Kids Discover Talks with Good Housekeeping Parenting Editor Marisa LaScala about the Skills Ten-Year-Olds Can Master

Marisa LaScala, Good Housekeeping Parenting Editor

What does a ten-year-old need to know?

Kids have lists of what they need to learn in school. Formulas for math to memorize, learning to make predictions in a science experiment and how to write a persuasive essay about chocolate milk in school. But what about life skills?

We caught up with Marissa LaScala, Parenting Editor at Good Housekeeping, to talk about why it is important for kids to develop a set of skills as they reach the double-digits years. She and her daughter are looking at choices for middle schools and we talked about what kids can expect in the coming years

“I want her to be able to be an independent person as she gets older and be ready for all the choices to make,” says LaScala. “Ten years old is a great starting point to help kids find their independence as they grow up and meet challenges.” 

Technology makes a lot of things more convenient these days but understanding the basics of how to cook a meal or find your way around in an unfamiliar place helps to create independence and confidence in kids.

LaScala discussed her Good Housekeeping parenting article, “10 Things Kids Should Know How to Do by Age 10, According to Child Development Experts” and there are helpful talking points to have conversations with the tween crowd.

Read the full article here.

Write and Mail a Letter

Writing letters with paper and pen is fun to do and send off to family and friends. Schools are starting to bring back cursive handwriting and if your class is working on this skill, writing a letter is a great way to practice. 

For some experienced readers and writers, bringing back cursive writing to school programs is a welcome return for a skill they feel should never have left the classroom. 

Check out this recent Kids Discover article to read more about the return of cursive handwriting.

Time Management

Kids need to learn how to manage their busy schedules and find the balance for homework, baseball practice, music lessons and just plain kid fun! That big social studies project due in three weeks can be broken down into manageable time tasks.

“By age 10, they should have some sense of how to handle the free time they do have control over,” says LaScala.

Wrap a Gift

It’s all in the presentation! Wrapping a gift is a way to make a present look special and get creative with the wrapping you choose. Think about recycling ideas that can be put to use. Are you wrapping a book about Spiderman for a superhero fan? Use pages of comics that are colorful and give a hint to what is inside! 

Say Thank You

Practice saying thank you and see how much happier everyone is around you. You can also use the “write a letter” skill and write thank-you-notes to people who gave you a gift or did something nice for you.

Cook a Meal 

Kids can gain confidence and useful skills learning to follow recipes and make a meal.

Take a look at this make-a-wrap version of a hamburger with all the fixings from TV host and food content creator Ereka Vetrini at Cooking with Ereka. You can find recipes to learn how to make delicious meals and snacks. Get cooking in the kitchen and choose a night when the kids are in charge of making dinner!

Speak Up

At ten-years-old kids can speak up for themselves when it is time to order a meal or ask for something in a store. They might even be better at delivering the information. 

“Let kids order for themselves at restaurants or explain their symptoms to a doctor,” says LaScala. “Don’t immediately jump in unless they ask for your help.”

React in an Emergency

Do you know what to do in an emergency? Have the discussion in your family about what can be done in the event of an emergency,  where contact numbers will be kept and other tips for safety plans.

Do Chores

For many kids, doing chores is the first sense of having a job and responsibilities. Pick a chore in the house and make a schedule for how and when you will get it done. If you get paid an amount of money to do your job, choose how you will get paid and save it. That leads us to…

Budget Money

You earned it! Learn to save that money and don’t spend it all at once. Even adults are guilty of tapping debit credit cards to pay for things and losing track of spending. Kids can use cash until they get a better understanding of what things cost and spending habits.

Find Your Way Around

Games are helpful  tools to get kids to understand how to navigate directions and read maps. You can practice reading signs, following instructions and finding street names to understand how to get around.  Every round of Pokemon Go you and your friends play is an adventure where you use your navigation skills as you take part in hide-and-seek or work together to build impressive objects in your world. All new adventures are happening in 2026.