First aid tips to teach kids

Every child needs to be taught safety and how to play and be safe. Just as they need play, there are chances of injury or minor accidents; hence it is key that our children know basic first aid tips to help them during such emergencies.

First, kids should learn to know their parent’s phone number, know their full names, addresses or location. This is a critical aspect of safety and first aid to help your kid.

It is one of the simplest and most important lessons you’ll ever share.

Kids need to know the specifics about what constitutes an emergency. Ask them questions like, “what would you do if we had a fire in our house?” or “what would you do if you saw someone trying to break in?” to make sure they know what to do. Role-playing is especially a good tool for this and will give your kids confidence.

On using a first-aid kit, go over the location and contents of a home first aid kit with your kids. Explain each item and purpose. Have your children handle the items and use them in a demonstration, creating imaginary scenarios that might incorporate the supplies stored in the kit. You can purchase a first aid kit at your local drugstore or make one of your own using a lightweight container with handles that has plenty of room in it, such as one used for storing art supplies.

Kids can get an injury when playing and in such a situation, teach your child to apply direct pressure to a wound to control bleeding with a clean cloth or tissue paper. Tell them to cover the wound and apply continuous direct pressure until the bleeding stops or help arrives.

If a child hurts himself by falling onto something that sticks into them, such as a piece of broken glass or a stick, tell your child not to pull out anything that is stuck in a wound. Have him call for help and stop bleeding in the meantime by pressing on the area around the object but not on it, putting a pad of clean material around the object and bandaging it to support the object in place and elevating the injured part and keeping it still.

If your child is with someone who breaks a bone, he can help by calling for help from an adult or sending someone to call for help. Asking where it hurts and telling the person to keep the injured part still, your child can help make the person comfortable by finding something soft to rest the injured part on. Talking to the person to help keep him calm, and letting him know what is going on so he doesn’t feel scared is also advisable.

Arming your child with the knowledge of how and when to perform basic first aid measures boosts confidence, and will help them know what to do in a medical emergency affecting them or someone else.

Children should be taught to raise an alarm in a time of emergency, they should know that calling an adult to help is sometimes the best help they can provide. It’s not their job to assess a situation, by raising alarms during medical emergencies; they will help themselves out of the situation and help the person in need too. So, teach them to raise an alarm!

Children do not have to worry about consequences as they learn first aid. All they need to focus on is that knowledge is fun and that they can help themselves if certain situations arise. Kids are taught first aid to help. That does not mean that they fix other’s problems on their own. They also need to be taught whether a situation demands first aid or not.

Knowing first aid can be fascinating for children if we use the right methods. All we need to do is combine learning with our day-to-day slips and falls; our job is done.