15 Life Skills Your Child’s Teacher Won’t Be Teaching Your Kids This Year

I know lot’s of people who think Homework is their only “Educational” duty as a parent. Personally I detest homework it just doesn’t seem to work for us. It involves, shouting, bribing, negotiating and eventually crying and that’s just me. Instead we “learn” in other ways.

I don’t know why it was never intentional but we have always included our kids in everyday adult life. I was one of those parents who let their toddler use a pair or scissors and no not the safety ones either. I am also that parent who lets my kids use a real knife to help prepare dinner. But I am also that parent that cringes when they climb a tree or imagine their neck snapping as they try for the 100th time to do a cartwheel. The only thing going up is my heart rate as I imagine the unthinkable. But somewhere in all the boundaries and lines and parenting styles we do need to teach our kids to survive the world. 15 life skills they don’t teach our kids in school.

A few years ago I shared some pumpkin themed sensory activities for kids, but I wanted to get a little more general and do some fall sensory ideas that can take you from Halloween al the way to Thanksgiving.

Playdough is a classic sensory activity, especially if kids can help make it, too. These playdough recipes from The Montessori Twin Mama are fall colored and scented with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice (I honestly don’t know what the difference is!). Or try this fun maple playdough from Happy Toddler Playtime.

Throw together some cookie cutters, googly eyes and other fun things to make an easy fall playdough tray (similar to what I did on this Halloween playdough activity).

How about some fall themed slime? Natural Beach Living gave a basic slime recipe a fall twist with food coloring and glitter. Leaf shaped sequins make it even more fun. Little Bins for Little Hands also has a cinnamon slime, which is great for fall but can also carry you all the way through Christmas.

Raising Wild Things Sensory has some great easy to make fall themed sensory bottles, which you can add fall things to, or pompoms or whatever kind of I spy items you might want to include. They also have a fun apple moon sand sensory bin that has me wondering if you could add something scented to moon sand (I always hated the smell!).

And of course there are all kinds of sensory bins you can make for fall. I like this apple picking one from Happy Toddler Playtime that uses fake leaves and little apple toys. It has the added challenge of trying to pick the apples up through a mesh of branches — kind of like a low-tech game of Operation!

You can also do a short-lived sensory bin with real leaves, or use any kind of beans, brown rice, oats or lentils to make your base. Some more great ideas can be found at Fab Everyday. Their post includes some specific Halloween and Thanksgiving themed sensory bins, too.

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