101 Adulting Warm-Ups to Teach Life Skills
Why Teach Adulting Skills in the Classroom?
Many students graduate from high school and enter adulthood without essential life skills—from writing a check to checking their tire pressure.
Financial literacy is one of the greatest areas of concern. According to the World Economic Forum, U.S. financial literacy rates have hovered around 50% for eight consecutive years, with a 2% decline in the past two years. The most challenging areas for Americans include understanding retirement savings and comprehending financial risk.
Similarly, a survey reported by the Wall Street Journal found that 52% of U.S. teens aged 15 to 17 don't know how to replace a tire, 44% can't examine tire tread depth, and 32% are unable to check tire pressure.
Additionally, many young adults who spent the COVID-19 pandemic years navigating remote school and social isolation are now struggling with in-person social skills and adapting to the norms of the workplace environment.
Gaps in real world skills for teens and young adults.
As teachers, we often end up filling in the gaps when it comes to real-world skills—even if our subject area isn’t traditionally focused on life readiness. But it is to find the time. It’s tough to squeeze in “adulting” lessons when you’re already juggling core curriculum, the latest district initiative, state testing demands . . .
One thing that’s worked well for me? Quick “How to Adult” warm-ups. They’re a short, low-prep, and simple way to weave in life skills without needing to overhaul your whole plan.
Key Adulting Skills to Focus On
The warm-up I use has 101 slides, each featuring one quick adulting skill or piece of knowledge. When I was creating it, I tried to think of the adulting skills I learned myself through trial and error. I also surveyed as many family members, friends, and colleagues as I could to create a list of real-world adulting skills that they’ve had to learn along the way.
The 101 skills included in “How to Adult: 101 Mini Life Lessons”
I’ve used “How to Adult” warm-ups in content area classes, in support classes, during workshops, and even when I’ve subbed and needed something on the fly to fill a class period without a lesson plan. Here are some creative ways to integrate 101 mini life lessons:
Start or End Class with a Daily Adulting Skill
How it works: Display a new slide each day as students settle in. Or dedicate the last 5-10 minutes of class to adulting, using it as a reward for completing the day's learning.
Why it works: Establishes a routine and provides a quick, engaging, high-interest conversation starter.
Pro tip: Have students pair up and discuss how they’d handle each situation.
Use Adulting Skills as Journal Prompts
How it works: Teach the introductory slide to provide foundational knowledge. Challenge students to then expand in their journal—developing questions, next steps, and reflections based on this background knowledge. Some topics also spark interesting class discussions (e.g., "Should tipping be mandatory?").
Why it works: Encourages critical thinking and real-world application.
Pro tip: Assign journal prompts based on the day’s topic and have students reflect on their own experiences.
Use as Sponge Activities for Extra Time
How it works: If you finish a lesson five or ten minutes early, display a random adulting topic.
Why it works: Keeps students engaged without wasting class time.
Pro tip: Let students vote on which topic to discuss to increase buy-in.
Create an ‘Adulting Survival Guide’ with Notes
How it works: Use a graphic organizer with 2-4 skills per page. Include an outline where students can fill in notes, questions, next steps, and a readiness rating for the particular skill. At the end of the year, the organizers can be stapled together to create an Adulting Survival Guide.
Why it works: Gives students a real-world reference they can keep after graduation.
Pro tip: Provide a fillable template for students to record key takeaways. Here’s the printable Adulting Survival Guide template I use.
Jigsaw the Topics and Have Students Teach Their Peers
How it works: Each student selects one adulting topic to research and present.
Why it works: Encourages student-led learning and helps build confidence in practical skills.
Pro tip: Have students demonstrate the skill where possible (e.g., writing a check, tying a knot). Also, I’ve found that students are more comfortable presenting in pairs than solo.
Ideas for integrating life skills in the classroom.
How to Adult: 101 Mini Life Lessons
If you are interested in a ready-to-use resource, check out How to Adult: 101 Mini Life Lessons. This collection breaks important life skills into quick, engaging lessons that spark meaningful conversations and build real-world readiness. With 101 unique slides covering topics like personal finance, social etiquette, housing, time management, safety, and more, this resource makes it easy to weave adulting skills into your day—whether as a warm-up, brain break, exit ticket, or sponge activity.
These bite-sized lessons help students reflect on what they already know, identify skills they want to grow, and feel more prepared for life after high school. From how to schedule a doctor’s appointment to exploring ways to save for retirement, each mini-lesson opens the door to practical, relatable learning in just a few minutes.
What’s Inside
This resource includes 101 Google Slides (or PowerPoint Slides), each one focused on a different essential life skill. Topics range from personal finance and car care to health & safety, home maintenance, and much more. Each slide comes with speaker notes that offer built-in guidance, including explanations, video links, discussion questions, and examples of possible student responses.
Also included is a printable Life Skills Checklist to help students track which skills they’ve covered, mastered, or want to continue working on. An optional graphic organizer encourages deeper reflection and skill planning—perfect for student portfolios or transition documentation. You’ll also find teacher instructions and implementation ideas to support flexible use in a variety of classroom settings. You can check out this detailed preview for a closer look or get your copy of “How to Adult: 101 Mini Life Lessons” now!
If you want to create your own, I recommend boiling it down to a single skill or topic per slide. I found it difficult. I’m always tempted to dive into a topic, and I find myself wanting to make multiple slides. But the reality is that my goal is to have this be an introduction to key life skills. If a student is interested in learning how to start a fire or invest for retirement, they can do a deeper dive on their own (or with you). But in my experience, it is better to do this 5-10 minute overview, build awareness and basic skills, and inspire students to keep preparing for adulting on their own.
If you are intrigued by the idea of integrating bite-sized adulting skills in your classroom, another strategy I’ve had success with is using adulting skill crossword puzzles and word searches to reinforce life skills vocabulary and concepts. You can check out this post for more information or take a peek at this collection of ready-to-use puzzles on topics like education, employment, independent living, and financial literacy.
