Prepping with Kids: How to Teach Survival Skills and Get Them Involved

Including your kids in emergency prepping helps them build confidence and learn valuable life skills. It also helps your whole family stay ready and safe when unexpected situations happen.

When you teach children about preparedness in a fun, simple, and age-appropriate way, they are more likely to stay calm, make smart choices, and work as a team during emergencies. It also brings the family closer together.

Prepping teaches kids how to solve problems, be more independent, and feel in control. The most important part is to keep it enjoyable and not too much at once. When learning is fun, kids are more likely to remember what to do.

How to Teach Kids About Prepping

1. Start with the Basics

Begin with simple concepts that kids can grasp easily. Focus on:

• Recognizing emergency signals (fire alarms, weather alerts)

• Memorizing important phone numbers and addresses

• Understanding the importance of water, food, and shelter

• Practicing evacuation routes and fire drills

• Packing their own "go-bag" with essentials like snacks, a flashlight, and comfort items.

Pro Tip: Turn emergency planning into a game or treasure hunt to keep kids engaged. Consider using tools like the LHKNL Headlamp Flashlight to make treasure hunts and drills more exciting.

Bonus Activity: Create a "prepper passport" where kids collect stamps or stickers for each skill they learn. This turns preparedness into a fun adventure with rewards at the end.

2. Make It Fun and Interactive

Children learn best through play and hands-on activities. Here are some ideas:

• Camping trips: Teach fire-starting, tent setup, and cooking. Equip them with the Venture Pal 40L Lightweight Backpack for carrying their gear.

• Treasure hunts: Use a compass and map skills, and include the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter to teach water filtration.

• First aid practice: Role-play minor injury scenarios with the Surviveware Small First Aid Kit.

• Survival kits: Let kids build their own kits with guidance, starting with essentials like the Adventure Medical Kits – Family First Aid.

• Obstacle courses: Design obstacle courses in your backyard that simulate survival scenarios. Use the LHKNL Headlamp Flashlight for night challenges.

• Gardening: Teach kids how to grow food and identify edible plants, fostering skills in sustainability and nutrition.

• Cooking from scratch: Teach children how to cook simple meals with long-term food storage items like rice, beans, and dehydrated fruits.

• Knot tying and shelter building: Use ropes and tarps for fun knot-tying competitions. Show them how to build makeshift shelters for outdoor adventures.

• Water purification experiment: Use the LifeStraw to filter water from different sources and compare results.

3. Assign Age-Appropriate Tasks

• Ages 4-7: Memorize addresses, pack snacks, and learn basic safety rules.

• Ages 8-12: Assist with assembling bug-out bags, learn fire safety, and practice first aid.

• Teens: Help with food storage, navigate with maps, and participate in home security. Equip them with tools like the Solar Hand Crank NOAA Weather Radio to stay connected during emergencies.

Extra Task: Get older kids involved in gardening and food preservation. Teach them how to grow survival gardens and dehydrate food. Encourage them to take responsibility for a small emergency kit they can personalize.

Do’s and Don’ts of Prepping with Kids

Do’s:

• Make it relatable: Use stories, books, or movies to illustrate the importance of preparedness.

• Be positive: Frame prepping as an exciting adventure rather than something scary.

• Reward learning: Small incentives encourage participation and retention. Consider giving them their own LHKNL Headlamp Flashlight for completing tasks.

• Practice regularly: Revisit drills and skills often to reinforce learning.

• Incorporate technology: Use survival apps, digital maps, and interactive games that teach survival skills.

• Empower leadership: Give kids small responsibilities in emergency drills to boost their confidence.

• Get them involved in planning: Let kids help design evacuation plans and emergency contact lists.

Don’ts:

• Avoid fear tactics: Scaring kids can lead to anxiety.

• Skip drills: Knowledge without practice won’t help in real emergencies.

• Overload them: Stick to small, digestible lessons that build over time.

• Exclude them: Always involve kids in some capacity during prepping activities.

• Ignore questions: Always answer kids' questions clearly to reinforce their understanding.

Family Emergency Drills: Practice Makes Perfect

• Run fire, earthquake, and storm drills frequently, and make them interactive. For added engagement, reward kids with stickers or badges for completing each drill.

• Create "what if" scenario cards that simulate different emergencies, allowing kids to think critically and act.

• Consider surprise drills at different times of the day to ensure kids stay alert and prepared.

Final Thoughts

Teaching kids about prepping is one of the best ways to ensure their safety and confidence during emergencies. By making preparedness a family affair, you not only increase your overall resilience but also build stronger connections.

Invest in kid-friendly prepping gear, practice often, and watch your children grow into capable and resourceful individuals.