Module 3: Life Skills
Shaping the European Active Citizen: Raising intercultural / transcultural awareness through life skills cultivation in primary education
No. 2023-1-EL01-KA220-SCH-000158723
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
INTRODUCTION
Life Skills are very important for children’s development. The World Health Organization suggests that there are five core set of skills that promote young people’s well-being (WHO, 2020): 1. decision-making and problem-solving 2. critical thinking and creative thinking 3. communication and interpersonal relationships 4. self-awareness and empathy and 5. coping with stress and managing emotions
- In this module we are going to focus on some of the life skills that are considered essential for adopting healthy lifestyles and developing to become mature adults that make informed decisions.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
In this module we hope to help parents better understand:
The significance of life skills for children’s development
Learning Objectives
The significance of the parental role in assisting children develop their Life skills
The value of acting as role models for children on life skills development
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
By the end of this module the expected results will be to help parents become more aware of:
Learning Outcomes
- The significance of life skills and their value as equal to achieving cognitive goals
- The need to work collaboratively with schools in developing children’s life skills
- The value of participating in local activities that will enhance children's life skills
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What Life Skills are?
- There are several related terms that could be included under the broader concept of life skills. Such terms are, for example:
- 'non-cognitive skills' that refer to critical and innovative thinking; interpersonal skills; intrapersonal skills; global citizenship skills; media and information literacy and
- 'soft skills' that is social and emotional skills that refer to critical thinking, emotional intelligence, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, time management, flexibility, conscientiousness, and various communication skills.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What Life Skills are?
According to the World Health Organization (2020), life skills are “Abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (p. 37). OECD suggests that “Social and emotional skills” refer to the abilities to regulate one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
The World Health Organization describes the following core set of skills that promote childrens’ and young people’s well-being. From those it is important to help children and young people develop:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
1. Decision-making and problem solving helps children and young people to deal constructively with decisions about their lives. Ηelping children to make meaningful decisions and informed choices, parents can play a crucial role by: a) being clear about values and ethics b) enhancing a learning culture as a safe culture c) teaching children how to protect their own psychological health and wellbeing by engaging in positive activities d) help children build good and trustworthy relationships at school and at home and e) notice behaviours that may have a negative impact in their lives, trust their intuition, and their ‘gut feelings’.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
2. Critical and creative thinking refer to children's ability to check and evaluate the reliability of information, to understand relationships between facts or ideas, and to question ideas, assumptions and conclusions. Parents could help children to: a) explore alternative solutions to different situations b) interact with other people with different backgrounds (social, educational, cultural) c) discover unfamiliar places and engage in new activities d) ask questions and e) encourage play without limiting their freedom, to experiment and make mistakes.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
3. Communication refers to children's’ ability to express themselves, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our culture and build interpersonal relationships in positive ways with the people we interact with. Parents can help children build assertiveness by setting an example of : a) saying NO in a fair, forward way when they feel that they are drawn into situations that they don’t want to be in b) paying attention to body language, tone of voice c) managing the time appropriately d) using “I-statements instead of ‘you-statements’ (e.g. “I feel angry when you….” instead of “You make me angry when...”) and e) expressing ownership of their thoughts and feelings, rather than attacking the other person.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
4. Self-awareness includes the recognition of ourselves, of our character, of our strengths and weaknesses, of our desires and dislikes. Empathy is the ability to imagine what life is like for another person, even in a situation that we might not be familiar with. When children are skilled in self-regulation they tend to be flexible and adapt well to change and they are good at managing conflict.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
5. Coping with stress refers to being able to recognize the sources of stresses in their lives, how this affects them, and act in ways that could help to control their levels of stress. Stress in children and adolescents can occur as a reaction to a short-term situation, e.g. exams performance or it can last longer, e.g. forming meaningful relationships at school. Coping with stress is possible in terms of a) problem-focused coping or b) emotion-focused coping. When children feel that they do not have the ability to respond to the challenges, they are more likely to turn to an emotion-focused response, such as wishful thinking, distraction, or emphasis on the positive as an attempt to reduce the negative emotional reactions associated with stress (embarrassment, fear, anxiety, depression, arousal, and frustration).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Why is Life Skills education important?
Life skills education is important for childrens’ and young people’s development. UNESCO suggests that Life Skills training can help us achieve development and growth by : 1. “Learning to Know” 2. “Learning to Do” 3. “Learning to Be” 4. “Learning to Live Together” In this perspective, every child and young person can learn from early childhood to adolescence and achieve apart from literacy and numeracy, critical thinking and problem solving, socio-emotional skills such as leadership, teamwork and self-control, and context-specific technical skills needed to perform a specific job.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What is the role of the parent?
- The role of the parent is very important in enhancing children’s life skills early enough. Family is the first team children experience and plays a significant role in their socialization.
- As a parent apart from providing a safe environment it is important to help children and adolescents enhance their life skills, by:
- participating in family chores
- participate in decision that concern their daily life
- participate in decisions that concern their education and development
- participate in community life and care about what goes on in their local communities, including school and neighborhood associations.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What activities can you do with your children?
- Set a good example and help children connect with community associations by being yourself a member in your local association and engage regularly in their activities
- Participate in school’s parent association and attend regularly their meetings-take part in the elections either by voting or even running for a position.
- Set a date, at least once a week (e.g during weekends) to prepare together a healthy family meal. Ask your child to take part in meals preparation, making the table and helping with preparing the meal.
- List the events taking place in your local neighborhood, select the ones that you prefer and best suit your time, ask your child to join you in some events at least once every 2-3 months.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
References
Cope, S. (2025). 18 Effective Time Management Strategies and Techniques. Harvard Summer School (2022). 8 Time Management Tips for Students. Hugh-Jones, D., & Borcan, O. (2022). No, wait, stop: Parents do make a difference. BPS. Lorencová, H., Jarošová, E., Avgitidou, S., & Dimitriadou, C. (2019). Critical thinking practices in teacher education programmes: A systematic review. Studies in Higher Education, 44(5), 844-859. Practice Board (2018). Safeguarding Children and Young People. Every Psychologists’ Responsibility. BPS. RaduloviÄ, L., & StanÄ iÄ, M. (2017). What is needed to develop critical thinking in schools?. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 7(3), 9-25. Saeed, B. A., & Ramdane, T. (2022). The effect of implementation of a creative thinking model on the development of creative thinking skills in high school students: A systematic review. Review of Education, 10(3), e3379. Sugg, K. (2025). Investigating the stresses children experience and the coping strategies they use. BPS. UNESCO (2020). Nurturing the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people during crises. Unicef (n.d). Parenting for Every Child-What is stress? A common feeling that affects children as much as adults, just differently. USAHS (n.d.). 9 Proven Time Management Techniques and Tools. Zilli, Ch. (2025). The Participation Of Autistic Pupils In Decision-Making About Their School Experiences: A Case Study Of One School. BPS.
https://www.upwork.com/resources/time-management-strategies
https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/8-time-management-tips-for-students/#1-Create-a-Calendar
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/no-wait-stop-parents-do-make-difference
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1586331
https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/safeguarding-children-and-young-people-every-psychologists-responsibility
https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3379
https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.283
https://www.bps.org.uk/investigating-stresses-children-experience-and-coping-strategies-they-use
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373271
https://www.unicef.org/parenting/mental-health/what-is-stress
https://www.usa.edu/blog/time-management-techniques
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
https://www.bps.org.uk/participation-autistic-pupils-decision-making-about-their-school-experiences-case-study-one-school
Module 3 : Life Skills
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Transcript
Module 3: Life Skills
Shaping the European Active Citizen: Raising intercultural / transcultural awareness through life skills cultivation in primary education
No. 2023-1-EL01-KA220-SCH-000158723
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
INTRODUCTION
Life Skills are very important for children’s development. The World Health Organization suggests that there are five core set of skills that promote young people’s well-being (WHO, 2020): 1. decision-making and problem-solving 2. critical thinking and creative thinking 3. communication and interpersonal relationships 4. self-awareness and empathy and 5. coping with stress and managing emotions
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
In this module we hope to help parents better understand:
The significance of life skills for children’s development
Learning Objectives
The significance of the parental role in assisting children develop their Life skills
The value of acting as role models for children on life skills development
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
By the end of this module the expected results will be to help parents become more aware of:
Learning Outcomes
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What Life Skills are?
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What Life Skills are?
According to the World Health Organization (2020), life skills are “Abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (p. 37). OECD suggests that “Social and emotional skills” refer to the abilities to regulate one’s thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
The World Health Organization describes the following core set of skills that promote childrens’ and young people’s well-being. From those it is important to help children and young people develop:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
1. Decision-making and problem solving helps children and young people to deal constructively with decisions about their lives. Ηelping children to make meaningful decisions and informed choices, parents can play a crucial role by: a) being clear about values and ethics b) enhancing a learning culture as a safe culture c) teaching children how to protect their own psychological health and wellbeing by engaging in positive activities d) help children build good and trustworthy relationships at school and at home and e) notice behaviours that may have a negative impact in their lives, trust their intuition, and their ‘gut feelings’.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
2. Critical and creative thinking refer to children's ability to check and evaluate the reliability of information, to understand relationships between facts or ideas, and to question ideas, assumptions and conclusions. Parents could help children to: a) explore alternative solutions to different situations b) interact with other people with different backgrounds (social, educational, cultural) c) discover unfamiliar places and engage in new activities d) ask questions and e) encourage play without limiting their freedom, to experiment and make mistakes.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
3. Communication refers to children's’ ability to express themselves, both verbally and non-verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our culture and build interpersonal relationships in positive ways with the people we interact with. Parents can help children build assertiveness by setting an example of : a) saying NO in a fair, forward way when they feel that they are drawn into situations that they don’t want to be in b) paying attention to body language, tone of voice c) managing the time appropriately d) using “I-statements instead of ‘you-statements’ (e.g. “I feel angry when you….” instead of “You make me angry when...”) and e) expressing ownership of their thoughts and feelings, rather than attacking the other person.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
4. Self-awareness includes the recognition of ourselves, of our character, of our strengths and weaknesses, of our desires and dislikes. Empathy is the ability to imagine what life is like for another person, even in a situation that we might not be familiar with. When children are skilled in self-regulation they tend to be flexible and adapt well to change and they are good at managing conflict.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
WHO Life Skills
5. Coping with stress refers to being able to recognize the sources of stresses in their lives, how this affects them, and act in ways that could help to control their levels of stress. Stress in children and adolescents can occur as a reaction to a short-term situation, e.g. exams performance or it can last longer, e.g. forming meaningful relationships at school. Coping with stress is possible in terms of a) problem-focused coping or b) emotion-focused coping. When children feel that they do not have the ability to respond to the challenges, they are more likely to turn to an emotion-focused response, such as wishful thinking, distraction, or emphasis on the positive as an attempt to reduce the negative emotional reactions associated with stress (embarrassment, fear, anxiety, depression, arousal, and frustration).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Why is Life Skills education important?
Life skills education is important for childrens’ and young people’s development. UNESCO suggests that Life Skills training can help us achieve development and growth by : 1. “Learning to Know” 2. “Learning to Do” 3. “Learning to Be” 4. “Learning to Live Together” In this perspective, every child and young person can learn from early childhood to adolescence and achieve apart from literacy and numeracy, critical thinking and problem solving, socio-emotional skills such as leadership, teamwork and self-control, and context-specific technical skills needed to perform a specific job.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What is the role of the parent?
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
What activities can you do with your children?
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
References
Cope, S. (2025). 18 Effective Time Management Strategies and Techniques. Harvard Summer School (2022). 8 Time Management Tips for Students. Hugh-Jones, D., & Borcan, O. (2022). No, wait, stop: Parents do make a difference. BPS. Lorencová, H., Jarošová, E., Avgitidou, S., & Dimitriadou, C. (2019). Critical thinking practices in teacher education programmes: A systematic review. Studies in Higher Education, 44(5), 844-859. Practice Board (2018). Safeguarding Children and Young People. Every Psychologists’ Responsibility. BPS. RaduloviÄ, L., & StanÄ iÄ, M. (2017). What is needed to develop critical thinking in schools?. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 7(3), 9-25. Saeed, B. A., & Ramdane, T. (2022). The effect of implementation of a creative thinking model on the development of creative thinking skills in high school students: A systematic review. Review of Education, 10(3), e3379. Sugg, K. (2025). Investigating the stresses children experience and the coping strategies they use. BPS. UNESCO (2020). Nurturing the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people during crises. Unicef (n.d). Parenting for Every Child-What is stress? A common feeling that affects children as much as adults, just differently. USAHS (n.d.). 9 Proven Time Management Techniques and Tools. Zilli, Ch. (2025). The Participation Of Autistic Pupils In Decision-Making About Their School Experiences: A Case Study Of One School. BPS.
https://www.upwork.com/resources/time-management-strategies
https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/8-time-management-tips-for-students/#1-Create-a-Calendar
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/no-wait-stop-parents-do-make-difference
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1586331
https://www.bps.org.uk/guideline/safeguarding-children-and-young-people-every-psychologists-responsibility
https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3379
https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.283
https://www.bps.org.uk/investigating-stresses-children-experience-and-coping-strategies-they-use
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373271
https://www.unicef.org/parenting/mental-health/what-is-stress
https://www.usa.edu/blog/time-management-techniques
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
https://www.bps.org.uk/participation-autistic-pupils-decision-making-about-their-school-experiences-case-study-one-school