5 Fun Subjects for
Home Economics

I feel the teaching home economics is important. Children need to learn how to run a home. They need to learn about how to make a family budget and be a good consumer. They need to learn the relationship between nutrition and health. They should know how to cook and take care of themselves.

The more I thought about home economics the more I saw it as subjects that are important to teach at the elementary level and subjects that are more geared for high school. Cooking, sewing, handicrafts, and cleaning can and should be taught to young children.

Being a good consumer, making a budget, interior design, and maintaining a home are subjects that have more interest for older children. There are even college degrees in home economics. Sometimes the colleges change the name to family and consumer science.

So let's look more closely at the subjects that would interest younger children.

Cooking

Most children like to cook. When they are cooking we need to teach them about nutrition. We need to teach them how to make a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There are a lot of simple meals that can also be nutritious. For breakfast have them serve cereal, milk, and orange juice. Lunch can be a sandwich, milk, and an apple. My children have been making breakfast and lunch since they were six.

You can find simple recipes books that are geared for children at your local library. It is also important to have a cookbook or two in your home library. I like the Everything Kids Cookbook by Sandra K. Nissenberg.

You will also want to teach about safety when you are in the kitchen. Teach how to use a sharp knife. Teach your child to be safe around the stove.

When you are cooking teach your child food safety. Tell them that some foods need to be refrigerated.

Sewing

I feel that even boys should learn to do some simple sewing. Everyone needs to also know how to do some simple mending. Even my boys sew buttons onto their clothes when they need too.

Besides mending teach your child some simple sewing projects to make. You can find projects online or at your local library. Small simple projects are inexpensive and will keep your child's interest. When my daughter was eight she made a pillow case and a Christmas stocking.

Handicrafts

Children should learn to do other handicrafts. What you teach will depend on the interests of your children.

My son liked to do woodworking. He made me a wooden turkey and box to keep CDs in.

I have also taught my girls to cross-stitch, knit, and crochet.

Handicrafts can provide a way to make gifts. They can also be a source of income if your child is good at what they do.

Cleaning

We all need to learn to clean and maintain a home. There are a lot of skills that a young child can do. His cleaning skills should increase each year. When he is in high school he would be able to take care of a house.

A young child can learn to wash the dishes after they have cooked a meal. They can also be responsible for cleaning their room. Teach your children to take care of their dirty clothes.

Budgeting

Some people give their child money for the chores that the child does. The parent uses the allowance to teach the child to budget their money. The child is required to give some of his money to the church. He is also required to save some of the money.

As the child gets older he is required to buy things that he needs with the money such as clothes. I usually wait to teach my child about budgeting until he has his first job.

As your child grows you will want to continue teaching your child home economics. There are other subjects that should be taught in high school economics.