As parents, many of us want to teach our kids important life skills so that, when they leave the nest, they can fly with their own wings. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to keep track of everything they will need to know, especially if, like me, you’re a Gen X parent with one fledgling adult and one teenager that thinks they already know everything. Generation gaps and my own adulting struggles aside, I’ve often wished for something or someone to help me teach my kids what they need to know.
Last summer, I discovered that there is some help out there. LifeSkillsNow is a virtual camp for both kids and their parents, focusing on those things that sometimes we don’t even know how to teach our own kids.
What Is LifeSkillsNow?
LifeSkillsNow is a series of online classes designed to help teach a specific life skill. Make selections based on specific skill tracks or choose individual classes that suit you and your child the best. The camp is free during the live week; purchasing the all-access pass, however, allows you permanent access to the entire camp, so you can always come back and try a different track, rewatch classes to refresh your memory, and even skip the live week if you’re not available. I discovered this is the best method for my family because not only were we still in school during the week of the live classes last year, but we were so busy that we needed the flexibility to watch videos on our own time.
Some of the track categories include social connections, plan/organize/clean, finances, career and future, growing and making food, healthy body and mind, and even an entire track devoted to neurodivergent families (which is great for mine).
Why Should I Reserve a LifeSkillsNow Spot?
If you’re anything like me, you are trying to teach your kids skills based on your own abilities, but maybe your adulting skills aren’t as great as you’d like them to be. Maybe you find yourself resonating with the meme that wishes for an “adultier adult” or you have learned more from random videos on the internet than you did as a child yourself. Maybe it’s just hard to teach life skills when you’re barely keeping your own head above water in today’s fast-paced, productivity-centered world.
For me, this virtual camp fills a gap I knew existed but had no idea how to handle. It gives me access to a village to help raise my children without having to join a commune. With this camp, I can have my kid watch a video or watch it with them and try new things without my kid refusing to listen because the education came from mom. I can watch parent-centered videos and try new techniques for connecting with my neurodivergent young adult clones of myself.
What Ages Can Benefit From LifeSkillsNow?
The first year of LifeSkillsNow included classes for pretty much every age, from preschool through young adult. I could choose from multiple tracks for parents as well, and by purchasing the all-access pass, still have access to those courses. Season two classes include recommended ages, from 5+ to young adult and parents.
Even though at first glance the camp seems best for elementary-aged kids, I was surprised to see that even my older kids at 20 and 17 can benefit from watching classes for the younger children as well. One class that’s available now for early access is geared toward ages 5+ but my 17-year-old loved “Mini Imagination Vacations & Other Ways to Deal With Big Emotions for Kids.” I think most of us would agree that teenagers can use refreshers on how to deal with big emotions. Each class also comes with a timestamp so you know what kind of investment you’re looking at. Day one includes classes ranging from a 6-minute video on how to check vehicle tires for air pressure and tread depth to a 34-minute class on what comes after high school. Haven’t had to send a letter since last century? There’s a short class for kids on how to write a thank you note and address an envelope.
What Bonuses Do I Get if I Purchase?
LifeSkillsNow isn’t just about classes, although they’re certainly worth attending. Purchasing the all-access package gives permanent access to all the classes, but it also gives access to some coupons from the instructors as well as several printable worksheets, planners, and guides. Season two includes a recipe book, a family vacation planning worksheet, a separate course on discipline, and coupons for a wide variety of online shops or subscriptions.
Because LifeSkillsNow is a collaborative effort from many different experts, the classes alone are worth the cost of admission. The freebies and coupons are nice bonuses to have, though, and at least a few of them will appeal to most parents.
How Can I Preorder Access?
Signing up for the free camp is as simple as registering on the website. Until camp starts on June 12, 2023, you can get in on the preorder for the all-access pass for $167—which is a lot cheaper than most summer camps—and your access will never go away. I still refer to some of the classes from last year and am excited to see a few classes coming back with updates as well as a whole host of new ones. Another bonus to the all-access pass is that as your kids get older, they may benefit from classes they were too young to watch before.
In my experience, LifeSkillsNow was just what I needed to be able to help me give my kids what they need for the future. To be completely honest, it’s taught me new skills as well, and I am excited for season two for the whole family. I hope you join me at camp this year, and look forward to helping my kids be even better humans as I send them out into the world.
