If your twelve year old was lost and alone, would he/she have the survival skills to be able to take care of themselves and siblings/friends until they could get to help, or until help reached them?
Would your idea of survival skills be different if you lived in an urban area versus living on a homestead in the middle of nowhere? Would they be able to take care of themselves after school if you can’t be home with them?
After viewing the video from One of the most basic of survival skills is not to panic. In panic-mode, we make big mistakes, we get confused, we get scared, we do stupid things. Think how much more scared a child would be – do they know how to control that panic and make good decisions?
Situational Awareness
If ever your child is caught in an active shooter situation, a mob experience or being chased by the neighborhood bully or bad guy, does your child know how to decide if they should run, hide or fightback?
- Does she spend all of her time on her phone texting her friends instead of paying attention to what’s going on around her?
- Does your son pay attention to where you are driving, especially in areas he’s not familiar with, so he has some sense of where he is if he had to go bring help?
- Do they understand the places that are dangerous for them to go, the things that are dangerous for them to do, the people that are dangerous to be with?
At some point, every child needs to understand that what happens in his or her surroundings has a direct impact on them – they can’t continually act as if nothing bad ever happens. Bad stuff happens, and they need to become aware of how to handle it.
• You might also be interested in: Can your child stop bleeding, perform CPR, use a splint, or treat a burn? This might be the time to enroll them in a • You might also be interested in: Whether for self-defense, hunting, or sensible gun safety, by the age of twelve, all kids should know how to handle a firearm. I’m sure many will be concerned, but in my mind, a child who knows how to use a gun safely is actually a child who is less likely to be accidentally shot, less likely to shoot someone else because he or she is messing around, and less likely to be blindsided if ever the need did arise to defend his family or provide food if the time came. A child who knows and understands a gun will also be more likely to know NOT to touch a firearm if they are presented the opportunity and will run for grown up help. If you would like to find a safe environment to teach your child about the safe use of firearms, you can enroll in Can your daughter open a can of food from the pantry without an electric can opener Does your child understand how to defend themselves if attacked? Can they use basic defense moves against an adult to try to save themselves? Do they understand when it’s time to fight and when it’s time to run? Have they taken any self-defense classes or taken martial arts training?
• More reading: • You might also be interested in: Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival
Stay Warm
Building a shelter from nothing, using clothes to bundle up, blocking off entrances with blankets, starting a fire – does your child understand the basics of doing these things and why staying warm and dry are so important?
• Further reading: Are These Survival Skills You Know?
Most importantly – do YOU know how to do all of these things? Have you taught your child? Make that a priority with the coming summer…learn a new skill a week…practice them together – BE PREPARED! If you have suggestions or your own list, put your list in the comments – we’d all love to learn more!And remember…if you create an emergency bag for your child … Other Links to check out for Survival Skills for your kids:
