10 survival skills a child should know

No matter how great the survival skills parents possess, they will prove to be completely useless if the child finds himself in a difficult situation alone. You cannot be with children 24 a day, which means that it is worth educating the child himself, at least basic, in survival skills. It is important for the child not only to learn the theory well, but also to learn not to panic in an unusual situation. It seems to you that your baby is not able to master survival skills? You underestimate your child! Remember, during the war, back in the last century, children managed to survive in the taiga, being there for a long time. Your task is to show the child an example and provide knowledge that he can apply if necessary in a difficult situation.

What should a child be able to

Navigate the terrain

This is a basic skill, children should know what a map and compass are, and also be able to apply them in practice. Teach them to navigate taking into account the peculiarities of the terrain and where the child is and what surrounds him: the main roads, rivers, lakes, as well as mountains and forest. This is not at all difficult, the children can easily navigate on the map in the game, for example, when searching for a pirate treasure. The principle is the same here, but it is important to have minimal knowledge of the area in order to determine your location.

First aid skills

If your child was left alone in the forest, then most likely something happened to his parents. You could suddenly pass out or be injured. If you teach a child to provide first aid to people, then one day he can save not only himself, but also your life.

The most difficult thing for children in this situation is not to panic, a person’s life depends on the coherence and speed of their actions. That is why the skills in providing first aid should be developed to full automatism. The child must remember how to apply a bandage for bleeding, as well as a splint for a fracture, tell us about the main medicines that can help the victim in a given situation.

Meeting with wild animals

In the forest, wild animals can attack you or your child, snakes are especially dangerous for people, as they sneak up unnoticed. How should a child behave if he sees a snake? In no case do not throw sticks or stones at her, do not shout and attract attention, carefully move away from her. Also, children should know what ticks are dangerous and how to avoid bites of these insects. Before going to the forest, children can independently assess whether they have dressed correctly, whether there are any open areas of the body that can be affected by a tick. The child should know how to act if the tick has already stuck to the skin. The tick must be removed as soon as possible, but if there is no special tweezers at hand, then this can be done using a regular dense thread. It is necessary to tie it into a knot, throw it on a tick, and as close as possible to its proboscis. You need to remove the insect slowly, swinging from side to side.It is impossible to pull out the tick sharply, otherwise it will burst and the proboscis will remain in the skin.

Get fire

If your child is in a difficult situation, for example, lost in the forest, then until they find him, he needs to warm himself somehow. Even if you are nearby, but injured and incapable, the child will be able to make fire, it is only worth teaching him in advance. It is not so simple, even seasoned travelers can not always do it the first time. Your children should know the basics of making fire, but for complete safety, a flint or NAZ should be in their pocket. Take care of this in advance, but explain to your child how to use them correctly, tell them that playing with them is unsafe.

Make a bonfire

If the child succeeds in obtaining fire, then the next step is to make a fire / maintain fire. It is important to be able to select the appropriate firewood / branches, correctly stack them and rekindle which branches to use for this and where they can be found in principle. To get fire and to make a fire successfully is half the battle; you must also be able to maintain fire for a long time. Teach your child two ways to maintain fire: a hot fire with a high flame is suitable for cooking, and a weak, almost smoldering fire will not go out all night and will not freeze. Many people underestimate this skill, but it is very important for your child, especially if in the forest it is lost in winter or autumn.

Build Shelter

When the dangers in the form of wild animals have passed, first aid has been provided and a fire has been built, then it's time to think about an overnight stay. To protect yourself from wind, rain and to be in relative safety, you need to build a shelter. Even if your child is still too small and does not know how to use a knife or ax for this, you will have to cope without them. If you try, the baby will be able to create a simple hut with a bed of grass or lapnik. Tell the children not only about how to create a shelter, but also about how to choose a safe place for it.

Get water

In an extreme situation, any organism, and especially a child’s one, loses an increased amount of fluid. That is why, in order to survive, a child must be able to find water and properly process it. Tell the children where to find water, which one to drink after boiling, and which is not recommended at all. Let them clearly understand what microbes are, and what happens to a person with poisoning. The more detailed and interesting your story about this will be, the more chances a child will have to remember common truths. If the child is already quite old, then teach him to extract water by condensation.

Find food

This is at the same time a very useful, but also a very dangerous skill, since even an adult experienced in such matters cannot always distinguish safe fruits and roots from poisonous ones. Let the child know which berries can be easily eaten, how to fish, which roots can be eaten without fear.

Physical training

Perhaps the most important survival skill, because the child must be physically able to do what you teach him. No matter how much you teach a child theoretical skills, he must be able to apply them also in practice, and for this he must be physically healthy and strong. This should be taken care of in advance, instilling in him a love of sport and an active lifestyle. And your example in this matter is no less important than classes in the sports section. Go in for sports with your child, and then in a difficult situation he will have enough strength to collect branches or bring water.

Psychological training

Even if your child has learned by heart all the skills that we wrote about above, can calmly find the roots and make a bonfire, it remains only to learn how to calmly and correctly do all this. Let the skills be brought to automaticity, let the child know that the main thing in this situation is not to panic. Now it’s the turn of practice. After all, the best way to survive in an extreme situation is to do what you know how to do at the level of automatism. Therefore practice. practice and practice again. And, of course, a positive personal example.

The main thing that parents should understand is their capable and trained child. He will understand everything that you told him, remember everything that you showed, and in a difficult situation he will remember and repeat. These skills will not come easy to him, but once they can save his life, so it’s worth the work! Yes, it will be difficult. But when you succeed, the child will thank you. And not only for an interesting and eventful childhood, but also because you helped him become a real person.