(Guest post about how to teach kids prepping skills, written by Warren Kuhn of TheCampingTrips.com)
Adults might have an easier time learning about survival and prepping as compared to the kids. But it’s very possible to teach kids prepping skills. It is all about how to make the approach towards prepping that matters.
Any parent would want to prepare their child adequately when it comes to knowing the importance of survival when left alone. It might take time to get the kid loving the whole idea of survivalism, but with time, it will sink in. Let’s look at some of the best approaches you could use in teaching your child about survivalism.
Teach about the importance of food storage.
If you are going to teach about prepping and survival, then food storage cannot miss on the list. Food is an essential thing you will always need to survive, and should be stored as one of the basic prepping elements. You could start by teaching your kids about the importance of not wasting food. Whenever the kid is full, there is no need to pour the food in the trash when it can be saved. Teach the kid about storing such food in the survival kit.
With time, the kid should always know where the kit is placed and when to add more food to it. To be the best prepper, the kid needs to develop a taste for vegetables. Sometimes you will not always get access to the favorite meat meals, so the kids to understand that there are other options too. This also prepares them to be ready to eat something new that they are not used to as an important part of survival.
Teach the kids about safety and emergency plans.
It would feel comfortable seeing that your kid can at least show some defense whenever he comes across danger. This shows that you taught him well about the safety and emergency plans. It is never too early to start such lessons when the kid is young. It is at such a young age and you will always get the kid being sharper and intrigued to know more.
Tell the kids about the potential disasters they can face in life and how they are supposed to handle themselves in case of an emergency. What is important is that the children not to easily trust strangers even when in need of some help to get somewhere. Prepare the kids on events such as floods, storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Whenever this happens, let the kid understand why you had to leave your home and other belongings.
Use drills to teach the kids about prepping.
Teaching your kids about prepping should be done through drills as a way of helping the kids stay sharp. Let the kids be involved in the regular chores around the house such as washing water bottles, clothes, and other types of cleaning without knowing it is a drill. Make sure to fuse such activities with more fun things to do so that they do not get to see it as chores. One thing you could do is make a game out of it and there would be a reward for the winner.
It is still important that you keep the kids strong and physically fit so that they are self-sufficient to defend themselves. You can get the kids signed up for classes such as swimming, gymnastics, martial arts, and much more. The idea is to get them to appreciate the importance of being strong and still be confident about defending themselves.
Camping is often seen as the ultimate way to get your kids learning more about prepping and survival skills. They might be old enough to carry boot knives, but you can always teach them how to wear one and use it when in danger or any other need arises. Camping will get them outdoors and help them understand what the outdoor life is all about. It would be important to get them excited about the trip before the actual day.
While at the camping site, you have to teach the kids about the survival and prepping skills they need for the trip surviving outdoors for a couple of days. If you own a propane generator, teach them how to start it to get power for light and other users. One thing to keep in mind is the age of the kid when teaching them about using generators. Teach the kid about using what is available around them to make the most out their camping trip. This could be teaching them about getting clean water from a stream nearby.
Prep the kid about first aid.
First aid is important as sometimes it determines the survival of a person until a professional offers proper medical attention. The kids need to know more about the first aid kit and how to use it. It can be useless when the kids know where the first aid box is located, but they cannot use it. The emergency survival kits should still be placed in a place where the kids can easily reach in case the situation of an emergency arises.
Make sure that you have a well stocked first aid kit.
Help them memorize the important contact information.
You can never know when the kids would have to contact you as the parent for help. It is the reason you have to help them memorize important contact information not necessarily about contacting you, but other important agencies. You can have them memorize contact information of the police, the firefighters, and other different disaster rescue organizations.
Conclusion
As you can see, prepping skills for kids do not have to be hard, but rather only the important ones to get the kids prepared for anything. Most of the time, you should get many people confident about their kids being prepared in case of any disaster because they trained them well. You too could be that parent by opting to start teaching the kids about prepping skills starting today.
Author Bio
Warren Kuhn is an outdoor and camping enthusiast, always out to seek for the thrill and adrenaline that only nature gives. He even took up survival training to prepare him for the worst-case scenarios while outdoors. With his background, you can learn a lot from him so you can get the most out of your camping trip at TheCampingTrips.
I definitely agree with these. We should teach the kid prepping survival skills.
Love your content.
I do teach my kids and I see its importance! Thanks for sharing!