Prepping skills to teach your kids

kids prepping skills

------------------------------------------------- Revised 03/04/2021
(C) Copyright 2012-2021 by HappyPreppers.com. All rights reserved. The site happily targets concerned
citizens who are self-reliant survivalists, preppers and homesteaders with original content on survival following
societal collapse. You may link to our site, but you may NOT reproduce any part of our content, or store our
content in any retrieval system to represent it as your own. Further, you may not transmit content in any other
form or by any means, including (but not limited to) electronic, photocopy, mechanical, or recording without
written consent. HappyPreppers.com makes no warranties.

HappyPreppers.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising
program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to
amazon.com, amazonsupply.com, or myhabit.com. Amazon is a great place to buy emergency supplies. In other
words, we recommend prepping gear sold on Amazon. It's a great place to shop.

Get prepared! Read more e mergency preparedness information on our home page.

This artic l e on s urvival skills your kids should know has been archived by waybackmachine,org and saved more
than6 times between April 3, 2014 and April 9, 2016. Do NOT copy. Linking is okay.

Blogroll of Website(s) properly linking:
Survivalife.com - Disaster preparedness and prepping with kids.

sitemap
privacy policy

I Am Not a Target!

Motorola Two-Way Radio

Signing Made Easy

Urban Preppers with Kids

Children's Emergency Poncho

Kids Solar Cooking Science Kit

Prepping with kids 260 gallon water tank for the family

260 Gallon Water Storage Tank

Happy Preppers site for survivalists + preppers

This infant hood is no longer
available on Amazon. See our
gas masks page.

Prepping skills to teach kids ~ survival skills your child should know

Is fluoride dangerous? Is fluoride bad for me?

Pedialyte Packets

Frankincense Frereana

Camo pajamas

Kidsafe essential oils

Daisy slingshot

Prepper Deal Alerts Check
our daily deals for prepping
gear and food storage.

Katadyn is the water filter trusted by the U.S. Military

Toilet paper tabs and the many uses for preppers

How to live in your car for fun, camping or survival

Waterstraaws suck, but here's why to get one

Above, Big Bear homestead discusses the effect prepping has on kids.

Happy endings...
Get started prepping with kids today. Whether you home school
your children or grandchildren, or whether you have a younger
sibling, cousin, niece or nephew who would benefit from learning
prepping skills from you, now is the time to start. If you are a
scout leader, then you can ensure the kids in your troop have
survival skills and can help them teach their families survive.
Prepping with kids is fun and rewarding.

More prepping articles...

Prepare to live happily ever after with us at happypreppers.com - the emergency
preparedness Web site of prepping, survival, homesteading, and self-reliance.

Kids prepping skills
Prepping skills to teach your kids

Survival skills your child should know
Kids are in a habitual state of learning, just by being kids. By
nature, skill building is in their bones and so it's easy to teach
your kids prepping skills so that in the event of an emergency
they are not victims, but active participants in their own
survival. Below are dozens of prepping skills and activities to
teach children...

Prepping skills to teach your kids
Don't coax your kids into the world of prepping. Ease into it!
Give your kids essential prepping skills for their survival and
make it fun. As the children grow, you can build on the skills
taught so they have a fighting chance in the event you are not
able to lead them through the emergency. Skill building will
give them a sense of independence and self-reliance.

Prepping Skill #1: Teach kids water survival skills.
Water is life, which is why ultimately it's important to teach
kids how to locate water, how to open a bottle of water, and
how to filter water.

Water is compulsory to survival and yet an overlooked detail.
The seal of water bottles is often too tight for young children to
open by themselves; however, with the aid of a grip as
leverage your child can break the seal. Be sure to provide the
whereabouts of your water filtration gear and offer a simple
demonstration to your child on water filtration.

Expressly, show your child how to add more water to the Big
Berkey water filter, how to use a Lifestraw or water purification
tablets, and how to tap the water reserves. Most importantly,
provide clear instruction to kids of water which is unsafe to
drink, such as flood water or pool water which has not been
filtered. Not sure yourself about the water?

Here are Seven Survival Lessons about Water.

While you're at it: teach the kids how to swim in water!

Prepping Skill #2: Teach kids to use a manual can
opener.
For some kids it's a physical challenge to open a can, but it is
comforting knowing your child can do it. Explain how anything
inside the can is safe to eat without cooking (even though it
might not taste as good). Kids need to know also about can
safety. For example, they must not to eat from cans that are
bulging, dented, or corroded (because of botulism risks) or cans
that otherwise compromised, such as cans in floodwaters or
cans which may have rat droppings or urine on them.

Prepping Skill #3: Teach kids to light a match.
Parents often hide the matches from their kids, Provide
supervised instruction on lighting a match into a bucket of
water. Be sure to discuss the safety and importance of tying
hair and loose clothing. Most kids know the stop, drop and roll
method of extinguishing flames to clothing: quiz your child and
have him or her demonstrate knowledge!

Firebuilding is one of the most fundamental skills to teach your
kids, and it starts with lighting a match.

Prepping Skill #4 to teach kids: build a basic fire.
There are many prepping skills to teach your kids, but one of
the most fundamental skills you can teach a kid is to start a
fire (and to put one out). Kids will want to dump water on the
fire, but they should sprinkle it out.

Schools often do a good job of holding fire drills to teach kids
about fire safety, but they don't teach kids how to build a fire.
That's the job of a prepper! As your child's guardian and as a
prepper, you must instill a healthy respect of fire. This
understanding will teach your child more about fire safety than
his peers may know.Here's how to build a healthy respect for
fire...

It doesn't matter the firebuilding method you choose as long as
you provide a lesson on firebuilding. Discuss the importance of
a fire ring for containment and the proper tools such as having
a bucket of water on hand. Physically show your child tinder
(fluffy stuff they can touch with their fingertips), Kindling (bits
of twigs they can bunch in one hand), and Fuel (logs they can
carry under the arm).

Prepping Skill #5 to teach kids: how to stay warm.
You may not be ready to teach your child how to operate the
cook stove, but does your child know how to run the generator?
Older and highly responsible children may graduate to lessons
on how to safely slit wood with an axe to help fuel the fire.

Prepping Skill #6: to teach kids: how to handle a
knife.
Teach kids how to use a knife safely to cut food (so they don't
cut off their fingers). Give your child a scouting pocket knife and
teach him or her how to whittle.

Prepping Skill #7: Teach kids: bartering.
Have your child make do with available resources and learn the
art of bartering. Bartering is not only a prepper skill, but a

Watch the video "One Red PaperClip" which provides all
the inspiration you need. When you watch the video you
will understand how one young man took one red paperclip
and traded up until he was able to get himself a house.
It's an amazing story and worth sharing with everyone you
meet. Many famous people have said it, including Tennis
Player Arthur Ashe.

Prepping Skill #8: Teach kids to ride a horse or bike.
Your budding little equestrian may have learned a thing or two
at horse camp which would help an end of times EMP scenario.
Perhaps your child may someday need to ride to the closest
town get medical help.

Any kid should learn how to ride a bike, as it just may be the
bugout vehicle!

Prepping Skill #9: to teach kids: Basic navigation.
Provide your child with basic navigational information about key
landmarks in your area along with a general idea of North,
South, East and West. If your child attends a public school,
officials will likely not release your child to walk home alone
following a disaster; however it's a good idea to have a
contingency plan. Does your child know the route home to
safety? Take a family hike and walk or bike home from school.
After completion, graduate to a night walk! In the event of a
catastrophe, does your child know the route and alternate
routes to a family meeting place in the event your home no
longer exists?

Prepping Skill #10 to teach kids: Self defense.
Martial arts is very suited for children, and it helps build self-
confidence as well if you are not ready to teach the kids about
firearms.

Prepping Skill #11 to teach kids: Security.
Firearms training for kids might not be right for every family,
but you can certainly teach your child to target as with archery,
sling shots or a home made bow and arrow. Other options
might be paint ball or BB-guns. These skills will also be useful
for hunting.

Prepping Skill 12 to teach kids: Hunting, fishing,
archery.
Teach kids how to use fishing poles and equipment, plus sling
shots, BB guns, archery for small game hunting.

Prepping Skill #13 to teach kids: Simple first aid.
Scouting handbooks provide basics for young children. Red
Cross also offers many classes. As well, you can teach the
basics of cleaning a wound and apply the proper dressings and
bandages. You can also practice making an arm sling from a
large sheet (tying and arm sling is more difficult than it
appears.)

Prepping Skill #14 to teach kids: Going incognito!
Keeping quiet is an important prepper skill. Teach your children
all the safe spots to hide on your homestead. American Sign
Language is fun to learn and may prove extremely useful if
gangs threaten the homestead as a family could instruct one
another silently to plan an attack or escape.

Prepping Skill #15 to teach kids: Communications.
Give the kids a two-wave radio and show them how to operate
and load the batteries. Teach your children some family safe
words or learn American Sign Language as a family to be able
to communicate silently.

Prepping Skill #16 to teach kids: Crafting with
Paracord.
You'll find a variety of paracord kits available to help kids get
into crafting with paracord, such things as survival bracelets,
belts, and lanyards. Boys and girls will appreciate the skill and
you'll feel good knowing they have a good way of spending their
time. Learn more about paracord as a hobby.

Prepping Skill #17 to teach kids: How to use a
bandanna.
Every scout has a bandanna or two and with good reason.

We've compiled a list of 32+ uses for a bandanna, you'll
have fun teaching the kids about bandannas.

Prepping Skill #18 to teach kids: Saving money.
Make a mason jar coin banks and teach the value of a penny
saved is a penny earned. Kids will enjoy it if you glue a small
plastic figure on the inside of the jar. As coins fill the jar, the
figure disappears. The slitted mason jar cap, pictured
immediate right, gives you a head start.

Prepping Skill #19 to teach kids: Forage for food.
Take a walk in the neighborhood with the kids to find food in
the wild or planted by man. Perhaps you'll spy onions,
pomegranates, apricots, oranges within reach in neighboring
gardens. Knowing how to recognize food is a skill. You may like
to teach the kids that good times we pick with permission, in
starvation times we do what we can to survive.

Prepping Skill #20 to teach kids: Sewing, knitting
and crocheting.
All are valuable skills to fix things and make new ones.
Extremely gifted children enjoy these skills in particular as it is
enriching beyond textbook studies.

Prepping Skill #21 to teach kids: Camping.
Take the kids camping, or set up a backyard camping
adventure. Teach kids how to pitch a tent, wash the dishes,
tend to the fire, and cook outdoors.

Prepping Skill #22 to teach kids: Gardening.
Kids love getting dirty and what better way than to teach
gardening. Small farm gardening, windowsill or greenhouse
gardening.

Radishes are extremely easy to grow and they can appear
as quickly as 18-21 days. Try growing radishes with kids.

Sprouts also have a short window for growth, which make
them an excellent project with kids.

Prepping Skill #23: Solar Cooking.
Teach kids the science of cooking with the sun using the solar
cooker science kit right. Have fun cooking a hot dog from
cardboard after constructing the simple and fun to use kit for
kids. Adults will have just as much fun. Try solar cooking with
the scouts or as part of a homeschooling projects!

Prepping Skill #24: Construction.
Does your child know how to safely hit a nail with a hammer?
Teach your children how to safely use all the equipment in your
garage.

Prepping Skill #25: Safety awareness.

Alarms: Make sure your child knows the difference
between a smoke alarm and the burglary alarm.

Drills: Your kids may hold regular fire drills, earthquake
drills, tornado drills or hurricane drills at school, but do
they know the routine at home? In case you have a sitter
or guests in the home, they can help show the way to
safety. Regular drills are part of everyday preparedness. As
a prepper, your child should also know to grab sturdy
shoes along with his or her bugout bag.

Situational awareness. Teach kids to look around and ask
them what they see on outings. Is that a safe and friendly
dog? Look at the tail. If it's wagging, you can get a good
feeling that the dog is friendly. Is the dog stiff with ears
up? Teeth flaring? Talk about situations with your kids,
including the kinds of animals and people to trust and not
trust.

You are your child's best teacher! To begin prepping with your
kids, tell them why you prep. Ensuring your child would have
enough to eat may have been the original inspiration for you
when you started your prepping quest, but as the economy or
other global crisis ensues, your prepping plans may have
changed. Whatever your personal motivation, it's important to
start by sharing. Show them you care because you prepare!