What practical skills could a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old learn easily?

December 16, 2023 5:27 AM

I babysit a couple of kids regularly, and they're in a phase of wanting to feel useful, helpful, and competent. Last time, they made me a special drink and were delighted with themselves. They get a lot of practice with movement and arts and crafts at school, so I'm thinking more along the lines of "fry an egg". Ideally safer stuff than that, because they obviously should not be tempted to use the stove by themselves yet. I'm just looking to provide some opportunities for safe independence. Any thoughts?

I don't ever have them over for more than a few hours, so skills that can be learned in a shorter time would be best.

posted by toucan to Grab Bag (20 answers total)

Knot tying? There are some simple, useful, knots that kids can tie. Use a rope rather than a string for teaching.
posted by schrodycat at 5:54 AM on December 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

Cupcakes! There's a good bit of implicit and explicit math in cooking; especially when making do with what's available in the cupboard and having to substitute.
You could learn sign-language together.
posted by BobTheScientist at 5:59 AM on December 16, 2023

While I was staying with my sister I taught my niece how to do laundry and make my bed. Laundry in particular is a perfect kid task because there are so many little steps: sort by color! turn the socks inside out! It’s very thrilling to add the detergent but of course you need to supervise. I told her it was POISON (which it is!) so she was extra careful (and extra excited).
posted by Merricat Blackwood at 6:05 AM on December 16, 2023 [10 favorites]

I cook with my preschoolers at work. No bake cookies (measuring), salsa or salads (fine motor cutting) using plastic knives, kabobs (patterning), bread maker bread and homemade butter. These are kids as young as three, and they love it.

How about programming? I haven't tried it with mine yet, but they are a littttttle too young. Maybe that's something you could learn together.
posted by kathrynm at 6:08 AM on December 16, 2023 [5 favorites]

Tidying? Toys have a place, dirty clothes in the hamper, empty the dishwasher, feed pets. Not exciting, but necessary.
posted by XtineHutch at 6:26 AM on December 16, 2023

Do people still iron? My mom taught me to iron handkerchiefs at that age.

She also taught me embroidery at five, technically a craft, but maybe not one they’re learning at school. My first project was a carrot on a pillowcase.
posted by FencingGal at 6:43 AM on December 16, 2023

A few practical/safety skills:
- Memorize and recite their own first and last name (they may know this already).
- Memorize and recite their parents' first and last names (more useful than "mom" if a parent has to be paged in a department store).
- Memorize and recite their parents' phone numbers.
- Memorize and recite their home address.
- Use a phone to call their parents' phone numbers (including finding the phone app and the number pad within it).
- Use a pay phone to call their parents' phone numbers (if you can find one...).
- How to use a locked cellphone to call emergency services (and why they shouldn't do this unless it's an actual emergency).
- How to ride a bus.
posted by heatherlogan at 6:43 AM on December 16, 2023 [13 favorites]

Sorting laundry and folding the towels and other, easier items, and separating them into each person's pile. My kids' afterschool babysitter, with her own family to care for, piled the clean laundry into baskets and set the kids to folding and separating (with a little help to identify what was whose) and then returning each person's clothes into the baskets. Can you ask the parents if they can leave a few baskets of clean laundry for that project when you come over?

Cookie making only if you have lots of time, or if you babysit regularly and can divide the tasks into

1. making the dough ( seeing if you have enough of the ingredients needed, softening the butter or other fat, identifying the correct ingredients and measuring)

2. making the cookies. My grandkids are uninterested in any cookie other than cookie cutter cookies, so we spend a bit of time fitting the cutters to the piece of dough to maximize the number of cookies each piece of dough yields. At this point the dough can be frozen and baked later, separated by a sheet of wax paper or parchment. Don't freeze with dough touching!

3. bake (measurement of heat, separation of each cookie so they don't touch) and then decoration. At this point I do very simple decoration, just icing that is confectioners sugar whisked with a few drops of lemon juice or vanilla brushed on the cooled cookie, and lots of colored sugar and sprinkles sprinkled on when the icing is still wet. You can also make colored sugar in a rounded bowl with granulated sugar and a drop of food color whisked and mashed with the back of a spoon. It's not really professional looking, but they don't seem to care. It's cheap and they can make a dozen different colors.

4. they never tire of this, and I have a large collection of seasonal cutters, so there are Thanksgiving cookies, Christmas cookies, Valentines Day cookies, etc. There is nearly always a reason to make cookies!
posted by citygirl at 7:01 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

This is the perfect age to learn how to make pierogi. You do the dough and the rolling out because they don't have the upper body strength yet, plus prepare the filling, they use a glass to cut out the circles and put everything together. Pierogi freeze easily so even if they go overboard there's no problem of food waste.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 7:06 AM on December 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Folding socks (since it seems like magic.) Making cinnamon toast (butter on toast with cinnamon sugar on top then stuck in the broiler or toaster oven.) How a broom works. Washing the car. How to properly load a dishwasher.
posted by eleslie at 7:22 AM on December 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

My daughter is five, and for the last few winters we've grown microgreens on a windowsill. Kits are cheap and readily available, the greens grow very quickly, and they can be used for a variety of recipes (or as feed for stuffed animals).
posted by champers at 7:50 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

When mine were little I drew measurements on a cutting board and had them cut vegetables into specific sizes. 1/4 inch zucchini slices, 2 inch asparagus pieces, etc. Crock pot cooking , loading and starting the rice cooker, making smoothies, and baking are all safer cooking techniques (as long as you handle the hot parts).

Also loading the dishwasher, cleaning up, and laundry (my kids did their own laundry from about 8 yrs old and up).
posted by CleverClover at 8:26 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

- folding clothes
- how to set a table
- sorting trash into recycling, composting, and landfill
- letter writing (as in correspondence)
- cleaning appliances properly (and you can use vinegar to keep it chemical safe for kids)
- sewing/patching/mending
posted by CMcG at 8:45 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Teaching household life skills is the best!
Lots of cooking doesn't have to involve the stove--salads, no-bake cookies, wraps and sandwiches, but I let my littles do prep and stirring while I supervised the burners and oven.
Learning how to do laundry is vital.
They can probably vacuum, but can they empty the canister or bag, clean the brushes, change the belt? Sounds like a lot, but even younger kids can do that stuff.

Can they count money and make change?

Show them how to set the alarm, stopwatch, and timer on the phone, and teach them the difference between each.

My neighbor's son is five, and is learning secret writing! (cursive) Secret mail! (letter locking) Secret time! (analog clock and military time) He's learning the names of all the basic hand tools and what they do. There's going to be a birdhouse project this spring. (probably with a secret entrance--the kid's a spy-in-training)
posted by BlueHorse at 8:57 AM on December 16, 2023

How to scrounge a meal if the adults are sick (cold cereal, sandwiches, opening canned tuna etc.)
Bringing sick up basin, tissue and water to someone sick. Being quiet so they can sleep.
How to make coffee or tea
Where to barf (bare floor better than carpet, basin better than sink, toilet is best location)
How to clean up a mess
Cleaning toilets so they are not repulsive/unsanitary to use
Knowing not to put paper towel down a toilet
Recognizing a blocked toilet, not flushing it, and clearing it by pouring in buckets of water suitably chosen for their strength and ability to avoid puddles (If it requires a plunger best to leave to an adult)

How to look after a pet - feed, provide clean water, clean up their waste, groom
Plant care
Simple first aid for a burn or a cut, and when to get adult help (Don't wait for an adult to get your burn under cold water, NEVER put your burnt finger under the hot water tap, etc.)
Where to find the flashlights if the power goes out, and not to over use them so the batteries wear out before it comes back on, or so they are out of power the next time.
How to hold a flashlight for someone else (Highly useful skill. They can find their toys you hid in a cupboard, one holding the light and the other searching)


How to sort stuff alphabetically so you can find it easily.
Making simple toys (paper dolls, toy forts made out of books and small boxes, the bookcase shelf as dolls house, doll made from a handkerchief/square of old soft fabric, cardboard spinner in lieu of dice, do it yourself board game, cave lairs of all sizes, two dimensional dolls house/platformer game background) Bring some large sheets of paper for the board games and 2D environments.
How to whistle using a blade of grass if they can't easily learn to whistle with just their lips

Tying shoe and boot laces
Choosing suitable clothing for the weather and remembering to grab things that might be necessary later in the day after they get out (warm gloves, sunglasses, rain jacket etc.)
Packing a bag
Locking and unlocking their front door
Safety with traffic (Number one rule: ALWAYS assume they can't see you and are traveling faster than you think, Number two rule: if you have to walk a little farther to get to a safer place to cross you ALWAYS walk a little farther. Trucks have a wake so you have to give them more distance. The technique of cross in lockstep on the heels of an adult who is crossing if you can.) Get them to make the decisions if it is safe to cross or not, and explain to you why.
How to navigate their own neighbourhood (You follow them and let them figure it out. They will probably be delighted to be free range and check out that street they never walked on, let alone going down alleys or checking out vacant lots.)
Public versus private areas, wild flowers versus plants they should never pick
How to climb fences and when not to
How to greet a strange dog (never without permission AND signs of friendliness)
How to tell where they are in their city by landmarks
How to read a map and how to make one (See also making simple toys as a map of a pretend place makes a good landscape for toy farm animals or cars, etc.)

Spending money in stores
Comparative value of things in their price range (candy, dollar store items, etc.)
How to greet neighbours politely in a way that will make the seniors feel warm and safe
How to pay for public transportation
Giving up their seat on public transportation

How to tell a story to amuse their sibling or a younger child. Get them to learn a couple of common ones by heart, and introduce new ones that end with a punch line.
Reading aloud using different voices for different speakers. (Squeaky, shrill, deep, scared and trembling, vague and slow, threatening, "Fee! Fie! Fo! Fum! I smell the blood of an American Person! Be he alive or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my dinner for certain!"etc. )
Singing a song and knowing all the words
How to play a simple tune if there is an instrument handy
How to drum in rhythm and what to improvise as a drum (upside down plastic bucket MUCH better than a metal pot)
How to dance
Making their own comic strip (Trace a small box to get individual panels the same size)
How to wrap a present
How to write a message in a card

Tightening screws, and the different heads on them
How to remove a nail or hammer it flat

How to say useful things in a second language spoken locally. (Thank you, No thank you!, Hello, Good bye, Elevator floors, My name is... What is your name? Be careful, Stop! Ma'am, Sir, Hey you!)

Using the washer and dryer
How to wring out a washcloth (bonus, how to make a washcloth fart while you are in the bath)
How to wring out something much bigger than a washcloth
How to squeegee a shower and why you do it
Cleaning muddy boots
Collecting the waste baskets, taking the garbage out and bringing the bins back in
How to deal with broken glass (Step one, retreat and go put your shoes on)

Swimming and water safety
Gun safety, using a toy gun to demonstrate (not unloading and loading or cleaning, but getting the heck away, never pointing it at anyone or letting anyone point it at you, how to hold it if you have to pick it up after your friend puts it down.)
Active shooter drills, disguised as playing cops'n'robbers with the toy gun (Don't look out the window if you hear shots outside, get to the other side of the house to be farther from bullets that might come inside, take cover or go inside if you hear shots fired outside, and remove yourself from the area promptly if you get an inkling there might be violence, anyone who approaches the shooter gets to die yelling in pain, NOT be a hero)
Lighting matches (over the sink so they can drop it when they burn their fingers and cold water is nearby, plus the rule that if they want to play with fire they can ONLY IF they get adult supervision ONLY, but they can get that supervision)

How to remember a short message until you can deliver it
How to take a phone message

Note that MANY these things must be approved of by the parents first. They may not want you to let their kids clean the toilet, or light matches as they intend to teach those things themselves or don't want them learning about them at all, and they may be opposed to toy guns and cops'n'robbers games as they feel that would promote violence or carelessness.
posted by Jane the Brown at 10:52 AM on December 16, 2023 [3 favorites]

Maybe I'm a wild and dangerous lunatic, but what's wrong with frying an egg?

Emphasize that it's not to be done alone, treat the oven with extreme respect and make the 7 year old in charge with the 5 year old assistant.
posted by Chausette at 11:17 AM on December 16, 2023

Sweep the floor.
Wipe the counter.
Take out trash/ recycling.
If there's a neighbor with a dog, walking the dog, with supervision.
Put away their own laundry
Add items to a grocery list.
Pour milk/ juice.
Put their dishes in the dishwasher.
posted by theora55 at 11:22 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

It sounds like they come over to your place, right? If in between visits there's something in your house that needs repairing or maintaining that's not urgent, maybe you can save it for their next visit. Similarly if you ever buy anything new that needs some construction (I used to love helping with flat pack furniture).

This isn't exciting but there are probably many opportunities to teach it: how to clean up a spill. Lots of even older kids have no idea and will do things like just pile endless napkins or paper towels on top of the wet area and then... abandon it.

Last time, they made me a special drink and were delighted with themselves.

Along similar lines: they could make you some instant pudding or jello, or different kinds of sandwiches, or a fruit salad (they might have a great time with a melon baller, grapes and berries don't need cutting, and bananas are easy to cut with a dull knife). You can help them think about presentation too.

One note: if you ever have them use a microwave, make sure they understand how long they've set the timer for and teach them to double check that they're setting the right units (seconds vs minutes vs hours). I know some kids who accidentally set a fire that way once.
posted by trig at 12:23 PM on December 16, 2023

The phonetic alphabet! My dad was a gliding and flying instructor and as kids we spent a lot of time at airfields and I remember the sense of achievement of learning Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta… it’s still handy decades later. Now I work in a hospital and notice clinicians are learning it for when they need to verbally communicate a patient’s NHI number (ABC1234).
posted by MissyMonster at 2:16 PM on December 16, 2023 [2 favorites]

Depends a bit on their current level of independence. An easy thing I'd trust about any child with is showing them how to split an English Muffin, letting them top it with shredded cheese and put it in a toaster oven (wouldn't trust with an actual oven because they might lose track of time)
posted by I paid money to offer this... insight? at 5:25 PM on December 17, 2023