Take five year old Jasmine. In this video clip she bravely calls 999 to save her mums life. She’s even able to give the ambulance crew her home address details.
It really is so important to teach children first aid basics. Every child should know how to use a phone to call emergency services, and that even if their parents mobile is locked, they understand they can still access it to call 999.
If your child is out and about and has an accident themselves, memorising their own address and telephone number is a sure way to get help faster. Parents can be contacted quicker to provide information on their child’s medical condition such as epilepsy or allergies. And it goes without saying that your child should be aware of their own medical conditions.
Giving instruction on how to use first aid kits at home as soon as your child is mature enough is another good idea for parents. Quite often first aid kits are put high out of the reach of children, but as the children grow older they are more than capable of learning how to use the contents and when they are needed.
Children are brilliant little learners and make the best first aiders because they are so eager to ask questions and take in new information. Many children, even as young as five, have been taught basic first aid on a Child Matters Junior First Aid class and leave knowing:-
They are the next generation of life savers.
Here’s what some of our little first aiders had to say about learning lifesaving skills with Child Matters:
Download our Emergency Contacts Sheet
Parents, another great idea is to leave an Emergency Contacts Sheet visible in the home for your family or visiting friends. It includes your emergency phone numbers, an emergency contact, your home address, doctors address, any medical conditions and much more. Download it today, stick it on your fridge and don’t forget to include your ‘WHAT3WORDS’ location so your child can tell the ambulance exactly where you are. Even easier to remember than a full postal address and more precise.
Join in a Junior First Aid Class
Child Matters run regular Junior First Aid classes in every school holiday so check out our Facebook page for upcoming dates. They can also be run in school timetables, after school, in wrap around care, holiday clubs or at a private venue as a social event in the school holidays. We can tailor private classes to your timings, number of children and schedule. If your staff are trained by us, then you can even have a FREE Junior First Aid class for up to 30 pupils.
Together, lets spread this enthusiasm and get all children trained to give basic first aid and the joy of helping others.
