Use a 3-ring binder to maintain records of your child's growth and development. This binder should be labeled "Life Skills" and can be used throughout his school years.
Decide what skills you believe are important for success in life. This will depend greatly on how you live your own life. Categories to consider include:
Money management
Household chores and maintenance
Basic auto care and repair
Character traits (integrity, perseverance, etc.)
Love of learning
Acts of service
Insert dividers into the 3-ring binder and label each divider with the categories you have selected.
Write down specific goals for each life skill. Making goals specific will give you a concrete target to work toward. Here are some examples:
Category: Money management
Goal 1: Open a checking account.
Goal 2: Maintain a positive balance in a checking account for five months.
Category: Acts of service
Goal 1: Visit a nursing home three times this year.
Goal 2: Serve on one short-term missions trip.
Add evidence to the binder throughout the year to show that the goals are being met. Some goals will be completed in just one day, while others will take months to finish. If you have paperwork or other items related to the goals, insert them into the binder behind the appropriate divider. To prove completion, make sure each goal has at least one tangible piece of evidence. This could include documents, such as a filled-out budget sheet; photos of the student meeting the goal; or a narrative essay written by the student describing the experience.
Document each goal after it is achieved. After the child has accomplished the goal, write the completed date on the list of goals.