First Aid Tips
By Mimi Rothschild
While it may at first seem that the most important home-schooling subjects would be math, English and science, possibly the most vital lesson you can teach your child is first aid. Teaching your child the basics of first aid could save their life – or the life of another – somewhere down the line.
When done correctly, home-schooling can be perfectly successful – in many cases providing a much better education than if you sent your child into the school system. However, many home-schooling parents neglect to teach their children important life lessons that will keep them safe – instead concentrating only on academic studies.
But don’t worry – the basics of first aid can be taught in just a few short hours. Why not spend one morning every week for a month to instil the bare bones of first aid training, and then keep up a monthly refresher course to make sure the information sticks?
You should bear in mind that basic first aid training isn’t simply about teaching the child how to bandage a wound or clear an airway. A complete first aid education should include teaching the child to keep their head in an emergency. After all, all the training in the world is useless if the child is frozen into inaction in an emergency. Part of your first aid training should involve explaining to the child that in a medical emergency, it’s important to act quickly. If you can instil in them enough confidence in their abilities, they should be able to perform in a life or death situation.
Basic first aid training should include lessons on how to perform an assessment of the situation: is the patient breathing? Is the airway clear? What about the pulse? The child should be able to make an assessment quickly about whether the patient requires CPR or to simply be placed in the recovery position until help arrives.
One thing you should consider is whether you should teach your child first aid yourself or bring in a more qualified teacher to do it. Of course, if you have a first aid certificate or medical training you’ll do fine, but if you don’t know the basics you should consider asking a qualified friend or relative to donate a little time. Maybe you could learn a little something too!
 E-Mail to a Friend
|