Games for Emergency Preparedness

Packing the Kit

• Teach your children the type of items needed for an emergency preparedness kit. Items found within a kit are candles, waterproof matches, canned food, dried food, utensils, bottled water, flashlights and extra batteries. Gather everything you need for the kit and ask your kids to pack the kits into backpacks and cardboard boxes. Award a prize to the child that packs their kit the fastest. Ask the kids to find the best places in the house to hide the emergency kit, such as in the basement or in a specific cabinet.

Timed Races

• As a family, plan escape routes for potential emergency situations. Kids need to know that during a fire, they should not open doors that might cause the fire to spread. Buy fire ladders if you have bedrooms on the second floor and place those in closets, under beds or in another easy-to-find location. Run drills with the entire family escaping from the house through one of the designated routes. Time how long it takes everyone to get out of the house.

Scavenger Hunts

• Create a list of items needed for your emergency kits and hide those items around the house. Give each child a copy of the list and ask them to find everything on the list. Place one of each item in the house, so everyone can make a kit. Give a prize to each child who finishes their kit, with the first child getting the largest prize.

Online Games

• Use the Internet to find emergency preparedness games. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has a website full of games for kids that teach children more about staying safe during an emergency situation. The games cover different natural disasters and situations, including hurricanes, fires and rainstorms. The website has crossword puzzles and concentration-style matching games that focus on topics, phrases and images relating to specific disasters. The games let kids learn right from their own home.