about you when you don’t attend my class.”

3.  Encourage development of healthy decision-making skills.

• Support your student in understanding the choices available to them and the pros and cons of each.  
• Engage students in reflecting on past decisions and behaviors from which they can learn/grow.
• Prompt students to engage in future-oriented thinking regarding making healthy decisions.
• Offer opportunities for students to make decisions independently.