| Get Ready as a Family |  |  |  |
Every day, you do little things to help keep your family safe — buckling up in the car, strapping on a bike helmet, or noticing street signs. Get your child involved, too! Teach her to be aware of the people, signs, and information that can keep her safe in an emergency. Doing these simple activities and games during daily routines will help you and your child discover how to prepare for emergencies together!
Visit our special "Let's Get Ready" family pages to find tools that will help you be prepared for whatever comes your way.
Safe Talk
You can talk to your child about being ready for emergencies in a way that’s engaging, fun, and age-appropriate. Explain that an emergency is when something happens that we don’t expect and we have to be prepared to do something fast. Talk about the different ways you prepare for things every day—whether it’s taking an umbrella with you in case of rain, or wearing a helmet when you ride a bike.
Watch Together: Chad Pennington: Prepared
Talk Together: What are some things Chad likes to be prepared for? What does he keep with him so he’s prepared?
Family Emergency Kit
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Watch Together: Pirates Plan Ahead
Talk Together: How did these pirates prepare for an emergency?
All About Me
It’s important for your child to know the names and numbers of your emergency contacts, as well as his own name, number, and address. Try making up a song with your child’s first and last name that you can sing together. Take pictures of your house or apartment number and street sign and hang them up in his room so your child has a visual reminder of where you live.
Watch Together: Rosita Meets Prairie Dawn
Talk Together: Can you remember Rosita’s name? What is your full name?
The People in Your Neighborhood
Friends, neighbors, and emergency workers are your neighborhood helpers. Show your child that these trusted adults are people he can go to for help in an emergency. Take a trip together to fire and police stations to talk about the many important ways these people help. Or, on a doctor’s visit, talk to nurses and doctors about how they take care of people who are sick or hurt. Try role-playing—have your child pretend to be a police officer, firefighter, or doctor who helps a toy in trouble.
Watch Together: People In Your Neighborhood
Talk Together: Who are some people in your neighborhood that would help you?
Phone Fun
Talk to your child about the ways he can use a phone to get help. Practicing on both a home and cell phone, teach him how to use speed-dial to call you or one of your family emergency contacts. Pretend to be an emergency contact and challenge the family to guess who you are. Explain that 9-1-1 is a special number your child can call when there’s an emergency and no one is around to help. Write “9-1-1” on a piece of paper and help him say the numbers out loud. Pretend by asking questions such as “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” and “What’s your address?”
Watch Together: Martians and the Telephone
Talk Together: How would you teach a Martian to use a telephone?
“Rather than stressing out imagining all the hazards my children could befall, I do all I can to make sure their environment is safe.”
—Nina M. Riccio
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Related Information
Let's Get Ready Initiative Page
You’ll find an informational binder, storybook, caregiver guide, and video featuring Grover and Rosita.
