Survival skills are important to know, no matter how old you are.
In order to keep your children safe, it is important that you teach them some basic survival skills that will help them in an emergency.
Each child is different, but starting early with a survival skills list that works best for you and your family is a great idea.
As your child gets older and is able to handle more information, some more advanced outdoor survival skills or urban survival skills might be a good idea, but when starting with young children, it is best to keep it simple.
With the importance of family survival in mind, we give you this list of survival skills for kids.
Top 4 Survival Skills For Kids
1. What to do if lost:
A lost child is a scared child, and usually, their first instinct is to begin searching for their family. Train your children to stop and sit as soon as they realize they are lost.
Assure them that, no matter how scared they might be, you are searching for them at that very moment, but also that if they keep moving around, it will take longer to find them.
Consider equipping your children with an inexpensive cell phone, and when venturing outdoors, have a few survival items tucked in a backpack or their pockets.
Items such as a whistle, a bright bandana, and a bottle of water are the makings of a kids’ survival kit that will go a long way to helping them be found more quickly.
Kids Survival Kit
2. How to answer the door when home alone:
Usually, the best strategy is to not answer the door! Yes, the person knocking could be a burglar scoping out the neighborhood.
But once the door is opened, it’s that much easier for an intruder to enter. And children are easily overpowered. Train your child to enforce home security. Keep doors and windows locked, and blinds and curtains closed.
Noise from a TV or radio is fine. Someone with questionable motives will think twice about entering a home if they hear noises inside, even if the house is closed and no one answers the door.
Home Defense Safety- How You Should Be Answering Your Door
3. What to do in a medical emergency
From a young age, kids can learn how to dial 911 and report an emergency, but this takes practice.
Spend some time rehearsing phone calls, teaching your children to relay detailed information to an operator, follow his or her instructions, and then stay on the line until help arrives.
If possible, children should also get the home ready for the arrival of EMTs by putting pets in closed areas and, if it’s nighttime, turning on both indoor and outdoor lights.
Summer is an ideal time for children to take first aid and CPR classes, which are typically suitable for kids aged 9 and up.
Kids 911 Training
4. How to maintain situational awareness-
This one skill can help your child avoid many dangerous situations. The concept is simply for children to be aware of the people and events around them.
Parents can help their children become more observant and aware—not by scaring them, but by playing games to teach and practice this skill.
When driving in the car, for instance, ask your kids to describe a building or vehicle you just passed. Teach them to pay attention to the route home by asking them to give you driving directions!
Tell them to close their eyes and describe what someone in the room is wearing. Encourage them to check out the license plates of passing cars: Which states are they from? What is the sum of the numbers on the license plate?
Being aware of their surroundings will help them avoid predatory people and other dangerous scenarios. Simple to teach. Fun to practice. And, quite possibly, a lifesaver.
Find the full article here.
Like survival skills? Check out these articles-
- How To Test Your Family's Survival Skills
- Two Most Important Survival Tools – Skills
- Innovation and Adaptation, The Most Practical Of Skills
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Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for informational purposes only. Please read our full disclaimer.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 29, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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