6 Ways to Promote Life Skills Based Education

The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

                                                                                                                                                                                      – Dr. Seuss

Learning is a continuous process that takes place everywhere, consciously and unconsciously. Learning consciously adds to our knowledge, which is great. But, have you ever pondered on the value that life skills can add to your child’s personality and overall growth? Having a good command of life skills helps in the all-around development of a child. However, first, let us learn what life skills are.

Life skills are a set of skills that help students become responsible, self-dependent, and disciplined, thereby preparing them to face the world and manage challenging life situations. The inculcation of life skills in your child helps increase their emotional quotient to prepare them to face various ups and downs in their professional and personal life. Hence, it should be looked upon as one of the most vital parts of any curriculum.

The WHO (World Health Organisation) has standardized a set of skills that are crucial for a child to grow into a wise adult. It includes communication skills, critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, problem-solving, managing emotions, empathy, stress management, and more. These sets of skills are also adopted in an International schools in Indore and are also promoted at GD Goenka.

Taking these facts into account, here are six ways to boost life skills along with your child’s education:

1. Morning Assemblies and Respecting Faculty:

Morning assemblies are held in every school as part of their routine. They encourage cultural values and discipline. There’s a common saying that goes something like, ‘well begun is half done.’ So, if the school day begins with imbibing certain values in children, half the job is done there, right in that half an hour everyday. Apart from that, assemblies work towards boosting positivity among students by helping them start their day with faith.

On another hand, respecting one’s teachers and elders is also key to attaining high values. Everyone likes a respectful individual. It not only shows one’s morals but also reflects on one’s listening skills.

2. Group Projects:

Group projects at school are a good way to learn teamwork, decision-making, and empathy. Working on these projects, the students learn time management by breaking complex tasks into easier ones and conquer milestones one step at a time. It is also a good way to develop stronger communication and interpersonal skills through refined understanding of discussions. Moreover, students learn to take constructive criticism through feedback on their respective performances.

3. Sports

Playing outdoor sports teaches child skills like patience, perseverance, and determination, three of the most important skills that an individual requires in the real world. They also learn to channel any negative energy in a positive way by focusing them on their game. The children develop patience, perseverance, and a certain discipline by practicing regularly to develop a new skill.

Different sports teach different skills. Cricket teaches patience while football and basketball teach teamwork. Tennis, because teaches endurance and willpower while badminton teaches focus.

Engaging in sports teaches the children the ability to fail, learn from it, and move forward. In other words, you learn that failure is not the end but just an opportunity to improve.

4. Arts & Craft

Creativity is an extremely important skill that teaches you to think outside the box. Observation and self-expression are crucial to creativity. The value of art class goes far beyond helping children develop their art skills; they also develop essential life skills in the form of hand-to-eye coordination, thus elevating focus towards the goal. It is utilized not only in the artistic world but also in the more practical, real-world, where you have to be creative in solving problems to stand out from the crowd.

5. Participation in Competitions 

Competitions can prove advantageous in the sense that they give students a better understanding of dealing with conflicting opinions and ideas. While participating in debates, students can learn to be subjective and put across their points while still being respectful of other people’s opinions. Besides, they can learn to better evaluate risks and combat them. Competition teaches them critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving. 

As an example, debates and recitals improve one’s confidence, communication skills while creative competitions like Fancy Dress competitions and art contests promote imagination, critical thinking, decision making, and self-expression.

6. Regulations

GD Goenka – top school Indore, entails various regulations ranging from punctuality, discipline, to promoting good eating habits and etiquettes. These regulations help students to become more disciplined versions of themselves. Discipline is a sure path to a successful and accomplished future. Apart from being disciplined, maintaining personal hygiene is also imperative. This may include washing hands properly, dining etiquettes, clipped nails, ironed clothes, a clean and tidy appearance, etc. How one tends to oneself tells a lot about one and is, therefore, very crucial in life.

Although some of the best schools in Indore are aware of the importance of life skills and are taking necessary steps towards promoting them, other public and private schools in Indore are still missing out on making this a part of their curriculum. However, GD Goenka Public School, being one of the top schools in Indore, has identified and developed a pattern of integrating life skills in its education curriculum and in this way, is dedicated to providing its students the best and most holistic education that they deserve.