What All Kids Should Be Able to Do Before College

I occasionally get asked “What are things my kid should know how to do before they go to college?” After all, as Duke’s Dean of Students, I’ve seen many students who are bright and motivated but have incredible trouble navigating the basics of living on their own.

Of course, there are many things that your child should be ready to do independently by the time they leave the nest, but here are five things that are not as commonly understood by today’s college students as you might think.

All of these are things you can work on with your elementary-school kid, right now! The earlier they learn it, the better it will stick.

Address an envelope

Call me old-school, but I think parents should take their kids to the post office. They should explain how postage works, show them how things are weighed and tell them how to address and send something through the mail like a letter, a postcard or a package.

Do your laundry

You need to be able to do your laundry. Whether it’s whites, darks, permanent press or cottons, kids should know the difference and understand what the settings on the washer mean. These days some parents will hire a laundry service to wash their students’ clothes for them. That’s fine, but your child should still know how to do the laundry.

Use a key

Strange but true: many children never have to deal with a key. But even as keyless doors are becoming more common in doors and elsewhere, children should know how to lock and unlock a door with a key—especially when they go to college—and understand that there are times where it may make sense to lock their door!

Use a credit card

I think it’s important for children to get a basic education in personal finance. They should have a simple understanding of things like: What is a bank and why and how do we use it? What is a credit card and how does it work? What is a check? Kids need to understand the old-fashioned ways money can change hands—in addition to Venmo and Paypal—and how to keep track of it.

Put gas in the car

I think everybody needs to understand how to put gas in a car. This is one of those cool responsibilities you can teach a child without too much effort on the way to and from the grocery store.