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First Aid and Emergency Skills

Learn one important phone number: 911. Practice saying your full name and your address out loud.

Hands OnAbout 45 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

Parent note

CRITICAL: CPR practice is ONLY on a pillow — never on a person, even in play (chest compressions on a healthy person can cause serious injury). The AHA adult/child hands-only CPR compression rate is 100-120 compressions per minute (tempo of 'Stayin' Alive'), depth about 2 inches for an adult. Infant CPR is different (2 fingers, shallower, rescue breaths included) and requires formal instruction — this activity does NOT cover infant CPR. For a real certification, enroll in a Red Cross or American Heart Association class — most offer kid-appropriate 'Babysitter Basics' or 'Family CPR' sessions. Reinforce that 911 is for real emergencies only, not fire-drill practice or curiosity calls — fake 911 calls are a crime and can delay help to real emergencies. Role-play scenarios should emphasize 'call a grown-up first' for non-life-threatening situations, 911 for the serious list (chest pain, severe bleeding, unconsciousness, choking, drowning, severe burns, serious injury). Teaching a younger sibling is excellent skill-reinforcement but the younger sibling should not practice CPR compressions on anyone. Reduced-mobility adaptation: fully seated-accessible — the 911 scripting, address memorization, recovery position (can be taught seated on a practice doll), wound care practice on a doll or pillow, family emergency plan creation, and teaching-a-sibling work all transfer. For the 'roll a person onto their side' recovery position, practice on a doll or stuffed toy from seated; the lesson is knowing the technique, and a child would call 911 and await responders in any real scenario anyway.

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Learn one important phone number: 911. Practice saying your full name and your address out loud.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Learn what 911 is: a special phone number we call when grown-ups can't help and someone is hurt or in danger.
  2. Practice saying your full name out loud, slowly and clearly.
  3. Practice saying your home address out loud. Repeat it together until you can say it on your own.
  4. Talk about WHO to call 911 for: someone who is very hurt, a fire, or a stranger trying to come in.
  5. Practice using a toy phone: 'Hello, my name is ___. I need help.'
  6. Trace your shoe on paper at the start; draw a star on it for every round you finished.

Learning objectives

  • Memorize 911 as the emergency phone number
  • State own full name and home address from memory
  • Understand that 911 is for emergencies when adults need help

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Practice cleaning a small scrape, calling 911 with a toy phone, and memorizing your home address.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Practice how to clean a small scrape: rinse with water, gentle soap, pat dry, and put on a bandage. Practice on a doll or stuffed animal.
  2. Memorize your home address. Say it 5 times until you can say it without thinking.
  3. Practice calling 911 with a toy phone. Say: 'There is an emergency. My name is ___. My address is ___. The emergency is ___.'
  4. Practice 3 different pretend emergencies: a fire in the kitchen, a grown-up who fell down, a stranger at the door.
  5. Talk about WHEN to call 911 and when NOT to (a skinned knee = tell a parent, not 911).

Learning objectives

  • Demonstrate basic wound cleaning steps for a minor scrape
  • Recite home address and key emergency information clearly
  • Practice calling 911 with appropriate emergency information

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

Learn the difference between sprains and breaks, practice cleaning and bandaging a fake scrape, ice a bumped knee, and memorize your parents' phone numbers.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Learn the difference between a sprain (swelling, can still move it) and a possible break (severe pain, can't move it normally). Talk about what each one looks like.
  2. Practice: clean and bandage a fake scrape on your arm. Use the supplies in the first aid kit (gauze, bandage, antiseptic wipe).
  3. Practice applying an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) to a 'bumped knee' for 10 minutes. Time it.
  4. Practice the 911 call: name, home address, what the emergency is. Stay calm. Don't hang up until told.
  5. Memorize both parents' phone numbers. Quiz yourself until you can say them from memory.
  6. Make a small emergency contact card with parents' numbers, the address, and 911. Keep it somewhere safe.
  7. Fill in a 5-row progress chart across the week for the skill you're practicing.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish between sprains and possible breaks and respond appropriately
  • Demonstrate basic wound care, icing technique, and emergency calling
  • Memorize key family emergency contact information

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Learn hands-only CPR theory, the recovery position, when to call 911, and build a family emergency plan. Teach one skill to a younger sibling and consider a real first-aid certification class.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Learn hands-only CPR theory: push hard and fast on the center of the chest, 100–120 beats per minute (American Heart Association guideline), like the song 'Stayin' Alive'. Practice the motion on a pillow — never on a person. Note: adult, child, and infant CPR differ; this activity covers adult/child only.
  2. Learn the recovery position: how to safely roll an unconscious but breathing person onto their side so they don't choke.
  3. Learn when to call 911: chest pain, severe bleeding, choking, drowning, unconsciousness, severe burns. Memorize this list.
  4. Build a family emergency plan: where to meet outside if there's a fire, who to call, who is in charge of pets, where flashlights are. Write it down and post it on the fridge.
  5. Teach ONE skill from this lesson to a younger sibling (the 911 script, the recovery position, or how to clean a scrape). Teaching is the best way to remember.
  6. If possible, complete a real Red Cross or YMCA 'Babysitter Basics' or first-aid class. These are real certifications you can earn and use.

Learning objectives

  • Explain hands-only CPR theory, the recovery position, and clear 911-call criteria
  • Co-create a family emergency response plan and meeting protocol
  • Demonstrate skill mastery by teaching a first-aid concept to a younger child

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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