You bet they can. In fact we’ve trained them from about 4 years of age and up.
‘Can Kids Learn First Aid?’ is a question we sometimes get asked. At times there are enough requests that we run a course. Yes, there are Red Cross First Aid courses to help kids learn first aid from 5 years of age. Often, there’s an interested parent or two, but not enough to run a course. So the occasional blog post like this will help to answer ‘can kids learn first aid?’
Not just ‘playing doctors & nurses’
What can kids learn?
The most basic course content includes how to:
- Decide what is an emergency
- Who can help
- How to get them to help
- Who will respond (to the 9-1-1 call)
- Comforting a sick person
Research suggests kids (of 4 & 5 years old) can determine if someone is breathing (what is an emergency) call for help and stay with the person (give comfort).
Can kids learn first aid, and remember it?
That get’s a resounding ‘sure they can’ as well… the same research found that 2 months after their course, they could still remember enough to tell if someone was conscious, breathing, and what number to call.
So next time someone asks you ‘can kids learn first aid?’ send them over to read this from BC Children’s Hospital, sign up for our Kids In Training newsletter, and perhaps even suggest they take a local, fun, certified course with professional trainers.
P.S. That’s us
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