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How To Teach Fire Safety for Kids

 

Fire safety week is right around the corner!  Take these tips about fire safety for kids, and get your kiddos prepared…not scared. Here’s an overview of the fire safety tips you will find in this post:

• Introduce basic fire safety vocabulary
• Check smoke detectors
• Draw a fire escape plan together
• Practice fire drills a few times a year
• Watch fire safety videos
• Learn about fire prevention
• Read Fire Safety Books
• Do Fire Safety printable activities

 

Fire Safety Vocabulary

When teaching fire safety for kids, there are key vocabulary words they should become familiar with.

• firefighters
• fireman
• hose
• Dalmatian
• smoke
• alarm or smoke detector
• extinguisher
• fire hydrant
• firetruck
• stop, drop, and roll

I have included a set of illustrated vocabulary cards in my Making Words:  Fire Safety worksheet resource below.

 

Check Smoke Detectors

According to safekids.org, “Working smoke alarms reduce the chances of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent.”

I understand kids are not responsible for, nor able to, change smoke detectors themselves.  However, part of teaching fire safety for kids means teaching them awareness.

Talk to the kids about smoke detectors, and encourage them to go home and find the smoke detectors in their home.  They could do a scavenger hunt to see how many smoke detectors they have at home.  To help make sure the smoke detectors are checked, have them walk around with their parents, and encourage the parents to push the tester button on each one.

 

Create a Fire Escape Plan

Families should sit down together to make a fire escape plan.  Draw a simple house plan, marking each room, and arrows pointing where to exit in the event of a fire.  All family members should know where to meet up once they exit the house.

 

 

 

Practice Fire Drills

As an early childhood teacher in NE Ohio, I grew used to practicing fire drills once a month with my students.  From student teaching in a daycare setting, to teaching in a public elementary school, fire drills were required often.  The more you practice fire drills at school, or at home, the more familiar the kids will be with the evacuation during an actual fire.

 

 

Watch Fire Safety Videos

There are hundreds of fire safety videos for kids. Not only is it important to show them cute cartoon style videos to keep their attention, it is equally important to show them videos of actual firefighters suited up.  The goal is to prepare not scare the kids.  Talking about fireman is great, but they need to understand what a fireman looks like when all suited up…even with the oxygen mask on.

During fire safety week and fire prevention assemblies, fireman have informed us that it’s common for kids to be afraid of the them during an actual house fire.  They are lying on the floor, in a room full of smoke, and this large profile of someone with a mask, tank, and suit on comes in yelling.

Here are a few YouTube videos that are great for fire safety for kids.  There are five; one for you to play during each day of fire safety week at school.

• Fire Safety Rap!
• Get Out Alive! Teaching Children to Escape During a Fire
• Fire Safety Education Video
• Fire Safety: What Every Child Should Know
• Fire Safety Video for Kids with Steve Songs and Sparky the Fire Dog

 

Learn About Fire Prevention

Know that you’ve covered how to be safe in the event a fire should happen, it’s also important to teach fire prevention.

Here are a few basic tips when teaching fire prevention to young kids.

• Don’t play with lighters or matches
• Never leave candles burning
• Don’t play around a firepit, fireplace, or stove
• Don’t plug in too many things – even when using extension cords or power strips.
• Don’t play with fireworks
• Know where a fire extinguisher is in the house (kitchen is best placement)

 

 

Fire Safety Books

• Pete the Cat: Firefighter Pete
• No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids
• Big Frank’s Fire Truck
• Fire Drill
• Stop, Drop, and Roll

 

Fire Safety Worksheets

Last, but not least, I like to incorporate these no-prep Fire Safety worksheets into my lessons.    I created these Making Words: Fire Safety worksheets for kids to have an interactive experience when learning about the vocabulary words.  The kids cut and paste letter tiles to build the fire vocabulary words, write the word, and draw a picture.  If your kiddos need a challenge, they can write a sentence rather than writing only the word.

 

As a thank you for supporting my resources, enter discount code LEARNING when checking out to get 10% off your order.

 

Before you go, here are a few blog posts you will enjoy:

75 Best Yes and No Questions for Kids

20 Tips for Teaching Concepts of Print

20 Fun Fall Printables for Kids

Fire Safety for Kids