Teach Kids Prep: Practical Skills Now, 5 Steps

Be ready for your kids, not surprised by disasters.

Teach kids to be preppers with real steps, not hype

I’ve lived through enough drills, evacuations, and power outages to know what works when the lights go out. Teaching children to be prepared starts at home with practical steps and clear roles. The latest guidance from Red Cross, FEMA, and Head Start shows kids learn best when the plan is simple, age-appropriate, and repeatable. Prepare with Pedro is a real, classroom-ready program for K-3 that runs 30-45 minutes and pushes kids to BE PREPARED and TAKE ACTION for home fires and local hazards. Florida aired hurricane-focused videos across statewide PBS channels July-October 2024, which helps families connect learning to local threats. Ready Kids and Ready Teens from FEMA give age-targeted tools that families can actually use. Florida’s health department pushes child-friendly kits, drills, and a family communication plan updated in 2024, and UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development Kit for Emergencies targets ages 0-8 with trauma-informed (practices that acknowledge and address trauma’s impact on behavior and learning) material for caregivers.

Let’s break down what this means in practical terms

For children aged 3 to 7, you should keep explanations simple and use questions that spark their curiosity. If you have children aged 8 to 12, introducing more detailed learning based on situations and problem solving would be ideal.

Keep in mind that a child-friendly kit should include at least three days’ worth of water and non-perishable snacks per child, as well as comfort items (such as a small thermal blanket) and any necessary medications (and first aid supplies). For teenagers, don’t forget to put an emergency contact number in their cell phone.

I recommend that when you can, you go outside the city to more remote places, ideally camping with them as a family plan, and that you carry out drills there at least twice a year.

Look, I’m just saying that it will surely be a lot of fun for them and at the same time it will help you feel at ease knowing that the younger members of the family are getting into the world of preparedness.

Head Start’s updated manual urges local hazard assessments and building readiness into daily routines, not as a separate project. For teachers and caregivers, UNICEF and Head Start offer trauma-informed approaches that help kids cope after a disaster, reducing long-term stress.

On the other hand you should prepare a little differently depending on where you live. If you’re in hurricane-prone Florida, you’ll lean on hurricane-specific content from Florida PBS and Ready Kids materials to reinforce shelter rules, evacuation routes, and communication plans. If you’re in a dry, wildfire area, tailor drills to smoke exposure, masks, and home safety checks. The core idea is the same: make preparedness a regular part of family life, not a museum exhibit you point to once a year.

Clear roles and repeatable drills

What I’ve learned from years of testing prep in real-life pressure is that kids respond to clear roles. Assign a “safety captain” for your home where a child leads a weekly check of exit routes, batteries, flashlights, and radios. Use Red Cross Pedro materials as a backbone for activities that teach home fire safety in a playful, repeatable way. And keep the drills practical: practice with your family emergency plan, including an out-of-town contact, at least twice a year. If you’re running a daycare or a school program, align with Head Start safety practices and use the Emergency Preparedness Manual to assign staff roles and recovery steps.

In practice, here’s what you can do this week to start turning knowledge into action: build or refresh a child-friendly emergency kit with 3 days of water and food per child, add comfort items, and verify medications. Pick a simple home fire drill and a lockdown drill, with one adult and one child leading each. Set up a family communication plan that includes a checklist and out-of-town contact.

Have a short, recurring family meeting to discuss what changed, new hazards, new routines, new kits. And if you’re a teacher or parent, review the Head Start guidelines and FEMA Ready Kids materials to structure your lesson plans and drills.

Key takeaways for ongoing readiness

• Start with age-appropriate lessons: 3-7 years simple; 8-12 years more drtailed.

• Use Ready Kids, Ready Teens, and Prepare with Pedro as core tools.

• Update kits and plans regularly; this is ongoing work, not a one-off task.

• Include comfort items and medications in kids’ kits; have an out-of-town contact.

• Involve schools and daycare in preparedness planning; align with Head Start manuals.

• Practice twice per year; incorporate trauma-informed support from NCTSN and NASP as needed.

What would you like to improve first in your home or program?

Are your kids part of the planning, or are they just watching? Drop a comment and tell me how you’re getting your family ready. Start today. Let’s get to work. See you next time, keep on going. Let’s keep getting ready, and I’ll catch you in the next one.

Luke Harper

I am very prepper, to be honest. Nowadays I give training courses with practices in the middle of nature. I love nature and making handmade tools with things I have on hand. I want to teach my techniques, what I have in mind for the days that may come and I like to share news about the prepper world. By the way, as an ex-military I have to tell you, fitness and self-defense training is also a must if you want to be a good prepper.