LIFE SKILLS STUDY NOTES
CONTENT
1. Introduction to life skills
2. Self-awareness
3. self-esteem
4. Stress management
5. Coping with emotion
6. Empathy
7. Assertiveness
8. Negotiation
9. Non-violent conflict resolution
10. Effective decision making
11. Critical thinking
12. Creative thinking
13. Problem solving
14. Leisure
15. Gender education
16. Drug and substance abuse
17. Hiv and aids
18. Child labor
19. Child rights
20. Relationships
Topic 1: INTRODUCTION TO LIFE SKILLS
Definition of Life Skills
Life skills are “abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with
the demands and challenges of everyday life”
Life skills are psychosocial competencies or abilities that help individuals to deal effectively with the
demands and challenges of life.
Life skills promotes development of positive attitudes and behaviour such as; knowing how to cope with
stress, knowing how to identify, analyse and resist the negative effects of gender discrimination as well as
making informed decisions on matters that affect people and practice healthy behaviours.
Life skills empower individuals to think and behave constructively when dealing with themselves and other
people.
Benefits of Life skills
1. Health benefits
Life skills education addresses the combination of psychological and social factors that contribute to healthy
behaviour.
The implementation of life skills education in schools addresses the needs of all learners.
The promotion of personal and social skills is an important aspect of health promotion intervention that
aims to empower the individual to promote his/her own health as well as the health of others and of the
community.
2. Education Benefits
Life skills education introduces learner-centred and interactive teaching method which can have a positive
impact on:
1. The relationships between teachers and learners enjoyment of learning.
2. Teacher’s job satisfaction.
3. Rates of drop outs and absenteeism from school.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 1
,Life skills have positive impact on the teaching of academic subjects.
There are indications that life skills in education can have positive impact on academic performance.
3. Social benefits
Life skills education helps to clarify the needs of young people growing up and so result in less delinquency
among adolescents
4. Cultural Benefits
Life skills education helps to clarify the culture of young people growing up in modern societies. Life skills
education is of particular value to young people growing in multicultural societies.
5. Economic Benefits
Life skills education and skills promotion appear to be amongst themost highly valued by the employers of
young people.
Life skills education can be expected to reap maximum rewards in regard to healthy society, especially since
the health and social problems prevalent today have at their root a component of human behaviour.
6. Political Benefits
Life skills education addresses the needs of the child as specified in the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
More Importance/Benefits of Life Skills
1. Individuals have better control over their lives
2. Helps build self-esteem/self-worth/self confidence
3. Builds strong relationships
4. They are able to set life goals
5. To make informed choices and decisions
6. To promote healthy behaviour
7. To avoid risky situations
8. To enable proper use of leisure time
9. To adopt meaningful cultural practices
10. Leads to high productivity
Categories of Life Skills
Life Skills can be categorized into three major categories:
a) Communication and Interpersonal Skills,
b) Decision Making and Critical Thinking Skills,
c) Coping and Self-Management Skills.
Living values and our lives
Living Values are the principles of life that have been adopted in the international education approach,
which focus on children of all ages, genders, cultures & religions. They encompass all values of common or
universal humanity.
The twelve common living or universal values are:
Peace: Peace is the original quality of the self. In its purest form, peace is inner silence. It consists of
positive thoughts, pure feelings and good wishes. To have peace you need patience. When you are
peaceful, you create an atmosphere of peace. Peace in the world can only be realized when there is
peace in the minds of man.
Love: Where there is love, there is a world. Love looks on all with a vision of equality. Love is all
giving without any thought of a return. A heart that has love is able to accommodate. The whole
universe and still has space for more. Selfless love is truly unlimited; it forgets and forgives the
weakness and sees only beauty and specialties in everyone.
Respect: This is about placing value on the life and existence of self and others.
Tolerance: The ability to tolerate situations enhances quietness and internal happiness. Tolerance
enables a person to accommodate various circumstances.
Responsibility: every person has a role to play in this world. Responsibility requires each individual to
perform their duty diligently and as required.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 2
, Humility: Humility is dedication to the extent that no acknowledgement is sought for the self.
Humility allows you to learn. There is great strength in humility. It never holds on to anyone for
support. Everyone bows down to those who bow down first.
Honesty: Speak with honesty and you will get a chance to learn. The one who is honest will speak
about themselves first, not about others. Others won’t get impressed by your words.
Cooperation: It is based on faith, love, trust and understanding. It is not a bargaining game, in which
one person’s success is achieved at the expense of another’s Real cooperation takes place when there
are good wishes and pure feelings for each other.
Happiness: There is happiness when each moment is used in a worthwhile way. Happiness is such
nourishment that it can transform a person, from weak to powerful, it makes difficult things easy
heavy things light. To remain happy and share happiness with others is the greatest act of charity. No
matter what happens, your happiness should not be lost.
Simplicity: Simplicity is identifying and being comfortable with those elaborate circumstances which
shape our lives without worrying or making matters complicated.
Freedom: Freedom starts in the mind. Understanding the self is the key to freedom. The more one
understand the self, the easier it is to be liberated from waste. Freedom means to be uninfluenced,
Unaffected and to be at peace with the self. True freedom is to experience the true essence of one’s
being and that is peace.
Unity: Unity is harmony within and amongst individuals. It is built from a shared vision and for the
common good. Unity is appreciating the values of each Individual and their unique contributions.
Understanding the living values of humanity helps in enhances awareness of values and value-based
systems of learning in the community.
Living values helps learners to understand their worth and purpose in life. It promotes integrity and peace
in the society.
Living values education also enhances individual development and cultural heritage by emphasizing
positive values.
Awareness of living values is necessary for humanity to flourish for a long time.
Relationship between life skills and living values
Life skills are supported by living values. A person with humility and tolerance develops the life skills of
being sociable and relating well with others. Happiness also enhances the development of life skills such as
positive interpersonal relations and emotional strength. Furthermore, developing living values is necessary
in promoting collaboration and teamwork skills. A person who has unity and love is able to work
effectively with others in teams. Think of other ways in which values and life skills are interrelated, such as
developing the skills to manage stress and adopting the values of humility and tolerance.
TOPIC 2: SELF-AWARENESS
Self-awareness is the ability to appreciate oneself, including the strong and weak points of one’s character.
It is the knowledge of one self in terms of what one can do and what one cannot do. This realization
enables one to take action and make choices and decisions which are consistent with one’s abilities. This
enables people to:
Recognize the weak and strong aspects of one’s behaviour
Recognize the weak and strong sides of one’s own thoughts and abilities
Differentiate what one can do or can’t do by herself/ himself
Recognize things which cannot be changed, and accept them.
Recognize whatever people may say, each person is different and should value himself or herself for
being unique.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 3
, Recognize one’s own unique talents.
People need to have a clear sense of their identity, understanding of past experiences and influences,
culture and family background. Proper understanding on oneself enhances the ability to use other life skills
effectively. Self-awareness helps individuals get better aquatinted with their feelings, emotions, attitudes,
hopes, dreams, physical bodies, who they are, where they are going, how to get there, and it gives them
ability to cope with challenges they are likely to encounter in their lives.
Values associated with self-awareness skill include:
Respect
Humility
Love
Happiness
Freedom
Self-Description.
Self-description is the way in which you describe or talk about yourself to the world.
Self-Assessment
This is evaluation of one’s action, attitude or performance.
Challenges That Hinder Attainment of Life's Goals
Health problems.
Poor time management.
Poor career choice.
Lack of communication skills.
Low self-esteem.
Poor grades
Strategies of overcoming challenges that Hinder Achievement of Life Goals:
a. Ignoring of cultural beliefs and norms that will affect your life goals like being a lady or man.
b. Borrowing finance from well-wishers and sponsors through donations.
c. Being self-motivating and having positive attitude
d. Being dependant on your own.
e. Avoiding bad company.
f. Being focused on your career
g. Accept that challenges exist
h. Develop positive attitudes when dealing with challenges i.e. learn from the challenges that you
come across.
i. Seek guidance and counselling.
j. Avoid the use of alcohol & drugs as solution to your challenges.
Some Values associated with self-awareness skill include:
Respect,Humility, Love, Happiness& Freedom.
TOPIC 3: SELF-ESTEEM
Definition of Self-Esteem
Self-esteem refers to how an individual feels about personal aspects such as appearance, abilities and
behaviour and grows on the basis of their experiences of being competent and successful in what they
attempt. It enables an individual to evaluate his or her self-worth. This is determined by how one values
him or himself in terms of physical and psychological status. How one feels influences his or her actions
towards others. This is largely influenced by the person’s socialization with family members, friends,
teachers, peers, and others.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 4
CONTENT
1. Introduction to life skills
2. Self-awareness
3. self-esteem
4. Stress management
5. Coping with emotion
6. Empathy
7. Assertiveness
8. Negotiation
9. Non-violent conflict resolution
10. Effective decision making
11. Critical thinking
12. Creative thinking
13. Problem solving
14. Leisure
15. Gender education
16. Drug and substance abuse
17. Hiv and aids
18. Child labor
19. Child rights
20. Relationships
Topic 1: INTRODUCTION TO LIFE SKILLS
Definition of Life Skills
Life skills are “abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with
the demands and challenges of everyday life”
Life skills are psychosocial competencies or abilities that help individuals to deal effectively with the
demands and challenges of life.
Life skills promotes development of positive attitudes and behaviour such as; knowing how to cope with
stress, knowing how to identify, analyse and resist the negative effects of gender discrimination as well as
making informed decisions on matters that affect people and practice healthy behaviours.
Life skills empower individuals to think and behave constructively when dealing with themselves and other
people.
Benefits of Life skills
1. Health benefits
Life skills education addresses the combination of psychological and social factors that contribute to healthy
behaviour.
The implementation of life skills education in schools addresses the needs of all learners.
The promotion of personal and social skills is an important aspect of health promotion intervention that
aims to empower the individual to promote his/her own health as well as the health of others and of the
community.
2. Education Benefits
Life skills education introduces learner-centred and interactive teaching method which can have a positive
impact on:
1. The relationships between teachers and learners enjoyment of learning.
2. Teacher’s job satisfaction.
3. Rates of drop outs and absenteeism from school.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 1
,Life skills have positive impact on the teaching of academic subjects.
There are indications that life skills in education can have positive impact on academic performance.
3. Social benefits
Life skills education helps to clarify the needs of young people growing up and so result in less delinquency
among adolescents
4. Cultural Benefits
Life skills education helps to clarify the culture of young people growing up in modern societies. Life skills
education is of particular value to young people growing in multicultural societies.
5. Economic Benefits
Life skills education and skills promotion appear to be amongst themost highly valued by the employers of
young people.
Life skills education can be expected to reap maximum rewards in regard to healthy society, especially since
the health and social problems prevalent today have at their root a component of human behaviour.
6. Political Benefits
Life skills education addresses the needs of the child as specified in the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child.
More Importance/Benefits of Life Skills
1. Individuals have better control over their lives
2. Helps build self-esteem/self-worth/self confidence
3. Builds strong relationships
4. They are able to set life goals
5. To make informed choices and decisions
6. To promote healthy behaviour
7. To avoid risky situations
8. To enable proper use of leisure time
9. To adopt meaningful cultural practices
10. Leads to high productivity
Categories of Life Skills
Life Skills can be categorized into three major categories:
a) Communication and Interpersonal Skills,
b) Decision Making and Critical Thinking Skills,
c) Coping and Self-Management Skills.
Living values and our lives
Living Values are the principles of life that have been adopted in the international education approach,
which focus on children of all ages, genders, cultures & religions. They encompass all values of common or
universal humanity.
The twelve common living or universal values are:
Peace: Peace is the original quality of the self. In its purest form, peace is inner silence. It consists of
positive thoughts, pure feelings and good wishes. To have peace you need patience. When you are
peaceful, you create an atmosphere of peace. Peace in the world can only be realized when there is
peace in the minds of man.
Love: Where there is love, there is a world. Love looks on all with a vision of equality. Love is all
giving without any thought of a return. A heart that has love is able to accommodate. The whole
universe and still has space for more. Selfless love is truly unlimited; it forgets and forgives the
weakness and sees only beauty and specialties in everyone.
Respect: This is about placing value on the life and existence of self and others.
Tolerance: The ability to tolerate situations enhances quietness and internal happiness. Tolerance
enables a person to accommodate various circumstances.
Responsibility: every person has a role to play in this world. Responsibility requires each individual to
perform their duty diligently and as required.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 2
, Humility: Humility is dedication to the extent that no acknowledgement is sought for the self.
Humility allows you to learn. There is great strength in humility. It never holds on to anyone for
support. Everyone bows down to those who bow down first.
Honesty: Speak with honesty and you will get a chance to learn. The one who is honest will speak
about themselves first, not about others. Others won’t get impressed by your words.
Cooperation: It is based on faith, love, trust and understanding. It is not a bargaining game, in which
one person’s success is achieved at the expense of another’s Real cooperation takes place when there
are good wishes and pure feelings for each other.
Happiness: There is happiness when each moment is used in a worthwhile way. Happiness is such
nourishment that it can transform a person, from weak to powerful, it makes difficult things easy
heavy things light. To remain happy and share happiness with others is the greatest act of charity. No
matter what happens, your happiness should not be lost.
Simplicity: Simplicity is identifying and being comfortable with those elaborate circumstances which
shape our lives without worrying or making matters complicated.
Freedom: Freedom starts in the mind. Understanding the self is the key to freedom. The more one
understand the self, the easier it is to be liberated from waste. Freedom means to be uninfluenced,
Unaffected and to be at peace with the self. True freedom is to experience the true essence of one’s
being and that is peace.
Unity: Unity is harmony within and amongst individuals. It is built from a shared vision and for the
common good. Unity is appreciating the values of each Individual and their unique contributions.
Understanding the living values of humanity helps in enhances awareness of values and value-based
systems of learning in the community.
Living values helps learners to understand their worth and purpose in life. It promotes integrity and peace
in the society.
Living values education also enhances individual development and cultural heritage by emphasizing
positive values.
Awareness of living values is necessary for humanity to flourish for a long time.
Relationship between life skills and living values
Life skills are supported by living values. A person with humility and tolerance develops the life skills of
being sociable and relating well with others. Happiness also enhances the development of life skills such as
positive interpersonal relations and emotional strength. Furthermore, developing living values is necessary
in promoting collaboration and teamwork skills. A person who has unity and love is able to work
effectively with others in teams. Think of other ways in which values and life skills are interrelated, such as
developing the skills to manage stress and adopting the values of humility and tolerance.
TOPIC 2: SELF-AWARENESS
Self-awareness is the ability to appreciate oneself, including the strong and weak points of one’s character.
It is the knowledge of one self in terms of what one can do and what one cannot do. This realization
enables one to take action and make choices and decisions which are consistent with one’s abilities. This
enables people to:
Recognize the weak and strong aspects of one’s behaviour
Recognize the weak and strong sides of one’s own thoughts and abilities
Differentiate what one can do or can’t do by herself/ himself
Recognize things which cannot be changed, and accept them.
Recognize whatever people may say, each person is different and should value himself or herself for
being unique.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 3
, Recognize one’s own unique talents.
People need to have a clear sense of their identity, understanding of past experiences and influences,
culture and family background. Proper understanding on oneself enhances the ability to use other life skills
effectively. Self-awareness helps individuals get better aquatinted with their feelings, emotions, attitudes,
hopes, dreams, physical bodies, who they are, where they are going, how to get there, and it gives them
ability to cope with challenges they are likely to encounter in their lives.
Values associated with self-awareness skill include:
Respect
Humility
Love
Happiness
Freedom
Self-Description.
Self-description is the way in which you describe or talk about yourself to the world.
Self-Assessment
This is evaluation of one’s action, attitude or performance.
Challenges That Hinder Attainment of Life's Goals
Health problems.
Poor time management.
Poor career choice.
Lack of communication skills.
Low self-esteem.
Poor grades
Strategies of overcoming challenges that Hinder Achievement of Life Goals:
a. Ignoring of cultural beliefs and norms that will affect your life goals like being a lady or man.
b. Borrowing finance from well-wishers and sponsors through donations.
c. Being self-motivating and having positive attitude
d. Being dependant on your own.
e. Avoiding bad company.
f. Being focused on your career
g. Accept that challenges exist
h. Develop positive attitudes when dealing with challenges i.e. learn from the challenges that you
come across.
i. Seek guidance and counselling.
j. Avoid the use of alcohol & drugs as solution to your challenges.
Some Values associated with self-awareness skill include:
Respect,Humility, Love, Happiness& Freedom.
TOPIC 3: SELF-ESTEEM
Definition of Self-Esteem
Self-esteem refers to how an individual feels about personal aspects such as appearance, abilities and
behaviour and grows on the basis of their experiences of being competent and successful in what they
attempt. It enables an individual to evaluate his or her self-worth. This is determined by how one values
him or himself in terms of physical and psychological status. How one feels influences his or her actions
towards others. This is largely influenced by the person’s socialization with family members, friends,
teachers, peers, and others.
LIFE SKILLS Study notes Prepared by Mr. Antony Ambia Page 4
