It’s a terrifying thought if you’re a parent.
You’re out in the wilderness enjoying the great outdoors, maybe camping or hunting.
Suddenly, you realize your child has been separated from your group.
What will you do… and what will THEY do?
Would your child know how to survive?
Recently I discussed kids’ survival scenarios with survival expert Kevin Estela.
Here is a summary of what he told me.
3 Critical Survival Skills To Teach Children
You’ve got to take the time to teach your kids some fundamental survival skills.
The more they know, the less scared they will be.
If they’re not scared, they won’t panic.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of television and novels out there right now that paint children and teens as these epic dramatic heroes.
That’s not realistic.
We have to look at what we can realistic expect a child to do when out in the woods.
Here are three skills you need to reach your children:
1. Be Able To Signal For Help
The first thing you should be teaching children to do is to learn to signal for help.
The sooner they signal, the better the chances are that they’ll be close enough for you to hear them.
Teach them about using their voices and using a signaling device like a whistle.
Teach them, also, to make noise as soon as they realize they are lost.
If they wait too long, it will be too late.
2. Learn To Observe
Your kids must learn to be very observant.
They should be able to describe the last known point they saw and to identify landmarks.
If they can describe where they are, they can make it easier for you to find them, such as if they get lost and then contact you on a portable radio.
There’s nothing more frustrating than listening helplessly as your child cries for help… but can’t tell you anything you can actually do to save them.
Teaching your kids these observations skills makes them better able to help YOU help THEM.
3. Be Able To Spend A Night In The Woods
In some scenarios, your child might be stranded overnight in the woods.
Teach them how to find a comfortable spot to spend the night.
Also, teach them that it isn’t that big a deal to sleep overnight outside, or to make a shelter to do so.
If they are prepared for it, they’ll be able to tackle it when it happens to them.
With some training and planning ahead of time, should your child ever need to survive alone in the woods, he or she will be much better equipped to do so… and you will sleep better at night, too.
Investing the time and training now to make your children more self-sufficient could be the difference between life and death.
It will also give you, the parent, better peace of mind.
