Why are kids lacking basic life skills and independence?
Children are entering classrooms unable to handle fundamental tasks like tying shoes, peeling fruit, or managing the toilet, while older students quit challenging coursework to avoid receiving low marks. This lack of practical capability and resilience prevents them from solving basic everyday problems or persisting when academic and personal challenges arise.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Bringing clementines and peeling them for the studentsDid this help you?
- 2Remaking lesson plans and baby-proofing classroomsDid this help you?
- 3Trying to do more handwritten work despite poor handwritingDid this help you?
- 4Explaining expectations and teaching basic tasks during class timeDid this help you?
- 5Blaming pandemic disruptions or remote learningDid this help you?
- 6Identifying screen time or lack of boundaries as causesDid this help you?
- 7forcing teachers to take on 24/7 care and parenting dutiesDid this help you?
- 8requiring parents to pay for childcare until children are readyDid this help you?
- 9making parents educate children themselves if they cannot behave in schoolDid this help you?
- 10pulling kids out of public school for private or homeschoolingDid this help you?
- 11trying to practice skills with nieces and nephews despite resistance from parentsDid this help you?
- 12Using play dough and Lego to build fine motor skills.Did this help you?
- 13Reading classic children's stories aloud in class.Did this help you?
- 14Working new experiences and foods directly into standard lessons.Did this help you?
- 15Organizing free or low-cost trips to the school garden or local library.Did this help you?
- 16Teaching common recess games like four square or jump rope to the whole class.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Most of them cannot tie their shoes or even begin to try.”source ↗
“Many kids have never had to peel fruit.”source ↗
“Many were complaining it was too hard to eat. Use your teeth y’all!”source ↗
“I've got Year 11 students dropping classes because the content is getting harder, not because they are failing, they just don't want to ever get a low mark and learn from that.”source ↗
“Can’t read a clock, can’t find information on a 4 sentence google slide, won’t read or follow directions.”source ↗
“Some of my 11th graders were unsure how many seconds are in a minute and how many minutes are in an hour.”source ↗
“Many kinders now want their bottoms wiped or are scared of the toilet flushing.”source ↗
“teachers now have to potty train 1st graders and change diapers”source ↗
“I've noticed that fewer and fewer kids are meeting traditional developmental milestones, including: * A lack of potty training going into kindergarten. This is massive, and everyone understands the occaisonal accident, but the habital wearing of diapers and the inability to use the washroom is concerning.”source ↗
“I want to spend a little time teaching my difficult kiddo some life skills. His fine motor skills are dreadful due to having nothing but an iPad at home from baby hood”source ↗
“What else could I do? Basically think of every single quintessential childhood experience you've ever had, then remove it. That's this kid. He hasn't. Had. Any. Of. Them. Like not even the bare minimum.”source ↗
“He is often dirty. He has speech difficulties and last year his behaviour problems were off the scales.”source ↗
“Can't send your kid to school not toilet trained (or life trained for that matter) then get mad when we step outside our normal duties.”source ↗
“I've noticed it too and I don't know a single teacher or anyone who works with kids who hasn't noticed.”source ↗
“My sister told me I couldn't do any practice with them because "that's what school is for" and "Breaks are for having a break from school", and "They just need to pay attention better in class".”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 11Why do I feel so behind when I compare my child to other kids?
- 19Why won't my child do basic daily tasks without me?
- 3Special education pull-out services during core instruction time
- 4Teaching grade level standards when students are extremely behind
- 7Books and resources for teaching body boundaries to 4-6 year olds
- 3What does my child actually need to know before starting school?