101 Adulting Warm-Ups to Teach Life Skills
Updated July 2025 for back-to-school! Now includes a free sample + FAQ section to help you get started.
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 biggest gaps. According to the World Economic Forum, U.S. financial literacy rates have hovered around 50% for eight straight years, with a 2% decline in the past two. The most challenging areas? Understanding retirement savings and financial risk.
But the gaps go beyond finances. A Wall Street Journal survey found:
52% of teens don’t know how to replace a tire
44% can’t check tire tread
32% can’t check tire pressure
And after the pandemic? Many students are struggling with in-person social skills and need to learn norms around group work, email communication, and workplace etiquette.
Gaps in real world skills for teens and young adults.
The Solution? Daily Life Skills, in Bite-Sized Chunks
As teachers, we often end up filling in the gaps, even when our subject area isn’t “life skills.” But let’s be real: it’s tough to squeeze in one more thing when you’re already juggling core curriculum, IEP goals, district initiatives, state testing, and the countless other demands of the day.
That’s where these “How to Adult” warm-ups come in. They’re low-prep, quick, and flexible. Just one slide a day can spark real-world conversations and build lifelong skills.
Try It Free: Get 9 Sample Slides
Want to see how it works before committing? Get a free sample of 9 slides from “How to Adult: 101 Life Skills.” You’ll get one skill from each category ready to use in Google Slides or PowerPoint. Try it with your class this week and see if it’s a good fit!
Real Adulting Skills for Real-Life Moments
When I created this resource, I started with the life skills I learned the hard way, like the time (in the not-too-distant past) when my pipes burst and I had no idea how to shut off the water.
Then I surveyed family, friends, colleagues, asking, “What do you wish you’d learned in school?” The responses became a list of 101 real-world life skills that young adults need, want, and genuinely enjoy learning.
And the student stories keep coming. One time, a student shared that his grandma had written him a birthday check… and he had no idea what to do with it. Another student chimed in, suggesting a local check-cashing place, and suddenly we were in a spin-off discussion about exorbitant fees. (If that piques your interest, check out my Banking Lesson for safer alternatives to predatory financial services.)
The 101 skills included in “How to Adult: 101 Like Skills”
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 quick life skills:
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.
What’s Inside the Full Resource
The full “How to Adult” resource includes:
101 Google Slides or PowerPoint slides, each with a different essential life skill
Speaker notes with discussion questions, video links, or sample responses
A printable checklist for tracking student growth
An optional graphic organizer for deeper reflection
Teacher instructions and flexible implementation ideas
These bite-sized lessons are perfect as warm-ups, brain breaks, or time-filler activities. And they often lead to deeper conversations!
A look inside the How to Adult: 101 Life Skills slide deck
How to DIY
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.
Ready to use Adulting Life Skills Activity
FAQ ~ How to Adult: 101 Life Skills
Who is this for?
Any student preparing for adulthood! These skills support general ed, special ed, transition, and even adult ed learners.
What classroom settings does this work in?
Advisory, study skills, life skills, or transition classes are ideal, but you could use them in anything from Brit Lit to Auto Shop, as a quick brain break or discussion starter.
Do students need any prior knowledge?
Nope! Each slide introduces a single concept with no prior knowledge required. I intentionally kept each slide short and focused, with just enough to build awareness and spark interest.
How long does it take to use a slide?
Most slides take 5–10 minutes. You can stretch to 15–20 minutes if you explore the linked videos, facilitate deeper discussion, or assign student research.
Are the slides editable?
Yes! You can customize any slide to meet your students’ needs.
Is this part of a larger unit or bundle?
Not currently, but it pairs well with life skills vocabulary puzzles, transition planning lessons, or your own curriculum.
Will this work in adult education?
Absolutely. Just because someone is legally an adult doesn’t mean they’ve mastered adulting. Honestly, I’ve learned so many new things while creating and teaching this resource!
Ready to Help Students Build Real-World Confidence?
Life after high school doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but this warm-up deck comes close.
👉 Get your free sample slides here and start building adulting skills this week.
👉 Or check out the full “How to Adult: 101 Life Skills” resource on TpT
