The Best Resources to Teach Fire Safety For Kids

This is a post sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and Sparky.org.

Most people know me in October for Bus Stop Costumes where I dress up every day in a different costume to pick up my kids from the bus stop. This is to teach them to enjoy life and not care about what others think. I hope that people also know me in October for my passion in teaching fire safety for kids. October is Fire Prevention Month and Fire Prevention Week 2019 is October 6 – 12. Here are some of the best resources to teach fire safety for kids.

The Best Resources to Teach Fire Safety For Kids

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is educators’ and parents’ go-to source for Fire Prevention Week 2019 resources. So why am I so passionate about fire safety for kids? Because I know people who have lost everything in a fire. The first step is prevention, and then it’s always important to be educated and have a plan in case of an emergency.

I made the mistake years prior with scaring my kids by setting the fire alarm in the middle of the night to see if they could remember our fire escape plan. There are better ways to teach kids fire safety without scaring them. 

I realized that when my youngest went to Safety Camp at her elementary school over the summer. She met Sparky the Fire Dog, and was so excited to come home and tell me! “Mom! I met Sparky from the apps and games I play!” Last year I introduced her to Sparky.org, and she remembered! She even got a picture with him.

I’m gonna need Sparky to do a lesson on how to put your dishes in the sink after you’re done eating.

Sparky.Org

My girls love Sparky.org! There’s so much for them to do there, that they can explore on their own. And I’d much rather them play games and watch videos here than look for their friends’ Tik Tok videos. This is the NFPA’s site for kids to learn on their level through activities, videos and web-based games.

You can also find printables to color or do other fire safety activities for all ages and grade levels like mazes, connect the dots, and make a cootie catcher. Yes, a cootie catcher. According to my younger girls, the best things ever invented.

Sparky Schoolhouse

Sparky Schoolhouse is NFPA’s teaching portal for fire safety education. So teachers and educators, here’s a great resource that’s easy for you to teach classes about fire prevention. Once you go to the homepage, you can select which grade level you teach from preschool to Grade 5, and age-appropriate activities and videos are provided.

And parents, you can also use this as a resource. I love the singing and dancing videos from SteveSong! I find that music is a great way to educate that helps kids remember. They’re learning and they don’t even know it. 

Fire Prevention Videos

You’ll also find all kinds of videos on Sparky Schoolhouse and Sparky.org like fire prevention videos and even story time with other classes. My girls love when people read to them – even online. They feel like they are in the classroom, too, making new friends.

Sparky Apps

My children love their devices. There’s no denying it. They get shuttled from here to there, to siblings’ sports games, to their own activities, and we go on a lot of road trips. Use Sparky the Fire Dog and Sparky apps to help them get excited about fire prevention and safety.

You’ll find tons of educational and fire prevention learning games here! My favorite game for the kids is Sparky’s Fun House. You help Sparky practice his home fire escape plan before he can go to the carnival. Genius! I love that they are reiterating that you practice the important things first. Then you unlock other mini games that teach addition, spelling, and problem solving skills.

Sparky.org is a free resource for parents and teachers, so let’s use it! Trust me. I’d rather my kids be singing that firefighters are on their way than watching another kid unbox toys I’m not going to buy. So print out those Sparky cootie catchers and be the coolest parent on the block.