Making sure that your child knows correct medical procedures can save someone's life in the case of a medical emergency. While your child may not be old enough to learn about CPR or how to suture a wound, a child as young as age 5 can learn about basic medical procedures like bandaging and burn care, according to educator website, InstructorWeb.com. Plan a day to teach your children how to deal with medical emergencies, to empower them with knowledge that could one day save their lives.
Step 1
Identify the skills that would most benefit your children in knowing. Whether you are teaching a class as an educator or teaching your children as a parent, there are some medical procedures that will benefit them more than others. Children often incur scratches, minor burns and bone breakage. Teaching them how to deal with these and other common child emergencies will give them the right tools and knowledge.
Step 2
Introduce a well-stocked first aid kit to the children. It should be filled with cleansing wipes, antibiotic cream, gauze, tape and Band-Aids, as well as any other materials you see fit. Open the first aid kit and name each item inside. Talk about how each item is used, and demonstrate usage on a few of the children. You could show them how to tape a broken finger or apply gauze over a wound.
Step 3
Purchase baby dolls or dummies that the children can practice their skills on. As you explain how to use items in the first aid kit, they can try out some of the skills on their dummies. It makes for good practice that can help the procedures stick out in their minds, should they ever need to utilize them. Dummies can even be purchased to teach CPR or deal with choking.
Step 4
Play a game where children role-play different, non-violent medical emergencies. Have one child be the "victim" and one be the rescuer. You can write a variety of scenarios on cue cards, like "A boy mistakenly grabs the hot handle of a pot and burns his hand," or "A girl falls down on the playground and cuts her knee on a sharp rock." The children then act out the emergency and choose what the best medical procedure is to treat it.
Step 5
Ask a guest speaker to come in and talk to the children about medical procedures and emergencies. A doctor, nurse or paramedic could speak to the children about what to do in emergencies, but also about calling for help and knowing how to use 9-1-1 correctly. The guest speaker can urge children to call for help in an emergency as part of the medical procedure, before trying to fix the problem themselves.
