Fundamental Outdoor Survival Skills for Children: Equipping Your Child for Nature's Challenges
Teaching Survival Skills for Kiddos: A Why and How Guide
Sticking a kid in the jungle and hoping they'll figure it out probably isn't the best plan. In this guide, we're gonna show you how to teach your little adventurer just about everything they need to survive and thrive in the great outdoors - while still making it fun!
Surviving the Wilderness: Is Your Kid Prepared?
Picture this: it's been a while since you decided to head out for a family camping trip. You are half-awake, stumbling through the woods when suddenly - panic sets in. You can't find your kid. All you can hear are their cries echoing in the distance.
Do they know what to do? Can they survive on their own? Let's make sure they can answer 'yes' to both these questions! In a world increasingly dominated by screens and convenience, survival skills seem like something from a different era. But, life is unpredictable - you never know when these skills might come in handy.
Time to Pack in Some Skills
Learning about survival while camping or in the backyard is not only doable, but also ridiculously fun! Plus, you can do it together as a family - what a great bonding experience! Here are 25 essential outdoor survival skills to teach your lil' braveheart:
1. The S.T.O.P. Acronym
Imagine you and your kid get separated in a crowded place or wilderness setting. Panic sets in, but you can arm them with the S.T.O.P. technique:
- Stop as soon as they realize they're lost.
- Think about the situation.
- Observe their surroundings.
- Plan what to do next.
This simple tool can keep them calm and help them navigate their way back to safety. It's an important skill to learn not just for the wilderness, but for crowded venues too.
2. Growing Food
Plant a garden or a few pots of healthy herbs. Growing food is not just good for the belly, but it's a way to connect with nature and understand the cycle of life. Who knows? Your kid might even come up with a new homemade recipe!
3. Preserving Food
Once you have food growing, you'll need to know how to keep it from spoiling - especially if you don't have access to electricity. Check out old-school methods like sun-drying, canning by fire, smoking, or salt curing to preserve your food and impress the neighbors with uniquely tasty treats.
4. Spotting Spoiled Food
Knowing how to identify when food has gone bad is an important skill, even if your fridge has hundreds of fancy gadgets. Get your kid comfortable with gauging the freshness of fruits, veggies, and meats by showing them the signs of spoilage.
5. Foraging and Identifying Plants
It's easy to dismiss a weed as nothing but a nuisance, but did you know that many beneficial plants are growing in our midst? Teach your kid to recognize edible and medicinal plants in your local area to tap into a powerful source of nutrition and wellness.
6. Hunting and Fishing
Hunting and fishing are learnable skills that can provide you and your family with an organic source of food. It's also a great opportunity to teach your kid about responsibility, respect for life, and the importance of providing for their family.
7. Safely Using a Knife
Unlike a spoon, a knife is not a toy - it's a tool that, when used properly, can be incredibly useful. Teach them how to use a knife safely using a proper knife grip, how to sharpen it, and when it's appropriate to use it.
8. Basic First Aid
In a survival situation, injuries can happen in a blink of an eye. Equip your kid with basic first aid techniques to handle minor cuts, scrapes, and burns. Don't forget the importance of cleaning wounds to prevent infection!
9. Building a Shelter
Creating shelter from the elements is essential for maintaining body temperature. Kids can learn to build a small shelter from branches, leaves, or even snow.
10. Starting a Fire
Fires are critical for warmth, cooking, and signaling for help. Start your kid off with a fire starter, and soon they'll be gathering tinder and kindling, and appreciating the energy source from the ages.
Let's Get More Specific
With a bit of imagination, you can turn teaching survival skills into a treasure hunt, scavenger hunt, or a wilderness challenge. Here's a more detailed list of survival skills to add to your kid's arsenal:
11. Cooking Over a Fire
From roasting marshmallows to grilling a hotdog, cooking over an open fire can be a fun and exciting adventure! Teach your kid various cooking techniques and how to use tools like tongs or forks while roasting food over a fire.
12. Making Fire by Friction
The art of creating fire by friction can seem like magic, but it's totally doable - once you know how! All you need is a few sticks, some patience, and some perseverance.
13. Navigating with a Compass
Even young children can learn to use a simple compass to find north, and understand basic map reading skills. Help them familiarize with their surroundings and learn how to follow paths or trails to get to their destination.
14. Signaling for Help
In a jam, your kid needs to know how to attract attention! Teach them to use mirrors, whistles, and other methods to signal for help in an emergency situation.
15. Finding and Purifying Water
Teach your kid how to find fresh water, and ways to make it safe for drinking like boiling or using water filters.
16. Collecting Rainwater
Rainwater can be an excellent source of hydration if you know how to collect it. DIY rain catchment systems can be created with items like rain barrels, tarps, and containers.
Putting It All Together
Now that you've gone through the list of essential outdoor survival skills to share with your kid, you might feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Remember, nobody said you have to learn everything at once! Start small and take it one step at a time.
Camping trips, day hikes, and family outings in nature present perfect opportunities to practice skills and share knowledge. Keep it fun and rewarding, and your kid will be eager to learn and apply their newfound survival skills!
Don't forget that beyond the practical applications for staying alive, knowledge of the outdoors and survival skills give kids confidence in their abilities, connect them to the natural world around them, and encourage self-reliance. The best survival skills of all? Love, support, and faith that God is always watching out for them.
So grab your gear, remind your kid to buckle up, and let the adventure begin! For more tips, inspiration, and updates, take a peek at The Rustic Elk on Facebook, and follow us @TheRusticElk on Instagram. Happy adventuring!
Bonus Tips for Parents:
- Regular outdoor time promotes familiarity, confidence, and a deep appreciation for the natural world.
- Practice skills in a safe, supervised setting.
- Introduce your child to food preservation techniques such as sun-drying, canning by fire, smoking, or salt curing as a means to keep home-grown food from spoiling during outdoor-living scenarios or when electricity is not available.
- Encourage your child to participate in foraging by teaching them to identify edible and medicinal plants in your home-and-garden environment, helping them tap into a source of nutrition and wellness.
- As part of the lifestyle of outdoor-living, help your child learn the art of hunting and fishing responsibly, providing them with an organic source of food while teaching lessons about responsibility, life, and family provision.
