Every individual needs to be able to take care of his or herself, including children. They may not be adults yet, and they may have fewer responsibilities than most of us, but they do need to learn how to survive in this cruel world, especially when outdoors. Hence, in this post, we’ll be rounding up the top survival skills your child should know.

It is every parent’s responsibility to teach their kids various skills they can use throughout their lives. In this modern world of ready-to-eat food and high-tech gadgets made for utmost convenience, the art of survival skills fade as majority of us rarely use them.

However, the greatest thing about survival skills is that no one can predict when and where to use them.

Apparently, it’s better to know how to execute a certain necessary skill, such as starting a fire with wet wood, in case of an emergency than to be stuck without any knowledge.

So without further ado, here’s a list of the top survival skills every kid should learn.

Top 10 Survival Skills Your Child Should Know Right Now

1. Finding Safe Drinking Water

Finding safe drinking water is a crucial skill since the human body can live without food for several days, but not without water. It is, therefore, necessary for every kid to know how to locate water sources and how to purify them.

First off, if the potable water you consume in your home is sourced from a deep well or faucet, you might want to teach your kids how to continue drawing water from them if electricity’s out.

When outdoors, make sure your child brings a bottle of water at all times. Otherwise, the safest water sources outdoors are springs, streams, ice, and snow. Lakes, ponds, and creeks are unsafe, no matter how clear they can be. Next, show them the proper way of testing spring water and other water sources to make them safe for drinking.

Water can be boiled, filtered, or treated with chemicals such as iodine to rid it of bacteria and viruses.

2.  Basic First Aid

Every child and adult should learn basic first aid. First aid is beneficial during emergency situations. It could be a life saver, especially if your child is alone and injured.

Your kid needs to be shown where the first aid supplies can be found, emergency numbers to call, as well as some basic skills such as treating minor wounds, burns, and tying a sling.

This animated video below will teach your kids how to do basic first aid in case of accidents.

 

3. Building Fire

Building fire is an essential outdoor skill.

Teach kids how to gather wood, light matches, keep the fire under control, cook with it, and most importantly, kill it when not in use to prevent forest fires.

You might want to go as far as teaching children how to start a fire with wet wood as an advanced survival skill.

 

 

4. How to forage

Differentiating poisonous plants and shrubs from non-poisonous ones is a great skill to possess. You can teach your kids this lesson by simply taking them on nature walks and pointing out which are edible or poisonous as you go along.

Since it may be hard for kids to keep track of so much information, encourage them to keep a journal with pictures and names of each plant for future reference.

Start with non-poisonous and edible plants first then move on to those with dangerous look-alikes such as nettle, berries, watercress, dandelions, and cattails.

5. How to find or build shelter in the wilderness

Kids should acknowledge the importance of a shelter in a survival situation and how to find one when needed.

You can teach them how to find the right spot to position a tent, areas to avoid, and creating makeshift shelters if you don’t have a tent with you.

This skill is one of the most fun things to learn, especially building makeshift shelters. You can teach them how to use fallen trees, dry leaves, and other outdoor objects to stimulate their resourcefulness.

6. Self-defense

Children can protect themselves through acquiring self-defense skills. Enrolling them in a self-defense class can benefit him or her in many ways.

They can learn self-discipline, feel more confident, and be able to defend themselves against attackers and potentially dangerous situations.

For the meantime, you can refer to the video below for basic self-defense techniques for kids.

 

7. Handling a knife

The mere thought of sharp objects scares children away. Knives have become a taboo subject among the youngsters because of its possible dangers, but these tools are also present in our daily lives; that’s why children need to know how to use it safely.

The more aware and knowledgeable they become about knives, the less likely they are to experiment with it. Children should be taught how to hold a knife, walk with a knife, cutting objects with knives, and storing them properly.

8. How to swim

Sadly, drowning is one of the most common forms of accidents faced by children outdoors. Children do love the water, and it’s inevitable to keep them away from it. Hence, the only way to make sure they’re safe while enjoying the waters is to teach them how to swim and float.

Don’t know how to swim yourself? Let little Emma help you!

 

9. How to fish

Fishing is fun. It’s a good form of bonding for parents and kids. It’s easy to learn, and it’s not complicated at all – it doesn’t involve lots of expensive equipment.

Furthermore, kids can appreciate the outdoors more if they know how to fish because of the free food. Teach your children how to fish in 10 simple steps from this article.

10. Reading a map, compass, and GPS

Maps, compasses, and GPS devices let children know where they are and help them find their way in case they get lost.

GPS systems can let you know your location instantly, but if you run out of battery, compass and maps are your only options for navigation.

Not only will reading these tools provide children with information on their whereabouts, but they also help in enriching kids’ spatial thinking by making them visualize objects in relation with one another.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Children should be taught survival skills early on so they can be prepared anytime, especially during a zombie apocalypse. Kidding! So, there you have it — the top 10 survival skills that are extremely helpful for children and for adults too. Know that those 10 bullets are just the tip of the iceberg as there are about a hundred or so skills you can learn from the outdoors.

Hey, camper! Did you find this post useful? Have you learned a lot? Do you know other survival tips or tricks? Let us know in the comments section below. Don’t forget to share this post. Cheers!