7 Essential Life Skills Children Begin Building in Early Childhood 

There are certain things every parent hopes their child will learn as they grow: how to make a friend, speak up when they need help, work through a hard moment, solve a problem, and keep trying when something doesn’t go quite right. 

Those may sound like big life lessons. But they often begin in surprisingly small ways. 

Waiting for the blue marker. Asking, “Can I play, too?” Trying one more puzzle piece. Building the block tower again after it falls. Figuring out how to put on a coat without help. 

These everyday moments are a big part of early childhood development. And while children may simply think they’re playing, they’re also building social, emotional, communication, and problem-solving skills they’ll use for years to come. 

In Mind in the Making, author and early childhood expert Ellen Galinsky identifies seven essential life skills that begin developing in childhood and continue to serve us throughout our lives. 

At The Barrington School, we see these skills taking shape every day, during classroom activities and routines, conversations with teachers, friendships, outdoor play, and all the wonderfully ordinary moments in between. 

1. Maintaining Focus and Self-Control 

 For young children, focus and self-control aren't about sitting perfectly still or never getting distracted. They're about gradually learning to manage attention, emotions, and impulses. 

That can mean remembering what comes next in the daily routine, waiting for a turn, listening to a teacher's directions, or transitioning away from a favorite activity when it's time to do something else. 

What it looks like at Barrington: A child might concentrate on completing a puzzle, wait while a friend finishes with a favorite toy, follow the steps for washing their hands, or stay with an art project until they're happy with their creation. 

None of those moments feel especially monumental. But each one gives children another opportunity to practice the self-regulation and executive function skills that support learning, relationships, and school readiness. 

2. Understanding How Others Feel  

Young children are still discovering something adults can easily take for granted – that someone else can think, feel, or want something completely different from what they do. 

That can be a particularly tricky concept when two children have their eye on the exact same toy. 

Learning to understand another person's perspective is an important part of social-emotional development. It helps children build empathy, work through conflict, and form healthy relationships with others. 

What it looks like at Barrington: When children disagree, teachers can help them slow the moment down. What happened? How is your friend feeling? What could we do next? 

These conversations don't solve every playground disagreement overnight. But they do give children tools to handle the next one a little differently. 

3. Communicating 

Communication is about much more than learning new words. 

For a young child, it might mean saying, “Can I play?” Asking a teacher for help. Telling a friend, “I'm still using that.” Explaining why they're upset. Or listening long enough to hear what someone else has to say. 

What it looks like at Barrington: Teachers help children find the words they need in real situations throughout the day. They ask open-ended questions, encourage conversation, introduce new vocabulary, and give children opportunities to share their thoughts and ideas.

Over time, children learn that their words have power. They can use them to connect, ask questions, solve problems, express feelings, and advocate for themselves. 

Those are communication skills that matter in preschool, kindergarten, friendships, and well beyond. 

4. Making Connections 

Children are natural connection-makers. A child notices that the leaves outside look like the leaves in a book. A triangle-shaped block has three sides, just like another triangle they saw earlier. Ice turns into water. Mom laughs every time they make that face. 

These connections are part of how children make sense of their world. 

What it looks like at Barrington: Children sort and compare objects, look for patterns, experiment with materials, revisit familiar ideas in new ways, and connect classroom learning to things they've experienced before. 

Sometimes the result is a very excited, “I KNOW THAT!” 

Those little “aha!” moments are important. Making connections between new information and what children already know helps deepen understanding and encourages the curiosity that fuels future learning. 

5. Critical Thinking 

“Why did that happen?” 

“What if we do it this way?” 

“Why does my tower keep falling?” 

Critical thinking may sound like a big academic concept for a preschooler, but this is often exactly how it begins. 

What it looks like at Barrington: A puzzle piece won't fit, so a child turns it around. A block tower keeps falling, so they try a wider base. During a classroom experiment, children make a prediction and then see what actually happens. Teachers don't always need to rush in with the answer. Sometimes the most valuable response is another question: “What do you think we could try?” 

That gives children room to observe, experiment, make predictions, test ideas, and discover that there may be more than one way to solve a problem. 

6. Taking on Challenges 

Sometimes the day's biggest challenge is learning a new skill. And sometimes it's a zipper that simply refuses to cooperate. 

Learning to take on challenges doesn't mean children stop getting frustrated. It means they gradually discover that frustration doesn't have to be the end of the story. They can ask for help. Try another way. Make a mistake. Take a break. And try again. 

What it looks like at Barrington: Children practice this every time they attempt something unfamiliar, join a new game, work through a tricky classroom activity, practice writing a letter, or rebuild something that didn't work the first time. 

A caring teacher is nearby to encourage the effort without taking over the experience. Little by little, “I can't do it” can become “Help me try” and eventually, “I did it!” That growing sense of confidence and perseverance is one of the most meaningful things children can carry into their next classroom. 

7. Self-Directed, Engaged Learning 

Children ask a lot of questions. And that's a very good thing. 

“Where does the sun go when it sets?” “Can I make this tower one block taller?” “What happens if I mix blue and yellow paint?” 

Curiosity is one of the foundations of engaged, independent learning. When children have opportunities to explore their interests, make choices, test ideas, and ask questions, learning becomes something they participate in rather than something that simply happens to them. 

What it looks like at Barrington: A child's interest in bugs might turn into a classroom investigation. Building with blocks can become an experiment in balance. Pretend play can turn into a restaurant, veterinarian's office, or grocery store complete with roles, rules, and plenty of negotiation between friends. 

Barrington's classrooms give teachers a framework for learning while still allowing children's interests and questions to help shape the experience. Because some of the best learning begins with a child saying, “I wonder what happens if…” 

Why These Early Childhood Life Skills Matter 

From the outside, a day at daycare may look like snack time, story time, playground adventures, and a lot of art projects headed straight for the fridge. But there's a lot happening underneath all that fun. 

A child waiting for a turn is practicing self-control. 

Two friends figuring out how to play together are building communication and empathy. 

A child rebuilding a tower is practicing perseverance and problem-solving. 

And the child asking their 47th “why?” of the morning is learning that the world is worth being curious about. 

These skills aren't developed in one lesson or checked off a list once they've been mastered. They grow through hundreds of small, repeated experiences with caring adults nearby to guide, encourage, ask questions, and help children try again. 

At Barrington School, we believe early childhood education is about more than preparing children for kindergarten or the next classroom. It's about creating a warm, nurturing environment where children can build confidence, independence, curiosity, friendships, and a genuine love of learning. Because the little moments happening today can become skills children carry with them for years to come. 

What Parents Are Saying About Barrington School  

“Barrington has a set curriculum that they follow to teach my child various life skills and academic necessities.” - Reagan A.  

We love The Barrington School of UA! I know my littles are cared for and loved, they are constantly learning new skills beginning at an early age” - Margarita R 

"Our kids learn something new every day [at Barrington]” - DJ J. 

Want to see what learning looks like at Barrington? Schedule a tour and experience our classrooms, curriculum, teachers, and approach to early childhood education firsthand.