Life Skills for Success!

In this four week flex class students will learn four important life skills needed to succeed in life.

Topic 1: Organizing and Decluttering. During week one, we will learn the five steps to organizing our bedrooms in a very simple step by step explanation along with visuals and reasons why each step is important. I will help students make a connection between stress and anxiety and having too much stuff as well as the importance of letting go of things we no longer use. We will learn how our messy bedrooms affect our well being as well as how being disorganized gets in the way of our success in life. 

Topic 2: Time Management. Even though most kids do not have the cognitive skills to organize their own schedules until the teenage years we can start teaching them how to plan and prioritize their time now. When children learn strategies for time management at an early age they internalize these strategies which sets them up for lifelong success. Poor time management skills can also lead to us getting stressed and overwhelmed which then affects other areas of our life. In week two, we will learn simple everyday tips that will help us manage our time more purposefully. We will learn the importance of keeping a schedule, to avoid distractions when trying to get tasks done, how complaining about tasks wastes our time and when we complain we have negative thoughts about our tasks making them harder to get done. We will learn the meaning of procrastination and prioritize as well as engage in discussion about these terms. I will show a jar experiment to show them what happens when we don’t manage our time well and what happens when we do manage our time well. I will provide a time management worksheet that I suggest students do throughout the week. This worksheet will have them color in their day as it progresses, (green for fun, orange for obligations, etc.) so students can visually see what their day looks like and find out where they need to make changes. I also suggest students use this worksheet to help them fill in their schedule. 

Topic 3: Worrying. Do you ever ask yourself “what if this happens?” or “what if that happens"? Do you find yourself asking these questions often, struggle to try new things, or avoid certain situations because of the fear of what might happen? This is called worrying and it can make us feel really bad. Our brains are very powerful and worrying is our brains way of keeping us safe but our brains don't always know the difference between being in danger and being worried. In week three, I will help children recognize what worrying is, understand the physical symptoms they may feel, as well as ways to calm our brains when worrying takes over. We will practice breathing techniques, learn what practicing mindfulness is, and learn to think positive thoughts. The goal of this topic is not to remove all of the stressors that cause us to worry but to learn ways to cope when worrying does strike. Kids can do amazing things with the right information! Students will be presented with several different projects to do to help ease worry when it does happen. 

Topic 4: Assertive Communication. In week four we will learn the 3 basic styles of communication. Passive communication, aggressive communication, and assertive communication. I will break these down into simple terms for students to understand. A turtle will represent the passive communicator, a tiger the aggressive communicator, and a wise owl the assertive communicator. We will learn the importance of being an assertive communicator and identify ways to change our communication style to assertive, such as how to use "I" statements instead of "you" statements. We will identify feelings that often get mistaken for anger such as embarrassment or worry. Assertiveness is a way to communicate feelings, thoughts, and opinions in a respectful, clear manner. Although assertiveness is a skill that does not come naturally to most of us, it can and should be taught. The younger we start learning to communicate assertively the easier this communication style will stick in our brains. Assertive communication is important for students to learn how to stand up for themselves, build confidence, build resilience, and set healthy boundaries for themselves. Children who are assertive communicators are more likely to be able to identify their own feelings, speak up for themselves, avoid and respond to bullying, say "no" without feeling guilty, have high self esteem, and feel in control.

Each week students will be asked to engage in discussion, vote on different real life scenarios and discuss the consequences/benefits of each topic, will be asked to participate in various class projects involving the topic, or share an example of the topic of the week in their real life. 

***Each one of these topics I teach live. You can look on my profile and see what other parents are saying about the classes to get a idea of just how much these topics help students succeed.***