Ready Kids: Preparing Children Without Scaring Them

Children who know the plan are calmer, not more afraid

Parents want two things that seem to pull against each other: children who know what to do in an emergency, and children who aren't frightened by the idea of one. Ready Kids is built on the finding, from the American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC, that those two things go together. It is not a guide to warning children about danger. It gives them a few simple jobs, a few things to remember, and the experience of practicing them with you until they feel ordinary.

It covers how to talk about it by age, building a family communication plan together, short practice activities that feel like games, a child's own go-bag, and what's normal, and what isn't, after something has happened.

What's inside

• Five chapters: How to Talk About It · Our Family Plan · Practice Like a Game · Their Own Bag · During and After
• Six printable parent-and-child worksheets: Our Family Plan, cut-out Family Contact Cards, My Go-Bag (for the child to fill in), Practice Log, What to Say by Age, and a Feelings Check-In
• Sources & Limits page with the review date

Format

Digital PDF, 18 pages, US Letter size, designed to print cleanly at home. Your download link is delivered right after checkout.

Limits

General guidance for parents and caregivers, drawn from CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, FEMA, and fire and emergency agencies. Every child is different; a pediatrician or counselor comes before anything written here.

Part of the House & Provision Practical Guides. Get all six in the Complete Practical Guide Bundle.

By Daniel Hartwell. Published by House & Provision. Digital files are for your own household's use.