Help the student set life skills goals and develop a detailed plan. For instance, help the child make up a daily schedule, planning appropriate amounts of time for different tasks. Make certain to use plenty of hands-on tools like a clock, a daily planner and a calendar. While a child may have mastered telling time, having a tangible object there while discussing time will reinforce the concepts. With the calendar, fill in some appointments with the child for practice. Give them dates and times to fill in. Show a daily planner to the child that has been written in already, to model an appropriate use for one.
For longer-range planning, help the child see how to break larger tasks into smaller chunks. For instance, if the child has laundry to do weekly, explain how the clothing could be washed and dried on Monday afternoon, folded and put away on Monday evening and any ironing finished up on Tuesday. Do the same with a big school assignment. For instance, on week one finish the outline, and on week two, write a rough draft, and finish up the edits on week three.
Set up practice activities for shopping and money skills. Bring in checkbooks and teach the student how to write a check. Provide the student practice in balancing the checkbook, and be sure to show the student how to use the calculator to help with the tasks. Give the student a checkbook register and have her copy different amounts into it, then use the calculator to find the balance. Practice making budgets for a household, giving the student a set amount of income, then figuring out the budget by estimating costs of different monthly expenses. Write up a week of menus with the student, then develop a grocery list, and take a field trip to the grocery store if possible, finding items on the grocery list and estimating the amount of money the groceries will cost. Practice making change regularly to build money skills, using different methods such as setting up a mock store, letting students take turns as customer or clerk.
Discuss hygiene and health needs, such as how important it is to shower daily, necessary toiletry products, good grooming practices and a proper wardrobe for different activities and settings. Discuss health needs and when to see a doctor, and when health needs are emergencies.
Read rental ads online or in the paper and discuss what the different abbreviations mean and what the total cost of renting includes. Show the student what a lease looks like and explain the process of renting a home and the expectations of a landlord and tenant. Discuss basic home maintenance issues and home safety issues like fire hazards, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
Discuss transportation options with the student. If the student can obtain a license, discuss the process and prepare the student. If the student will be driving, discuss basic car maintenance issues. Show the student how to check the oil, how to put in oil, get fuel and how to know when the car needs repairs. If the student will not be driving, help him learn what transportation options are available such as taxis, buses or services available. Get a bus schedule and go over a route the student would use to get to work or home, or to the store.
Help the child understand the process of applying for a job, by looking at help wanted ads, and filling out job applications. Practice for a job interview. Then discuss what things are expected of a good employee.