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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

As homeschool parents, we often choose to homeschool our kiddos for many reasons. Often, we want the best education for them, but we also know that academics are only part of their education Many soft skills are important, too. Therefore, I was glad to have the opportunity to review Success Skills for Christian Students Video Course and Book Bundle by Skills 4 Students, LLC. It gives parents and students the roadmap on HOW to develop these soft skills needed for success.

So, you may be wondering what soft skills are.

Well, to be honest, I only had a vague idea when I first heard the term. However, Success Skills for Christian Students provides the following examples of soft skills (page 3):

1. Critical thinking and problem-solving
2. Written and oral communication
3. Ability to work effectively on a team
4. Time management
5. Professionalism

When looking at the list of soft skills, I knew this would be a helpful book for my teens. So, for this review, my 15-year-old daughter and I went through the course and book bundle.

Before I get into our thoughts on the program, let me tell you a little more about it and how we used it in our homeschool.

Soft Skills for High School, College, and Career: What’s Included

Skills 4 Students, LLC has put together a thorough program with their Success Skills for Christian Students Video Course and Book Bundle. In addition, they have published a regular and Christian Edition. For this review, we reviewed the Christian Edition.

Included in this course bundle are the following:

• Paperback copy of Success Skills for High School, College, and Career– Christian Edition
• Online video course with downloadable slides
• Printable workbook to work on the course content
• Ebook and MP3 content
• Bible Study Guide
• Quick Start Student Portfolio
• Plus, an email series to help you focus and get started using the course

The whole program works together to teach students the steps they need to be successful on whatever path they take in life. Though the course tends to focus on college, the information applies to high school students and those going into the workforce.

For example, kids learn to set goals, prioritize and balance their life, work effectively with others, communicate effectively, develop strong academic skills, and more. All of this centers around God’s word and helping kids keep their faith strong.

The course videos, book, and workbook help students learn how to develop different soft skills. The instructor and author, Cary J. Green, shares personal stories of his struggles as a student and stories from his years working with college students that led him to develop this course.

Using the workbook along with the course allows students to think about the content and begin to apply it.

Bible Study

Mr. Green relates all the content to scripture throughout the book and online course. With the Bonus Content, you receive the Bible Study program that lists the different scripture found throughout the book. Students can then look up the verses for themselves and use the discussion questions to dig deeper into the meaning.

Quick Start Student Portfolio

Another thing found in the Bonus Content is the Quick Start Student Portfolio. Here students receive a form to record their community service, volunteer work, and such and reflect on the skills they used and ways to improve. It will be very helpful when kids are building their transcripts or resume. In addition, they can show schools or potential employers the skills they have, more specifically, the soft skills, which will benefit them in the long run.

Email Series to Help You on Your Soft Skills Journey

It can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. After all, there is an online course, book, workbook, and various topics covered throughout the program. Of course, you could just start at the beginning and move forward. However, Mr. Green gives a few different suggestions.

Through several emails, Mr. Green gives you helpful advice to get you started in the program. His emails gave suggestions on the first steps to take and offered up encouragement along the way.

I was grateful for these emails. Mr. Green suggested helping kids with their academic skills first, like learning note-taking. This sets kids up for success right off and gives them something tangible to work on immediately.

There is a lot to the program and so much information covered. I can’t begin to get into all the content taught. So, let me move on and tell you how we used this course.

How We Used This Course in Our Homeschool

For this review, my daughter would read the chapters or watch the corresponding video two to three times a week. She worked on this independently, though I am reading the book and working through the videos too.

My daughter and I watched the first couple of videos together and discussed them. Then, I printed off the workbook pages, and she went and did the work.

As time passed, my girl would read a chapter from the book and do the workbook. She preferred reading to watching videos.

I did a mix of both. Some days I’d read the book and highlight important information. On other days, I’d play the video. I like the book and the video course.

Though there was an ebook and MP3 content, I didn’t use either of them. However, I may download the eBook, so I have that option too. My daughter doesn’t like eBooks, but I think it is good they have this option.

We haven’t completed the book and course yet because life got busy, but it is easy enough for my daughter to pick up and work on it by herself. We will also start using the Bible Study too. I looked through it but haven’t incorporated it because my girl has had a pretty big course load this year.

Our Thoughts on This Soft Skills Course

I have to say that I really like this soft skills course. When you look at the five examples of soft skills above, all those skills are things kids and adults need to be successful. So, if your kiddos are lacking in any of these areas, this course could be a big help.

Honestly, I wouldn’t know how to go about teaching some of these skills to my kiddos. Luckily, the course takes the guesswork out of it and provides a guide on how to go about it.

I thought the video course and book were well done. It is something kids can work through on their own.  My daughter had no problems working through this independently. Though, I do believe kiddos can get more out of it through discussions. We did a lot of informal discussions about what she was reading.

I like how you can download slides from the video. It is helpful to put them in a binder to refer back to or take notes while listening to the course.

I like how Mr. Green uses scripture to show students how God is always working in their life and how to use prayer to help them through life. It encourages kids to stay true to their faith and rely on God.

For the most part, my girl has been very involved in youth programs that have helped her develop many of these skills, so it was a refresher for her. She felt it was a good course and a good “self-help” book kids could really use. However, for her, it wasn’t anything new.

I plan on using this course with my son, especially the academic skills piece. So he and I will work on it together.

So, if your kiddos need to boost some of those soft skills, I highly recommend the Skills 4 Student’s Success Skills for Christian Students Video Course and Book Bundle. It will help prepare your kiddos for high school and beyond. It is an easy-to-use book and video course that guides you through HOW to develop these skills in students. I’m glad about that because I wouldn’t know where to begin.

There are other Crew members that used this soft skill course in their homeschool. Click the banner below to read their thoughts and how they use it in their home.

Happy Homeschooling!