Involve Kids

Teach children that preparedness is a normal part of everyday life. Tell them about what you're doing. Empower them by involving them in preparedness activities.

Don't Keep Preparedness a Secret

Many people think that talking about disasters will scare children. Most of the time, that's not true. Children know there are threats in the world. Knowing that there's a plan for dealing with them makes them less scared.

There are many age-appropriate ways to talk to children about risks. When you involve kids in getting your family ready, you're ensuring that they understand the family plan. You're also giving them confidence and helping them build important life skills.

Infants and Toddlers

Even before children can speak, involve them in drills and model preparedness behavior. Make sure your home is a safe place.

Keep smoke alarms in working order.
Do a hazard hunt, and secure items that could fall during an earthquake.
Have a "go bag" ready in case you need to evacuate. Include feeding and diapering supplies.

Young Children

As children grow older, start talking to them about how to stay safe.

Teach them where to go if they get lost and how to call for help, including how to call 9-1-1. Keep emergency phone numbers where everyone can find them, such as on the refrigerator.
Help them understand that firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and other emergency officials are there to help them.
Teach them how to recite their name, their parents' name(s), and their home address.
Let them help test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Let them help change the batteries when needed. Discuss what to do if the alarms go off, and practice evacuating the house. Model good behavior - don't teach them to ignore alarms!
Explain that sometimes nature provides “too much of a good thing” – like fire, rain, or wind. Talk about things that could happen during a storm, like the fact that the lights might not work.
Teach them to drop/cover/hold during an earthquake. After each drill, follow your family emergency plan. Walk to your meeting spaces and check on your emergency kits. Have fun with it, and do it at least twice a year.
Let them help with a hazard hunt in your home.
Get them their own backpack and have them assemble a kit for themselves. It should include your family emergency plan, basic supplies, and a comfort item.
Let them help create a family “password” or phrase to prevent them from going with a stranger.

Pre-Teens and Teens

Keep engaging them in discussions and activities.

Challenge them to memorize your out-of-area contact info.
Talk about the science and history of natural disasters. Use the PDX Ready tool to explore hazards in your area.
Teach them to use an AM/FM radio.
Help them see the value (and fun) of outdoor survival skills.
Show them where the fire extinguisher is and how to use it.
Test your family's kits by not using power or water from the tap for 48 hours. Talk to your kids about how you can improve your emergency kits based on what you learned.
Let older kids with phones download life-saving apps, such as Red Cross, FEMA, Pocket First Aid & CPR, WISER, ICE Standard, and Disaster Alert.
Older kids can get trained in CPR/First Aid, Babysitting, Wilderness First Aid, Community Emergency Response Teams, Search and Rescue, Amateur Radio, etc.