10 Life Skills School Never Taught Us (But Adults Wish They Had)
Most adults can name dozens of life skills not taught in school — and just as easily recall the random facts they memorized but never used again.
After spending twelve years in classrooms, many of us still left unprepared for adulthood.
We weren’t taught
financial literacy, stress management, relationship skills, or how to spot misinformation.
Instead, we drilled state capitals, sentence diagrams, and timelines without context.
No wonder so many people now search for
“things I wish school taught me” or
“skills school didn’t prepare us for.”
What schools should have taught are the very tools that help us thrive in real life.
10 Life Skills Adults Wish School Had Taught
Let's look at the My List!
Your list may differ. Maybe you were interested in it during your teen years, and when the teacher spent 15 minutes on it, it stuck.
1. Money Management and Financial Literacy
...instead of memorizing triangles and theorems
What if we had learned more about budgets and debts, credit cards and saving for the future?
We spent hours memorizing triangles and theorems, but almost no time learning how money actually works. What if school had taught us to budget, handle debt, and understand credit? Most of us stumbled into adulthood and learned through mistakes — overdraft fees, credit card debt, missed payments. Unschoolers, though, can bring kids into those conversations early: letting them help plan for a purchase, compare prices, or track savings goals. That’s real math, in real life.
2. Stress Management and Emotional Health
...instead of acing timed tests
What if we had learned more about anxiety and how to self-regulate?
What about a variety of ways that help us manage our own stress?
Timed tests taught us how to panic under pressure, not how to cope with stress in healthy ways. Imagine if schools had shown us tools like mindfulness, breathing, or even understanding how emotions affect our choices. Unschooling families can pause right in the moment — when a child is overwhelmed or anxious — and explore strategies together. Instead of ignoring stress, kids learn how to recognize and manage it, building habits for life.
3. Media Literacy: Spotting Misinformation
...instead of state capital drills
What if we learned more about how to spot scams or hidden agendas?
What if we focused on identifying propaganda or assessing current events more accurately?
We memorized state capitals, but no one explained how to evaluate a headline or a viral video. In today’s world of scams and propaganda, media literacy is survival. Unschoolers have a natural opening here: when kids are scrolling YouTube or TikTok, parents can talk with them about clickbait, ads, and credibility. It’s not a unit in a textbook — it’s a skill learned side by side, in real time.
4. Relationship Skills: Boundaries, Friendships & Red Flags
...instead of calling collaboration cheating
What if we learned more about boundaries and navigating friendships?
Or maybe even identifying gaslighting or signs of narcissists?
In school, Collaboration was called cheating. They didn’t teach us how to navigate friendships or set boundaries. What if we’d been guided through identifying manipulation, gaslighting, or narcissistic behaviors? Unschooling gives families space to talk about these issues as they arise — a fight with a friend, a tricky online interaction, a family dynamic, or even something on a show they watch. Instead of theory, kids get practice in the real-world relationships they’re already having or watching.
5. Insurance & Investing Basics for Adults
...instead of memorizing the names of explorers.
What if we learned more about health and car insurance?
Or how to grow our money wisely or plan for retirement?
We memorized explorers’ names, but had no idea how insurance or retirement plans worked. Adults often feel lost trying to choose coverage or start investing. Unschoolers don’t need to wait for a “class” — kids see it when a family files a claim, pays a bill, or talks about saving for the future. By involving them in real decisions, parents can demystify money and show how planning creates stability.
6. Nutrition & Healthy Meal Planning
... instead of sentence diagramming
What if we learned more about healthy meal planning, or how foods affect our bodies?
We diagrammed sentences, but didn’t learn how to fuel our bodies. What if we had been shown how to cook simple meals, shop on a budget, or understand how food impacts our energy? In unschooling families, kids cook with us, try recipes, and learn how food connects to how they feel. The kitchen becomes both a science lab and a health class — but with better snacks.
7. Understanding Rights, Laws & Civic Responsibilities
...instead of fear of getting caught or that imaginary “permanent record?”
What if we learned more about contracts and personal rights? Or voting rights?
Maybe more about civic duties and how participation matters so much in a democracy?
We worried about a “permanent record,” but not about the rights and laws that shape our daily lives. Contracts, voting rights, civic duties — these are far more impactful. Unschooling opens the door to talk about these things as they happen: reading over a lease, filling out a ballot, or discussing the news. Kids grow up understanding that laws aren’t abstract — they’re part of real life.
8. Time Management & Building Healthy Habits
...instead of obeying the school bell
What if we learned more about personal goal setting?
Or how to manage our "free time?" (that's a weird phrase, right?)
The school bell told us when to move, but it didn’t teach us how to organize our own day. Adults are left scrambling to learn goal setting, prioritizing, and balance later on. Unschoolers learn it naturally: they make choices about how to use their time, then reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Parents can guide, but kids get hands-on practice managing themselves — not just obeying bells.
9. Home & Car Maintenance Skills Everyone Needs
...instead of memorizing the Periodic Table
What if we learned how to handle a leaky faucet ourselves? Or unclog a toilet?
Or change a tire, check the oil?
We memorized the Periodic Table, but most of us didn’t graduate knowing how to unclog a sink or change a tire. Those basic skills give confidence and save money. In unschooling homes, kids can help with repairs, learn from YouTube tutorials, or take apart a broken appliance to see how it works. Instead of “someday you’ll need this,” they gain real competence right away.
10. Politics & Money: Understanding Power and History
...instead of memorizing timelines without contex
What if we learned HOW to "follow the money?"
Or how historically other governments have risen or fallen?
We memorized timelines without context, but not how money drives politics or how governments rise and fall. What if history classes had connected the dots between past systems and what we’re living today? Unschoolers can talk about these things as current events unfold — following the money, comparing systems, learning from history in ways that feel relevant and alive.
School Lessons that DID stick...
Here's a short list of some of the things schools DID teach, that many of us spend years trying to UNLEARN.
I have 3 ways for you to see this:
Final Thoughts: What School Missed vs. Real Life
So here we are: twelve years of school, and so many of us still had to learn these lessons the hard way.
Sometimes people push back and say,
“Well, parents should be teaching these things.” But my question is:
when? After kids drag home hours of homework? After they’re worn out from the bus ride? On weekends, when families are just trying to reconnect?
That’s part of the problem. It wasn’t just the wrong topics — it was too many hours, leaving no room for life.
Unschooling changes that. We’re not shackled to outdated, one-size-fits-all lessons chosen by some school board decades ago. Instead, we get to live and learn together, weaving money, health, relationships, and civic life right into the day. Real life becomes the curriculum — and kids don’t have to wait until adulthood to figure out the things that matter most.
Which of these do YOU wish school had taught?
What would you add to the list?
Share in the comments below!
And if you’d like to go deeper, to have real support while you’re figuring out how to make this work in your home, I’d love to invite you into my Membership group.
Right now, the Annual NOT Back to School Sale is still happening for one more week. It’s a great price — and it gives you a full year of encouragement, community, and practical tools for when you’re thinking about how to implement these ideas with your kids. Why not do it alongside other parents who are figuring this out too?
