One difficult aspect of emergency preparedness is how to prepare your children for an emergency. It is a difficult to find the right balance as you explain to your child the different emergencies and how he should react to them. On one hand you do not to scare your child so that he worries about the possibility constantly, but you don’t want to leave him totally unprepared to handle the situations that he may face. Here are some tips to help prepare your children:
1) Preparation will help your child to better cope with an emergency. Explain the possibilities to your child in a clear and concise manner. Let her know the different possibilities or outcomes from each emergency, and explain any steps that you would want her to take in each event.
2) Remember to keep the discussion age appropriate. Your four-year-old should know what to do when the fire alarm goes off, but you might not need to explain what a terrorist is to her. However if your child asks questions make sure that you answer with clear answers. Usually when she asks questions she will have heard something somewhere else. You can put her mind at ease.
3) Hold drills for your family. Every family should practice fire drills. Depending on your area you may want to hold earthquake drills or you may want to have tornado drills. Practicing these on a regular basis will help your children know what to do and remain calm during an emergency.
4) As soon as your child is old enough, tell him about 911. This can be a life saving tool for your family. Make sure that your child knows that it is very important to only call when there is a real emergency. Such as when mommy or daddy is really hurt or can’t wake up or someone else is badly hurt.
5) Preparing an emergency kit for your children will also help them through the situation. Prepare a small backpack with juice boxes, snacks, a change of clothes, crayons and a coloring book. This will help to keep them calm when they have to pass the time during or after an emergency. Make sure that they know not to go and grab this during a fire.
Be open and honest with your children as you explain to them the situations that they are facing. Be sure to answer any questions that they may have. These things will help your children stay calm during an emergency. You should try to stay calm as well, because your children are looking to you as their safety. When your children are prepared they will better be able to handle the situations they are in.