2. Assess Your Skills!
This activity aims to help students assess their life skills and set priorities for improving their life skills.
Discuss
Today, we are going to talk about life skills, which are essential for becoming independent adults. Some skills may come to us naturally, while others might require a bit of help, and there are some we may not know how to do at all.
It’s important to understand the skills we already have, the ones we need help with, and those we would like to learn. This awareness will help us plan for our future.
We will take a simple life skills assessment today. This assessment will help us start thinking about the skills we possess, the skills we may need assistance with, and the ones we want to learn. Please note that the skills listed in this assessment are general and do not cover every skill needed for independent living. They are simply a starting point.
Remember, some skills might not apply to you or your situation, and that’s perfectly okay!
Resource
[Note to Instructors: This assessment worksheet covers a variety of life skill areas and includes related resources. It’s designed to be flexible—use the full assessment or focus on specific sections that fit your student’s needs, preferences, and skills. You can also use the Independent Living Skills Resources or activities in place of the lesson’s activities if that’s a better fit.]
Reflect
Using a completed Life Skills Assessment encourage students to prioritize the skills they want to learn or improve. Use one of the options on the Life Skills Reflection Worksheets to help them develop an action plan on how they would like to achieve that goal.
Interactive Opportunity
Play a game using the life skills discussed. To prepare for the activity, you will pick from two options:
Option 1: Play charades with the skills listed in the assessment. You can write each skill on a small piece of paper.
Option 2: As a group, come up with additional skills for each category. Each skill should be written on a small piece of paper.
Next, place each piece of paper in a bowl or laid face down on a table. Split the group into two teams. Each student will then get a turn to try and get their teammates to name a skill. A turn begins with a student randomly picking a piece of paper from the bowl or table. The student acts it out or describes the activity without saying any words. To keep the game moving, set a timer for a specific amount of time per turn (For example, 20 seconds). Alternate team turns and ensure each student gets a chance to play. The team that guesses the most skills correctly will win!