Life Skills and Literacy: A Powerful Pair

One of the most powerful tools educators can use is the integration of social, behavioral, and emotional skills (commonly referred to as “life skills”) into already existing literacy content. This dynamic combination not only improves academic achievement but also positively impacts student behavior, skill development, and personal growth. (National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, 2019; Mahoney et al., 2018; Zins et al., 2004)

How Life Skills and Literacy Strengthen Each Other

Life skills and literacy development are deeply interconnected, each strengthening the other in meaningful ways. Life skills support literacy by helping students understand their own social and emotional needs and build essential, academically adjacent skills, such as teamwork, communication, critical thinking, decision-making, and perseverance. When equipped with these skills, students can also contribute to creating a positive and inclusive classroom community where everyone feels a sense of belonging and significance. 

At the same time, literacy supports the development of life skills by providing students with opportunities to explore human relationships, conflict, and lived experiences through texts; engage in rich social interactions and discussions with peers; encounter diverse representations that strengthen cognitive empathy; and reflect on their learning in ways that promote personal meaning-making. Together, life skills and literacy work in tandem to expand students’ capacity to understand themselves, connect with others, and thrive academically.

Integrating Life Skills Into Literacy With the Adventure Series

Fly Five’s publishing imprint, Avenue A Books, created the Adventures of the Center City Kids series to develop essential social, behavioral, and emotional skills and literacy skills simultaneously in the classroom or at home. This series includes 20 illustrated read-aloud books that purposely align the exploration of life skills with the development of literacy and academic skills. Each story aligns with a specific reading, writing, and listening/speaking Common Core standard. The Adventure Series also fosters the development of skills within the C.A.R.E.S. competencies: Cooperation, Assertiveness, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control. 

When we intentionally teach life skills and literacy alongside the core curriculum, it allows students to make critical connections between the content, their lives, and the world. Through partnering these books with the Fly Five curriculum, we hope to support educators in creating literacy-rich classrooms that empower students for years to come.

Learn more about Avenue A and the Adventure Series here.

References

Mahoney et al., 2018; National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, 2019; Zins et al., 2004