Why is Car Maintenance 101 Crucial for Kids?
Middle school students, student teachers, and current middle school teachers have all given a resounding ‘Yes!’ to the usefulness of practical, on-the-spot learning, according to a study published in SAGE. Most children spend so many days within formal classroom settings that they have little time to discover, experience, create, and interact with the world around them – or learn practical skills like car maintenance. Whether you are an ace mechanic yourself or you simply want to hone your own knowledge of basic car maintenance, something as simple as changing the windshield wiper fluid can help kids feel more comfortable around vehicles. Being comfortable with the inner workings of a vehicle can also save kids hundreds or even thousands of dollars in the long run, making it a great investment of sorts, as well.
Save Money and the Environment
There are many examples of how simple maintenance can bring about big savings. Just one is proper air pressure in tires. Did you know that when your tire contains the right amount of air, it saves you $3 per gallon of gas mileage, which amounts to almost $450 per year? As stated by reviews of Automotivetouchup.com, knowing how to paint over scratches and scrapes is another area you can easily save on. It is so easy to touch up your car’s body with the use of car spray paints. The latter exist in codes that are compatible with car colors, so finding the perfect match is easy, and by following a simple tutorial, your car can be good as new in no time.
Teach Kids about Scheduling
Knowing how to manage time and create schedules is key for children and adults alike. As kids grow and enter middle school and high school, they need to learn how to divide up their time between academic and leisure pursuits. Car maintenance also requires vehicle owners to be on the ball. Failing to change your oil or ignoring the fact that your brake pads have gone way over their recommended mileage, can result in dire financial consequences. By keeping a log of when tasks like tire/oil/filter changes are due, and using this schedule with your child, they can understand that keeping a car in good working order requires regular checkups and changes.
Boost Their Confidence
If you are a parent, think back to a time in your childhood when you did something amazing – like completing a beautiful drawing or singing a song dedicated to a loved one. Kids who are active learners (i.e. those who like to learn as they go rather than immersing themselves in theory) may just be natural-born mechanics who derive great pleasure from cleaning, fixing, and changing things in vehicles. Even those who are less courageous around cars should be encouraged to understand and interact with their vehicles.
After all, they will most likely be driving one, so being comfortable with cars and equipment is a necessity. For kids who are reflective learners, download an app like This is my car – Mechanics for Kids. Apps and/or child-focused mechanics books will take them through the basics of car maintenance. This way, they will already have an idea of what goes where when you open your vehicle’s hood in their presence for the first time.
Knowing about cars can save kids money in the future since so many maintenance jobs can be carried out at cost price. Even aesthetic changes, such as cuts and scrapes, can easily be made for little more than the price of a spray can. Car maintenance will also help kids learn about responsibility and help them feel more secure about vehicles. Doing so may just save them time and strife in an emergency, so in the same way that cooking, sewing, and other basic tasks should ideally be part of learning, so too should basic car maintenance.
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