Safety Planning and Role Play Saves Lives

How to prepare kids for an emergency.

(PRWEB) September 18, 2005 -- With natures recent attack on New Orleans, kids have be overwhelmed by the images of the loss and suffering that our neighbors to the south are enduring. Kids are left confused, frightened, helpless and wondering, "What would I do if that were me?"

Kids, no matter how mature they may act, only have limited life experiences to draw from in the case of an emergency.

"Its one thing to teach your child how to make safe choices around strangers, but it is another to prepare them mentally for a disaster." says Samantha Wilson, internationally recognized expert in child and family safety and President and Founder of Kidproof.

"Parents need to learn from this tragic event and use it as an opportunity to talk with their kids and teach them safe responses to emergency situations."

Kidproof, a leading child safety educator, offers these tips to help parents teach their kids how to safely respond to emergencies without increasing fear.

1. Role-play realistic scenarios with your kids. Make scenario cards with a description of a realistic emergency. This could be a fire in your home, a medical emergency or even a natural disaster. Do not over exaggerated situations as it will only give them tools that they will never use and will make kids more afraid.

2. Discuss safe and appropriate responses to scenarios. Talk with your kids about each situation and let them discover the answers to the questions you pose. By having them find the correct answer, you are encouraging them to think about every angle and increasing their confidence.

3. Correct unsafe or inappropriate responses. If they suggest an action that you feel would be dangerous or beyond their limitations, offer them an alternate and explain why your suggestion would be the safer choice.

4. Involve them in your safety planning. Make your safety planning a family activity. Information is empowering and will help your kids make safe choices

5. Rehearse situations often. Rehearse your safety plan with your kids every couple of months. Equate it to a fire drill at school. In an emergency situation, your kids will be better able to stay calm and respond safely if they have rehearsed safe and correct methods.

About Kidproof:
Kidproof Canada / USA is one of the fastest growing child safety educators in North America. Connecting with over 4.8 million parents and kids annually, Kidproof is a team of dedicated professionals delivering a comprehensive series of advisories direct to audiences through programs, web sites, newsletters, handbooks, interviews, products, multimedia and published books. www.kidproofusa.com

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