Step-by-step Process: Teach Your Kids How To Change Locks in No Time!

streetsmartmasterclass

1 Oct, 2021

With a little practice and assistance from you, they should have no problem changing the door lock!

At a young age, it is a great idea to start honing your kids’ skills as they grow into adolescence. An excellent way to start is to teach them skills not taught in school. Changing the door locks is one of them!

Locking the door can be learned by kids as young as three. You can teach them by making a habit of locking all doors every time you leave your home or go to bed. However, changing, replacing and programming locks is at a whole different level. Developing this skill requires a step-by-step explanation and practice with your child.

As such, every adult is familiar with the concept of locking doors, whether it’s a standard single-latch lock or deadbolt. Even programming Schlage locks and replacing door locks are not a new concept to most of us. However, despite its commonplace nature, this practice can be new and confusing for children. They may not be equipped for emergencies such as being locked inside a room, and or leaving the key inside a locked room.

As you read this article, you will learn how to teach your children how to change the door locks in your home safely.

Importance of Home Safety and Security

Home Safety Safety Protection Data Key Security

As a first step, kids should be taught first the importance of having locks at home. Kids must understand that living in a secure environment helps them go on with their daily lives. With that in mind, what is the goal of home safety?

In essence, home safety is all about creating a safe environment for your family. As children grow up, they will have to learn what safe is and what isn’t. As a parent, it’s your job to provide the necessary skills to help them be alert and aware of what to do.

That being said, one of the most important aspects of home safety and security is having an effective lock system. Teaching your children the basics of locks should be a priority.

Changing Door Locks

Even though we rarely expect to change door locks, it does happen from time to time. With the help of a screwdriver and a little technical skills, you can replace locks in your home. It’s guaranteed to be cheap, easy, and convenient. Having the skills to do this will be extremely helpful to you and your kid.

This is a perfectly safe procedure to do if you have any concerns about your safety. A new lock can be purchased at a local hardware store for under $15 and installed in 20 minutes.

To help you further, here’s a step-by-step procedure that you should teach to instill handy locksmith skills in your little one:

Step 1: Purchase a new lock

You need to get a new lock. Have your kid join you on your trip to the hardware store. Most locks are rated for their effectiveness. Try to find a door lock that is the perfect size and fits your budget.

Step 2: Remove the screws from the old lock

Remove the two or three screws hidden inside the knob plate with a Phillips head screwdriver. Pull the doorknobs from each side and then remove the doorknobs from the door. Have your child do this part with your supervision.

Step 3: Remove the latch screws

Take out the latch before you can remove the rest of the lock equipment. To remove the latch plate, loosen the two screws that hold it in place. From the opening in the door side, you can pull the latch out once you have removed the screws.

Step 4: Place the new latch

Install the new latch by sliding it into the opening on the edge of the door. To secure the latch, drive the new screws into the latch plate and the door edge.

Step 5: Assemble the door lock

The outside knob (the one with the keyhole) goes on the outside and the inside knob goes on the inside. Once they have been inserted, slide them in lock holes toward each other. They need to connect in the middle. Allow them to slide easily together instead of forcing them together.

And just like that, you have taught your kid the skill of door lock replacement! Changing door locks

Opening a Combination Lock

When teaching kids new things, prepare to answer a lot of questions! For some kids, opening a locker at school may seem as simple as opening a lid. Some kids, however, may find working with combination locks extremely stressful. Practicing these locks can help your child before they start school. If you do this task at home, it will reduce your child’s stress more than doing it in a jam-packed hallway.

Step 1: Input the first number of your combination

Make two full rotations of the dial, so you pass “0” twice. Stop when the first number of your combination lines up with the triangle at the top of the lock.

Step 2: Input the second number of your combination

Turn the dial 1 full turn to the left past the first number in your combination. Stop when the second number of your combination lines up with the triangle.

Step 3: Input the third number of your combination

Turn the dial to the right. Stop when the third number of your combination lines up with the triangle.

Step 4: Pull down lock

Once you have successfully input your three-number combination, pull down the lock.

Kids can change locks!

Learning how to change locks, program Schlage Locks, and opening a combination lock can be tricky for anyone. But, with these simple steps, you’ll have your own locksmith in the family! Simply walk your child through the following steps and be on hand while he practices in case he has questions.

When your children have mastered this skill, teach them other security techniques, like how to arm or disarm a security system. Or teach them how to properly hide a spare key!

In time, your family will become more united in its approach to home security as they become accustomed to these practices.

5 Simple Tips Parents Should Teach Their Kids to Build Habits

streetsmartmasterclass

1 Oct, 2021

Habits are not just something you do every day.

While it’s true that habits are repeated behavior, regularly doing something is not enough to be considered a habit.

The psychology of habits explains that habits are the specific actions one automatically does in particular situations. Moreover, it should:

occur repeatedly
be triggered by a particular cue
occur with little to no conscious thought

Why build habits?

Habits determine your children’s trajectory in life. Helping your children develop habits from a young age is an excellent place to start.

While setting goals is essential, their habits set what they do and who they become. Plans allow them to envision what they want but do not necessarily equip them with the necessary tools to arrive there.

On the other hand, habits allow the compounding of small, repeated actions that will eventually yield significant changes.

How do habits work?

A recent study suggests that a three-part neurological loop exists at the core of every habit: cue-routine-reward.

A cue can be any trigger that causes the routine — location, emotional state, or thought.

Routine can be any physical or mental action triggered by the cue.

The reward is the positive reinforcement that continues to drive the habit pattern.

Where do you start?

There isn’t one formula for changing and building habits. Different triggers drive each person’s habits, so the specifics of diagnosing and changing them differ from person to person. With time, patience, and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.

Here are five simple tips that you can teach your kids in creating new habits:

Establish and commit to the why

A habit is an action done repeatedly with little or no thought. Unlike routines, which are uncomfortable and require the active application of effort, habits are part of our daily life.

In creating new habits, they must first establish them as a routine. From there, the amount of time your children would take to develop it into a habit varies. It may take them 21 days, or 66, or even more.

It is crucial to recognize your children’s why in this process because it won’t get formed independently. Helping them establish, commit, and stay consistent with their why and how this habit is essential to them enables them to stay on track and motivated.

Think big, work small.

Thinking big allows them to anticipate growth. However, a grand vision does not necessarily entail grand actions. Starting small can be their first step.

Starting and working small entails less energy, making the task more manageable. It allows them to build their momentum incrementally. Habits are not formed overnight but are products of gradual change. The more they do it, the better they’ll be able to become at doing it.

Keep it sustainable.

Don’t let them bite off more than they can chew. Guide them in sticking with realistic goals. Unreasonable goals, when unachieved, may leave them disheartened and unmotivated.

Habit formation is a time-taking process. Allow them to give themselves time to get used to it. More than discipline, it takes patience to stick to a routine and ultimately to a habit.

Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, once said, “The key to victory is creating the right routines.”

Allow them to commit to easily adaptable routines. That way, they can practice the habit more and incorporate it into their daily life.

Get ready to fail.

Habits require a lot of repetition. In creating a habit, it is essential to keep practicing and give themselves grace for failing.

When one develops habits, expect that it won’t be easy. They may have to face a lot of failures before successfully turning the practice into a habit.

Acknowledge that failures are part of the process, and slipping off the tracks is normal. Let them know that these failures should not hinder them from bouncing back.

Allow them to make mistakes from time to time but make sure that they carry on.

Leverage on small feats.

Wins create momentum. By focusing on daily successes, one tends to get inspired and do better.

As James Clear, author of the award-winning Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, wrote, “We all want better lives for our future selves. However, when the moment of decision arrives, instant gratification usually wins.”

Small wins make us feel good, especially when we’re stressed or discouraged. Use this experience to fuel them in pursuing their goal.

Celebrate these small victories and practice a reward system. It doesn’t need to be something grand. It could be cooking the food they’ve been craving or letting them watch that movie they’ve been putting off.

To summarize, goals help your children visualize where they want to go, but they’re not very good at helping them get there. Instead, building habits is the key to achieving their goals. If you want your kids to build a habit, let them start small and stick with it. Reward them or let them reward themselves on small wins and allow them to fail once in a while but guide them to bounce back stronger.

Safety At All Times: Grab Bag For The Family

streetsmartmasterclass

1 Oct, 2021

Take control of uncontrollable scenarios by organizing a grab bag for each member of your family.

Being a parent is a full-time job. You become an educator, a doctor, and an enforcement officer all at once. It can get tiring at times, but providing our kids with a loving environment and ensuring their safety is a responsibility we should never take lightly.

With the direction the world is heading to right now, a disaster might happen near you anytime. How do you prepare yourself? How can you prepare your entire family? Why do you need a grab bag?

The Value of Preparedness

We all want what’s best for our kids. Hence, you don’t want them out in the streets during unexpected calamities with no food or any plan. Developing a fool-proof system on how your family will function during emergencies is essential.

Create a plan

Arrange a meeting with every member of your family. In the meeting, see to it that the following are settled:

1.Decide a rendezvous point in case you get separated in the chaos and panic. Moreover, there are possibilities that when an emergency occurs, you might be situated in different locations. If you can’t go back to your house, the home of a relative or a family friend in another area can be the designated rendezvous point.

2. Make your kids memorize your family’s contact information as well as your local emergency hotlines. Print it out or write it down. As long as your family has a copy on them all the time.

3. Pack a grab bag for everyone.

What’s a grab bag?

Once your family’s system has been established, the last thing on your checklist is organizing a grab bag. In choosing one, pick a sturdy backpack with proportions reasonable for the member of your family. If it’s for adults with a strong build, you can check this out. You can buy this for your toddlers and this one for your teenagers. You can also let your kids decide on which design they want! There are a lot of options in the market, so choose one that would best cater to your family.

Inside your grab bag

No matter the age and gender of your partner and children, a grab bag must include necessities, sustenance, and important documents. Make sure your children know that a grab bag includes the following:

Your emergency plan
Contact information
Food and water
Important documents
Some cash
Medicine and first aid kits
Map and/or compass
Flashlight and whistle
Clothes

Food, water, and medicine are perishable goods, so let your kids check their grab bag stock every three months. When the foods are close to their expiration date, remind your kids to take them out and replace them. Don’t forget to make your children pack at most two sets of clothing and a jacket. Since a rendezvous point is in place, having a map and a compass will help in electricity and cell towers get damaged. A flashlight and a whistle may also come in handy.

Print a copy of your meeting address, important contact numbers, and emergency hotlines. To reduce the chances of damaging this, laminate said paper. This could be a fun activity for you and your family! You and your kids can also run to the school supplies store to buy a waterproof envelope for each of you. Inform your kids that the important documents, some cash, and the aforementioned papers must be placed inside the envelope.

To sum it up, establish a protocol for emergencies. Make sure each member of your family knows every part of your plan. Here’s a printable directory for you and your family!

7 Signs to Know It’s Time to Remind Your Kids for a Closet Declutter

streetsmartmasterclass

1 Oct, 2021

Educating our kids about the importance of keeping an organized and clutter-free closet is always a good idea. This won’t just teach them practical organization skills. Learning about closet decluttering will also make them realize the value of the things they own.

However, they will surely need some parental guidance to keep them reminded along the way. In this article, we’re providing 7 signs to know it’s time to remind your kids for a closet decluttering session. Read on!

How do you declutter?

As parents, it’s normal for us to be sentimental about the things our kids use while growing up. While this isn’t really a bad thing, being too sentimental can hinder our goal of keeping our spaces clutter-free.

Decluttering is the act of removing items in your space that no longer serve their purpose. Therefore, a balance between being sentimental and practical is the best way to go! As parents, we should also consider our kids’ preferences. That’s why it’s best to declutter your home and closet spaces together. This will help you guide your kids in the reflection process.

The KonMari Method

In teaching your kids how to declutter, you may want to introduce the KonMari Method. This is a mindful way to do so. This method is focused more on deciding what to keep rather than what to throw away. This method is composed of 5 simple steps. Surely, your kids won’t have a hard time understanding! The method simply goes as follows:

Empty your closet and put all your clothes into a large pile.
Pick up each of your clothing pieces one at a time.
Ask yourself: “Does it spark joy?”
If the answer is yes, keep it.
If the answer is no, gently bid farewell (and don’t forget to express some gratitude!)

Doing the third step and reflecting on the question together does not only make the process easier. It is also a great way to discover more about your kids’ thoughts!

How to know it’s time to remind your kids

As parents, we also get caught up in a lot of responsibilities. We can’t be with our kids 24/7. And so, a constant reminder is always helpful along the way! Here are 7 signs to know it’s time to remind your kids for a closet declutter.

Their closet tends to get messy

Does your kids’ closet always end up being messy just a few days after you organized it? If the answer is yes, then maybe it’s time for a decluttering session!

Having this problem may indicate that your kids just have A LOT of clothes. The more clothes they have, the more time and effort it requires to keep them organized consistently. This may negatively affect their motivation to do so. And maybe that’s why their clothes always end up in a messy situation.

In reminding your kids, you might want to also include some helpful instructions. Tell them to start by sorting out their clothes into categories—shirts, tank tops, skirts, jeans, etc. Then, they can begin decluttering by category. Lessening their clothes will make it easier for them to designate a closet space for each.

Their clothes are all over the place

Aside from their closet being messy, you might also want to look out if it is already overflowing. This is another sign that they have A LOT of clothes! When all their clothes cannot fit inside their closet anymore, they’ll be tempted to throw them away in random places. The next thing you’ll know, they have completely forgotten about them.

You may tell your kids to start by gathering all their clothes in one place. You can also help them measure how much clothes will likely fit inside their closet. Then, you can consider this in making your decluttering decisions together.

They always complain they have “nothing to wear”

Do your kids constantly complain about having nothing to wear? Or maybe you find them unconsciously picking the same pieces of clothing all over again? Well, this happens to most kids and teens. You may want to tell them about the 80/20 Rule. This suggests that most people wear just 20% of their clothes 80% of the time. This means our kids’ closets may be filled with 80% of clothes they don’t actually wear! Why keep them?

Tell them to imagine a closet filled with only the clothes they love. Then, they won’t have a hard time choosing what to wear. You may want to explain to them that decluttering won’t just save them closet space. It will also save them time. Knowing that they love each piece inside their closet might also help in boosting their confidence!

They undergo some body changes

Do your kids complain about their favorite jeans not fitting anymore? Maybe that’s a sign to remind them to tackle their closet! You may share some tips like trying on pieces according to their sizes. They don’t have to try out the ones of the same size. This will make the decluttering process less time-consuming. Just note that sizing may differ for each kind of clothing.

You can also help them start a system to track their body changes. This will help them know when it’s time to remove clothing pieces that don’t fit anymore!

Their lifestyle has changed

It is surely a great feeling to see our kids grow and work towards a better lifestyle. But also, this is a sign to remind them for a closet decluttering session!

Maybe they started advocating for sustainable fashion? Or they decided to start a minimalist lifestyle? Perhaps they finally found their personal style? Tell them that it’s definitely a good idea to have a closet that reflects their values and personality. This will make their closet spaces more special. And this will make them more inspired to keep it organized too!

They tell you they want to earn

Be it for an academic project or a new hobby, your kids sometimes tell you about them wanting to earn. This is a great time to maximize what’s inside their closet! They may find some pieces that don’t spark joy anymore but are still in good condition. You can help them in putting up a small thrift store in your garage. Or maybe help them sell online!

But aside from selling out their pre-loved clothes, you might also want to teach them about donating. Tell them that they might not earn some cash, but the feeling is definitely worth it.

They are feeling anxious

Study shows that having a cluttered space may have negative effects on our mental well-being. Keeping our closets clutter-free will leave us in a clear headspace. Some people even find decluttering therapeutic. You may want to remind your kids that decluttering is meant to make them feel a little better. So tell them to enjoy every step of it!

If you want your kids to be more engaged in decluttering, you can introduce some decluttering apps like Clutterfree. This won’t just make decluttering more efficient. Using decluttering apps can also boost their motivation as they serve as trackers and accountability partners. They are also helpful when you declutter your home together.

Do you notice one of these signs on your kids? If so, you might want to remind them to have a closet declutter now. They’ll be needing reminders like this along the way. To help you guide them in the process, we have also prepared a closet declutter task list! Be sure to get a copy here.

Closet-Declutter-Tasklist Download