Everyday living skills
There are some important day-to-day skills we all need to be ready and confident to live independently. This includes things like shopping, cooking, cleaning, DIY and personal hygiene.
When we first move away from home, there are always lots of things we’re unsure of, so the most important thing is to be willing to try new things, trust your common sense and don’t be too afraid of getting things wrong. You’ll always be able to ask your PA if you’re unsure about anything.
If you’re keen to learn some of these skills and you’re living with foster carers or in a residential home, why not ask your carers or support workers if you can try cooking something or go shopping with them. You’re probably less likely to want to do housework or DIY, but these are also very handy skills which you’ll need for the rest of your life so why not start now!
To help you develop independent living skills, why not start ticking off some of the things below:
- I can cook a healthy balanced meal by myself from scratch
- I can go food shopping on my own, find what I need and stick to my budget
- I know what I need to keep my house clean, things like hoovering, cleaning floors, dusting, cleaning toilets and showers, and wiping surfaces, and I can do that by myself
- I know some useful tips on how to keep where I live tidy and organised
- I know how to change a lightbulb
- I can do some basic gardening and know what it needs to make a garden nice and healthy
- I’ve got a good routine for personal care, so I’m regularly showering, washing my hair, cleaning my teeth, and looking after my skin and nails
As always, there is a lot of information on the internet to help you. If you’re not sure about something or don’t know where to start, why not get a YouTube video up and follow along. It could be anything from how to put flatpack furniture together, how to cook a particular meal, how to look after your skin and hair, how to make a budget or how to make sense of household bills. There’s lots of help and advice out there, so give it a go!
