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Fire Safety Tips for Kindergarten

Teaching kindergarten children about fire is crucial for their safety and that of their families. Kindergartners are very impressionable, so safety tips learned at this age will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Knowing steps to take in the event of a fire will keep children from panicking and help everyone to behave in an orderly fashion that will ensure their safety and others.

  1. Fire Safety at School

    • Kindergarten students should understand that just because a fire alarm goes off does not mean they are going to be burned or die in a fire. Explain how small kitchen or trash fires can quickly escalate and how fire alarms warn them that they need to reach a safe location to prevent injury or smoke inhalation. Practice fire drills. Knowing the steps to take if an alarm sounds will make children feel less afraid if a fire actually occurs.

    Fire Safety at Home

    • Parents should make sure all family members are well acquainted with what to do in case of a fire. Teach the children how to dial 911 or the fire department. Teach them not to play with matches and show them videos or movies that depict how quickly a fire can get out of hand. Always demonstrate fire safety by blowing out candles when leaving a room, using caution when cooking over a campfire or using a fireplace screen when enjoying a log fire in winter. Explain the importance of stop, drop and roll. Discuss how catching your clothing on fire and running will help the flames to get bigger and how rolling on the ground or carpeting will smother the flames. Have your family members act out a scene where the fire alarms go off in the home and what each person should do from his bedroom or different parts of the home to escape. Show your child how to open his bedroom window or to use a rope ladder to escape if his bedroom is on the second floor. Establish an area in your yard or your neighbor's lawn where all family members can be accounted for immediately in case of a fire. Establish who will be responsible for rescuing pets and what to do if they cannot be found.

    Educating the Student

    • Take your kindergarten class on a field trip to a fire station. Children love exploring fire engines and pretending they are firefighters. Invite a firefighter to visit and share fire safety tips. Do crafts, coloring pages and skits that depict fire safety tips, whether the child is at home, school, hotel, church or on a group activity.

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