Prepping for a natural disaster or other emergency isn’t always the easiest thing to do. There are many things that you must remember, and it only gets difficult to compile a proper emergency kit or prep for one the less you know what you are doing. An emergency situation can be one of the most terrifying things a child will experience in their entire lives. Kids like to feel like they are growing up, and involving them in fun emergency prep activities can help do just that. Below are some activities you can do with your kids to help prepare their minds for an emergency and hopefully make things easier if you should they ever have to experience one.

1. Hiking - Getting outside for a nice long hike in nature can be a great way to help get children acclimated to walking long distances. If you live in a city, taking long walks around the neighborhood can be helpful for them as well. If you are lucky enough to have access to nature, teach children about edible wild plants if you know any, what dangerous animals to look out for, and how to safely travel over varying outdoor terrain.
2. Maintaining Your Emergency Kit - if you have an emergency kit already put together, that’s great! Federal agencies like FEMA and the Red Cross recommend that every household have enough food, water and supplies to survive for up to 72-hours. Obviously, food items in these kits won’t last forever, so involving kids in the process of changing out food can be a helpful activity that helps build family togetherness. Additionally, involving children in this process helps ensure they will actually want to eat the food you are storing in the event of an emergency.
3. Camping - a perfect way to test out if your survival kit will work in an emergency is to test it out on a camping trip. All of the same ideas mentioned for hiking also apply. Mom and Dad can also help children learn how to build a fire, pitch a tent for shelter, and various other crucial survival techniques.
4. Practice Evacuation Routes - it’s great to plan out a route that you will take in the event of an emergency. It’s a totally different story that every family members remember and actually follow these routes. A great way to increase the chances that happen is to practice the evacuation routes. This will get everyone on the same page and get children comfortable with following the right way to safety.
5. Ask for Questions and Start Discussions - as you go about doing the above things, ask your kids if they have any questions and invite them to start discussions about emergency planning and safety.

Getting kids involved in fun emergency prep activities will not only help them become more confident and less scared of such an occurrence, but it can also help give you the parent more peace of mind in knowing your precious ones have a better chance of survival.