Kids grow up so fast. Before you know it, your 2-year-old would have reached yet another milestone in their young lives by hitting their first double-digit number of 10 in their age.
Before that time comes, there are several lessons you’ll want to teach your children before they stop listening to you and become headstrong young adults. After all, everyone wants to raise children who become happy, functional adults. With kids growing up so fast, teaching your children to be self-sufficient should start early.
By the time they approach 10 years old, they will naturally be more independent and be able to do a lot of things by themselves.
Already in Primary 4 now, they would have advanced academically in school and are now able to read, write, count and articulate their thoughts in conversation.
But what about the other life skills such as self-awareness, responsibility, character and self-sufficiency ─ things that are necessary to take on the real world when they grow up?

Here are 10 skills your child should have before they reach 10 years old.

1: They know how to Bathe, Brush their Teeth, Groom and Dress themselves
No longer little toddlers needing mummy to brush their teeth, bathe and put on their clothes for them, they should know by this age when they should brush their teeth, wash their hair, bathe and pick out clothes that are colour-matched and appropriate for the occasion.
If they are going for their art class or piano lessons, what should they be wearing? If they are visiting Aunty Mei to celebrate her birthday at a restaurant or going for tuition or for football in the field outside, what are the clothes that would be most appropriate?
Mummy shouldn’t have to pick their clothes out for them. Let them make their own decisions. By age 10, this should be completely manageable.

2: They know Good Manners
No one likes a child who has no manners. And no parent wants their child to be known as a brat, especially once they’re old enough to know better. Start using “please” and “thank you” and “excuse me” when your children are young so they become accustomed to them. The more you demonstrate good manners, the more you can expect it in return from your children. Tell them also to show respect to others, to greet people politely, speak politely and to address older people “Aunty” and “Uncle” as a sign of respect. Children should be taught social skills well before the age of 10.

3: They know How to be Safe and Sensible Online
It’s not just about exploring the World Wide Web but the deluge of instant messaging and social networking apps that make the internet such a fascinating, fun, educational, confusing, dark and dangerous place for kids.
Sure, you can put in parental restrictions, cyberbullying blocks, inappropriate content filtering, or even a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your whole family’s privacy.
But no matter how many of these controls you put in, you can’t block everything and you can’t monitor his online activities all the time, especially when all his friends are already on TikTok, RedNote, Snapchat, WeChat, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram…you name it.
On top of that, there’s also the rise of online scams, paedophile and gambling sites that you may not even be aware of to block off. End word: You can’t block them all!
The best way to protect children online is not by breathing down their necks every time they go online, but by giving them the power of knowledge.
Have you heard of this saying?
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
It’s the same concept here. Teach him how to be safe online by focusing on critical thinking skills, discernment, wisdom, values and ethics.
Ask your 10-year-old: Is this right or wrong? Should you share this personal picture or this private information with someone you don’t know? How do you spot a dubious profile? Should you be visiting this site?
By encouraging your child to figure out the answers themselves, you would empower him with the knowledge to make the internet a safe and positive place of learning, and not one of cyber risks where he could fall prey to.

4: They have a sense of Direction and know How to get Home
Your child may get driven to and from school by a school bus, or you drive them to Taekwondo or ballet class but get them to navigate your drive to these frequented locations or around the neighbourhood so that they observe their surroundings and have a sense of direction.
In an emergency, they won’t get lost. It’s also a good idea to have them follow directions on the phone or give their approximate location by describing the landmarks nearby. (Aside from getting lost on the road, lots of children also get lost in shopping complexes and carnivals).
Having a phone and knowing your number and how to give you their location accurately will save everyone a lot of panic and tears.

5: They know how to Reach you
For their safety, it is important your child knows his full name, his home address, the house phone number and both parents’ mobile phone numbers memorised. This should be taught to them before age 10.
One more thing that’s often overlooked ─ they should also know your name and their dad’s name.
In an emergency, if the authorities such as the hospital or the police were to ask: “What is your mother’s name?”, you don’t want him answering: “Mummy”, or “What is your father’s name?”: “Daddy”.

6: They know how to React to an Emergency
As a 10-year-old, your child should have enough presence of mind and some first aid skills to respond to minor accidents and even real emergencies.
Minor Emergency
• Cut Finger: Run wound under cold tap water, or apply pressure to stop bleeding, put on a plaster.
• Burn or Scald: Run burnt area under cool running water for 20 minutes. Do not use ice. Cover burnt area with loose plastic covering such as clingfilm.
• Bruise and Swelling: Ice the bruise for 20 minutes.
• Scraped Knee: Wash the scrape with water, remove debris, apply antibiotic ointment, then bandage it.
• Nosebleed: Sit upright, lean forward, pinch the nose, press towards face and hold this position for 10 to 15 minutes.
Major Emergency
• Call 999: This emergency hotline connects to the Police, Fire & Rescue (Bomba), and Ambulance service. Your child should be able to explain the situation and give the location of the emergency.

7: They should have Time-Management and Organizational Skills
Well before they reach age 10, they should know how to organize their own schedules and manage their time around school, homework, meals, sports, extra-curricular activities, enrichment classes, hobbies, playdates and household chores.
Yes, they should also be helping you with the housework at an early age, such as cleaning their own room or even helping to prepare meals and wash dishes.
Regardless of whether they are a boy or a girl, they are old enough to be helping you out with house chores, fix themselves a snack to feed themselves, or maybe even cook rice and other light meals.
You could help them get organized by setting up a schedule or timetable for them to follow.

8: They should know how to Problem-Solve
One of the most important things on raising confident, resilient, and independent children is to stop running to “save” them from every problem they run into in life.
Barring huge issues that need parental step-in, let them tackle challenges on their own. As “growing up kids earning their independence”, they shouldn’t need to run to mummy to solve every single challenge they are confronted with.
When children learn problem-solving skills, they learn to take on challenges without fear and ultimately become happier, more resilient, more confident, and more independent individuals. They also learn to be creative, resourceful and develop patience at the same time ─ things that will stand them in good stead later in life.

9: They know how to Handle Money and get the Correct Change
Although Malaysia is quickly turning into an online economy, we are still very much cash-based. Most of our shops and supermarkets, stalls, truck food and coffeeshops still run on cash transactions.
Your child’s school canteen is cash-based. As a growing child just beginning to learn to move about in the adult world, he needs to learn how to recognize the different-coloured bills and their denominations, the different coins and their value and make purchases using cash.
To help him learn, you could run some play-transactions with him and hone up his mental arithmetic at the same time.

10 They must have some Financial Literacy and learn how to Save
Children should learn how money works from a young age. Tell them how mummy and daddy earn money to enable both of you to buy food, and toys for them. However, not all of the money earned should be spent straight away as there is this thing called budgeting and putting aside some of the money for future use. At age 10, they may not understand the big concepts of needing money for their university education or buying their own car but at their stage in childhood, if there is something they really, really want but cannot afford to buy straight away, they can learn to save up their own money to buy it. This gives them an immediate sense of why they need to save. By giving them this responsibility to take charge of their own finances, children learn the basic tenets of saving and acquire a sense of achievement in doing so.

By age 10, they should already be actively saving. You can open a savings account for them at any bank, then show them how to log in to view their monthly statements so that they can see and feel proud of the money they have “grown” all by themselves.
Morinaga Chil-kid
While you are busy teaching them how to be independent and navigate the adult world, don’t forget that children need their nutrition to grow up healthy, strong and ready to learn.

Morinaga Chil-kid Step 3 and Chil-kid Step 4 are science-based, nutrient-dense milk formulas that can fill in the nutritional gaps in your children’s diets should they be lacking. With so much sugar-filled, junk food available everywhere, sometimes, it may not be easy to ensure your child eats a varied and well-balanced diet every day. Morinaga Chil-kid addresses this as it is packed with 45 nutrients such as ARA and DHA, Inositol, GOS, 5 Nucleotides, Omega 3&6 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (LCPs) and 21 Vitamins and Minerals. The milk provides age specific nutrients for your children’s respective age groups.

Chil-kid Step 3
Chil-kid Step 3 is specially made for children in the 1 to 3 years bracket. Children in this age group require the right nutrients as they experience significant development in physical, cognitive, and social-emotional areas, reaching milestones like walking, talking in short sentences, and showing more independence. By age 3, about 80% of a child's brain would have developed, forming the foundation for memory, language, thinking, and reasoning skills.
To support this early stage in a child’s development, Chil-kid Step 3 features carefully-balanced DHA and ARA, Inositol, GOS, and 5 Nucleotides among its 45 nutrients. The DHA and ARA as well as Inositol support brain and vision development, while Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) which is a prebiotic, supports gut health and strong immunity. There are also Nucleotides, the basic building blocks for new cells and DNA, which support the development of the immune system and intestinal health.
Together, these nutrients in Chil-kid Step 3 lay the foundation for immunity, brain eye and gut development in the child.

Chil-kid Step 4
Chil-kid Step 4 is the formula specially made for preschoolers and school-going children in the 3+to 9-years age group. Chil-kid Step 4 is developed based on Chil-kid Step 3 but is further enhanced to meet the evolving needs of growing children. Children in this age group are in their Golden Age of Growth. With their changing nutritional needs that come along as they grow older, Chil-kid Step 4’s DHA, ARA, Inositol and Choline provide the nutrients to facilitate continued brain connections and growth. The Protein, Calcium, Vitamin D and Phosphorous facilitate muscle and bone mass development as it has been found by the Malaysian Ministry of Health and the South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS) that a large proportion of children in Malaysia have insufficient Calcium and Vitamin D intake. Chil-kid Step 4 addresses this problem with higher Calcium and Vitamin D levels compared to Chil-kid Step 3. The other nutrients such as GOS and Nucleotides continue to support healthy gut function and digestion and build stronger immunity so that children’s growth and learning trajectories are not interrupted due to falling sick.

Chil-kid Step 3 and Chil-kid Step 4
Both Chil-kid Step 3 and Chil-kid Step 4 do not contain Sucrose to help reduce sugar intake and are specially formulated for Asian children.
Dissolving easily in warm water, Morinaga Chil-kid, which features a mild vanilla flavour, takes the stress and time out of the preparation. Just two to three servings a day alongside meals helps your children meet their Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI). If their diet is lacking, this means they will not be short of any nutrients they may need for their daily development and growth.
Morinaga Chil-kid is the result of over 100 years of child nutrition research by Japanese scientists. The focus is on how nutrition supports immune health, brain health, physical growth and cognitive development. Everything in the formulation is backed by research and all nutrient combinations are tested and refined by the Morinaga R&D Institute in Japan.
Wholly produced from dairy farms to the packaging process in a state-of-the-art plant in the Netherlands, both milk formulas go through rigorous European Union (EU) quality control as well as a double inspection process with samples sent to Japan for a second inspection before they are shipped to Malaysia.