What Should a 10 Year Old Know How to Do?

What should a 10 year old know how to do? Great question for parents of young children. Ten years old is the age that children really start to learn about the world and their place in it. It is also the age many children are especially active. In this article, I’m going to go over the twelve things that every child should know by their tenth birthday. This isn’t an exhaustive list, of course, but it is a good start.

What Should a 10 Year Old Know How To Do?

Here’s twelve things a child should know by the age of 10 years old.

1.) Brush Their Teeth Every morning and night

Your child should brush their teeth, floss, and maybe use mouthwash. This is an especially important time because this is the time your child is in control and can do this by themselves. Taking the time to do it every day is a real step forward in your child growing up.

It may take a while to get your child to do this but by age ten, they should be ready to do it by themselves. To help them out, you can set a timer, write it on a calendar, or just do it before your child goes to bed and have them follow you the next day.

2.) Put Their Clothes Away

Children should learn how to fold their clothes up in a neat fashion when they are put away to make it easier to find things. This is especially important with socks if you have some mismatched ones.

You might also want to teach your child how to sort their clothes into two piles. In one pile, would be what to wear now and in the other would be what to wear later in the day. Doing this will make it easier for them to find the clothes they need for the day.

3.) Make Their Own Bed

Making one’s own bed is a skill that the whole family has to know. You might think it’s not worth teaching your child to do it, but it really is. The best time to do it is when they are setting up the room every day. This way it’s easier to do and isn’t forgotten about.

4.) Clear Their Place at Dinner

As for clearing their own place at dinner, this is a skill that everyone in the family should learn. This age is a good time to master the art of clearing one’s place.

5.) Take Out the Trash

This is a skill that everyone in the family should learn. One because it is a good habit to get used to but two, because it will build up a good habit on how to get chores done.

6.) Feed Themselves

Children this age should be able to feed themselves. You may want to teach them how to use a fork and how to use a spoon. You might also want to start teaching them how to use a whisk if you have one around.

7.) How Money Works

By this age, you should have taught your child about money. You can explain to them where the money comes from and what it’s for. You might also want to teach them about saving money. Doing this at a young age can go a long way in teaching good financial habits.

8.) How to Solve Problems

We all have problems and children of this age should not be an exception to this. Teaching your child to problem solve can be a great help to them down the road. If there is a problem, show them how to solve it. If you don’t show them how, then they won’t know how.

9.) How to Set and Meet Goals

You should by this age teach your child how to set and meet short term and long term goals. This will teach them self control, planning, and planning. With modern technology, you can make such goals and tasks more fun by making them into video games.

10.) How to Make Friends

By this age, you should have taught your child how to be a good friend. If they need help, then you should be there to help them. Learning social etiquette and how to make friends is a lesson that should be taught even earlier, but by ten years old, children should know how to make friends.

11.) How to Get Home

By this age, a child should know their address, their phone number, and how to get home. You should have taught your child this already and they should know it by now so they can use it if they need it. With a smartphone, this is easy but it’s still a good idea to have them practice this.

12.) How to Get Out of Trouble

If you are in trouble, what do you do? This is a lesson that should be taught to children. Tell them the best thing to do if they are in trouble. They should know what to do and how to do it. This is not only for physical trouble but also for emotional trouble. There will be times when children will feel bad for what they did and will want your help.

The Best Way To Teach Your Child

Teaching these things should be a gradual thing. Don’t rush it and give them time to learn. However, it is better to start now and have them learn it now so they can use it when they need it.

Teaching your child these things will help them be better people in the future. They will grow up to be more well equipped to handle the problems that lay ahead of them.

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Kenny Kings

Kenny Kings is a chapter book author who is helping Paul Bellow fill the Hoosier Chapter Books blog with great content. You can find out more about Kenny Kings on the Kenny Kings bio page. Kenny Kings does not have children of his own, but he has more than enough nieces and nephews. With the help of the editorial team, he's been contributing to our blogging efforts to help families everywhere while promoting our chapter books. You can contact him at kennykings@hoosierchapterbooks.com.