INTRODUCTION Independent Living Skills What does being INDEPENDENT

INTRODUCTION Independent Living Skills

What does being INDEPENDENT mean? Being independent is being able take care of yourself and to live on your own to the best of your ability.

Why is learning to be independent important? We will all become adults and our parents will not always be there to take care of us. • Need necessary skills to survive and succeed on our own. • Makes us feel proud and boost our self-esteem. • Will make us happier and able to live a more rewarding life. • Give us control over our DESTINY.

What are INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS? Independent living skills are those skills that will help you become independent. • To successfully live on our own requires learning essential social, life, and career readiness skills.

Examples of Important Independent Living Skills Personal Hygiene = maintaining the body’s cleanness Organizational Skills Community Travel Job Seeking Skills Job Maintenance Skills Consumer Awareness Housekeeping Skills Self-advocacy = asking questions and requesting things from others. Making Healthy Choices Healthy Meal Preparation Problem Solving Interpersonal Skills = to be able to interact well with others. Money Management Independent Shopping Personal Management Safety Knowledge of Community Resources

When should you begin learning independent living skills? • You should begin learning these skills now. • The younger the better. • It takes time to master independent living skills. • You need to have learned the essential independent living skills before you graduate high school.

How can you become more independent? • You need to decide it is important to learn independent learning skills and make the choice to begin to learn them. Start off with the little things. Those things that you are already capable of doing and you should be doing. If you can do something on your own and are allowed to then you should be doing it. • Identify those skills you have not yet learned; look and ask for the opportunities to learn them. For example: ü Learn to prepare meals, grocery shop, and do laundry. . etc ü Get involved in clubs, sports, or other activities. Volunteering and being involved activities, is a great way to gain career and social skills.

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