How do you talk to kids about fire safety? This is a post sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and Sparky.org.

One of my favorite things to do with my daughter, Ayva, has always been cooking and baking. Every since she was super tiny, being in the kitchen has been a good way for us to spend quality time with each other. She’s older now, but she still loves when we cook together.

Jamie, my 2-year-old, is finally at the age where he can join us. He loves to pull his stool up to the counter to help mix ingredients, and asks tons of questions so he can understand everything that’s going on. Ayva is an incredible teacher, and she’s so patient with him. 

Having a toddler in the kitchen can be kind of tricky. Jamie is so curious and wants to touch everything. Ayva and I have both talked to Jamie about being safe in the kitchen. He knows not to touch knives, and we recently talked to him about the stove and fire safety.

Jamie’s so little that this isn’t a conversation that we can have once and move on. We talk about kitchen and fire safety every single day with this little guy because we would hate for anything to happen to him.

You might be wondering how to talk to kids about fire safety. It’s not as difficult as you’d think. Here are three easy ways to start talking about fire safety with your little kid.

Show them around the kitchen

Most little kids do love to watch what we’re doing and help out in the kitchen. Take advantage of that curiosity and show them around all of the kitchen appliances. Talk to them about how the oven is hot and how careful they have to be around the stove. Remember your smaller appliances, too.

Let them know that they should never touch any of those things if they’re by themselves, and they shouldn’t try to reach up for or put anything on the stove, either.

Tell them about smoke detectors

We have a sensitive smoke detector, so Jamie is familiar with hearing it go off. We’ve talked to him about what it is and how it warns us if there’s an issue.

He’s helped my husband to change the batteries, and knows where they all are located in our house. At one point, one of our smoke detectors had a low battery and was beeping, and Jamie it the one who alerted us to it because he knew that something was wrong!

Find age appropriate fire safety resources 

For the last few years, I’ve been using fire prevention and safety resources for kids that were developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). They’ve created the best materials that makes learning about fire safety engaging for kids of all ages. 

Ayva’s favorite way to learn about fire safety has been Sparky.org, a site that’s sponsored by NFPA. It has web-based games, videos, and other activities that teach kids how to prevent fires, and there’s plenty even for young children to do.

From coloring sheets to downloadable books, the site is a great resource for parents and educators. Oh, and if you have a little one who’s obsessed with trucks like mine is, you’ll love the videos that are all about fire trucks!

Jamie and Ayva were recently watching a video from the collection on the Sparky.org site called “Hot, Not Hot, or Sometimes Hot” that showed household items and gave viewers a chance to answer whether they were hot or not. That type of interactive learning really sticks for little kids.  

October is Fire Prevention Month

October is Fire Prevention Month, and Fire Prevention Week 2019 is October 6 – 12.  If you don’t talk to your little kid any other time of the year about fire safety, this is the time to do it.  

If you teach your little one about fire safety and prevention early, it’ll help it become a natural part of their life. And it’ll give you so much more peace of mind when they’re in the kitchen with you so all you have to worry about is whether you should put chocolate of vanilla frosting on the cupcakes you’ve baked together!