Body & wellness activity
Emergency Helpers: When to Call 911
Learn the 3 magic numbers — 9-1-1 — and when to dial them. Practice the brave voice.
Materials and setup
- toy phone (Pre-K, Kinder)
- scenario cards (Kinder)
- actual phones with parent supervision (Early Elem+)
- paper + binder (Upper Elem plan)
Parent note
Drill realism matters — but end every session on a calm note and remind kids the odds of real use are low. Test your phones' emergency-call accessibility; some require specific buttons. Teach kids that false 911 calls can delay help to real emergencies (in the US, it's also illegal). For Upper Elem, the Kitty Genovese extension is a useful ethics + psychology topic; keep the tone educational, not scary.
How this changes by age
Pre-K (ages 3–4)
Learn the 3 magic numbers — 9-1-1 — and when to dial them. Practice the brave voice.
Steps
- Hold up 3 fingers. Say 9-1-1 together 10 times. Sing it like a song.
- Learn: 911 is for EMERGENCIES — fire, someone very hurt, someone scary in the house.
- Practice the brave voice: loud, clear, slow. 'My name is ___. My address is ___. We need help because ___.'
- Memorize home address together. Repeat it 5 times, in the car, in the bath, at bedtime.
- Role-play on a toy phone. Parent plays the 911 operator. Child practices the brave voice.
- Rule: NEVER call 911 for fun. It can stop real help from reaching someone who needs it.
Learning objectives
- Recall 911 from memory
- State own full name and home address from memory
- Practice 'brave voice' in role-play
Kindergarten (ages 5–6)
Learn the 4 categories of 911 call and how to tell a real emergency from a not-emergency.
Steps
- Meet the 4 categories: FIRE (smoke, flames), MEDICAL (very hurt, can't breathe, unconscious), POLICE (someone scary, someone hurt on purpose), RESCUE (trapped, lost, drowning).
- Sort 10 scenario cards into EMERGENCY (call 911) or NOT EMERGENCY (get a grown-up but don't call): 'scraped knee', 'house on fire', 'mom fell and won't wake up', 'broken toy', 'stranger won't leave', 'spilled juice', 'dog bite that's bleeding a lot', 'homework is hard', 'smoke alarm going off', 'scared of a dream'.
- Practice a full 911 call on a toy phone. Script: 'My emergency is ___. My address is ___. My name is ___. Please send help.'
- Rule: stay on the phone until the operator says you can hang up — even if you're scared.
- Talk about what grown-ups DO when you call: ask questions, send help, stay on the phone with you.
Learning objectives
- Distinguish emergency from non-emergency situations
- Identify 4 categories of 911 call
- Perform a full scripted 911 call in role-play
Early elementary (ages 6–8)
Run realistic 911 drills with complications — what if the phone is locked? What if you don't know the address? What if someone is unconscious?
Steps
- Review the scripted call structure: WHAT happened, WHERE you are, WHO needs help, YOUR name.
- Learn: most phones can dial 911 from the lock screen — look for 'Emergency call' or a similar button. Test your family's phones (parent supervises).
- Learn: if you don't know the exact address, describe landmarks, cross streets, apartment number, or ask the operator to locate you by phone GPS.
- Learn the first-aid-first rule: if someone is unconscious and not breathing, START CPR (see bw-072) and keep the phone on speaker so 911 can coach you.
- Run 5 drill scenarios with parent: (1) grease fire in kitchen, (2) grandpa collapses, (3) sister falls from tree and can't walk, (4) stranger won't leave porch, (5) smelling gas in the house.
- For each drill: what do you do FIRST, what do you tell 911, what do you do while waiting?
- Extension: learn international equivalents — 112 (Europe), 999 (UK), 000 (Australia). Useful for travel.
Learning objectives
- Unlock and use a family phone to reach 911
- Describe location without a street address using landmarks + GPS
- Execute 5 emergency drills with correct sequence of actions
- Know at least 3 international emergency numbers
Upper elementary (ages 8–10)
Become a 911 call veteran. Learn how dispatch actually works, run 10 advanced drills including medical coaching, and write a household response plan.
Steps
- Research how 911 dispatch works: PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), automatic number/location (ALI/ANI), text-to-911 in supported areas, language-line for non-English callers.
- Learn dispatcher-assisted instructions: most PSAPs will coach you through CPR, the Heimlich, childbirth, and severe-bleeding control while help is on the way. Put the phone on speaker and FOLLOW directions.
- Run 10 advanced drills with parent (progressively harder): grease fire, cardiac arrest in parent, anaphylaxis (see bw-072), broken leg on a hike with no service, chemical burn, drowning at a pool, severe nosebleed that won't stop, sibling choking, car crash witnessed on road, intruder in the home.
- Learn the 'panic pause' — 3 breaths before dialing. Dispatchers need clear info; panicking slows response.
- Write a household Emergency Response Plan (3 pages): (a) address + landmarks card, (b) list of all household members with medical conditions and medications, (c) 5 scenarios with step-by-step plans, (d) meeting spot outside the house, (e) contact tree (who calls who after the event).
- Teach the plan to a younger sibling in a 15-minute lesson. Quiz them.
- Extension 1: research Kitty Genovese (the bystander effect) — why being specific ('YOU in the red shirt — call 911') saves lives.
- Extension 2: volunteer at a school or community first-aid fair as a helper.
Learning objectives
- Describe how a 911 dispatch center actually handles calls
- Execute 10 advanced emergency drills
- Author a 3-page household emergency response plan
- Teach the plan to a younger learner
- Apply bystander-effect insight to real-world emergencies
Safety and evidence note
Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.
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