15 Things to Teach Your Child Before They Leave for University

We spend years preparing our children to get into university.

Subjects.

Grades.

Applications.

Personal statements.

Accommodation.

Student finance.

Then suddenly move-in day appears and you find yourself asking a completely different set of questions.

Can they cook?

Do they actually know how to use a washing machine?

Would they know how to book a doctor's appointment?

Do they understand how much food costs?

And perhaps most importantly:

Will they call me before or after the situation has become a complete disaster?

Here are fifteen practical things worth going through before they leave home.

1. How to Do Laundry

Not theoretically.

Actually do a load together.

Colours.

Temperature.

Detergent.

Drying.

And the mysterious fact that bedding also needs washing.

2. How to Make Five Basic Meals

Five is enough to start.

Something with pasta.

Something with rice.

Something quick.

Something cheap.

Something they can make when tired.

Nobody needs to leave home as a chef.

They just need alternatives to takeaway.

3. How to Shop for Food

Make a list.

Check what you already have.

Compare prices.

Understand use-by dates.

Know what freezes.

Avoid buying twelve snacks and no actual meals.

4. How to Manage a Weekly Budget

Talk about:

Accommodation.

Food.

Travel.

Socialising.

Subscriptions.

Unexpected expenses.

And the difference between money being in your account and money actually being available to spend.

5. How to Book an Appointment

Doctor.

Dentist.

University support.

Accommodation office.

Let them practise doing this themselves before they leave.

6. How to Use Public Transport

Tickets.

Apps.

Routes.

Missed trains.

Night travel.

Have a basic plan.

7. How to Clean a Bathroom

This is less glamorous than choosing university bedding.

It is also considerably more useful.

8. How to Change Their Bedding

Yes.

Actually practise.

9. How to Read Important Emails

University communicates by email.

Encourage them to check their university inbox regularly.

"Mum, nobody told me" may occasionally mean "there were seven emails."

10. How to Ask for Help

Knowing who to contact is a life skill.

Tutor.

Accommodation.

Student services.

Security.

GP.

Students' Union.

Home.

They don't need to solve everything alone.

11. What Counts as an Emergency

Have this conversation before university.

Running out of shampoo is inconvenient.

Being unable to afford food is different.

Agree what should happen if something genuinely goes wrong.

12. Basic Food Safety

Raw meat.

Leftovers.

Fridge temperatures.

Use-by dates.

That mysterious container at the back of the fridge.

They don't need a qualification.

They need common sense.

13. What to Do When Something Breaks

Who manages their accommodation?

How do they report a problem?

Where is the emergency number?

Knowing where to start matters.

14. When to Call Home

They should always know they can call.

But every small problem doesn't require immediate rescue.

Sometimes the best question is:

“What have you tried so far?”

15. That Learning Is Part of Leaving

You will forget something.

So will they.

They may burn dinner.

Shrink clothes.

Miss a bus.

Overspend.

Call home.

Learn.

And try again.

That is part of becoming independent.

Want to work through it together?

Before You Put Them on the Plane is a fillable parent-and-student planner designed to help families have the practical conversations that are easy to forget before university.

Money.

Meals.

Laundry.

Documents.

Health.

Move-in.

Communication.

And knowing when to help — and when to let them figure it out.

£10.99 · Fillable PDF