Teaching First Aid Essentials: Bandages and Dressings

Friday 14th September 2018   

Here, we like to provide our children with a sense of empowerment and agency over their own bodies. First aid is a skill that’s useful at all ages. Children should learn basic first aid skills to help care for themselves and others. Understanding first aid can be fascinating for children if we as educators use the right methods. We always view every moment as a teachable moment and there are many occasions where we have combined learning with our day-to-day slips and falls. Helping feels good, soothing a real hurt feels important and grown-up. Learning a few first-aid principles does more than prepare kids for the worst; it also helps them develop their compassion, self-esteem, and sense of purpose.

Today we made our own first aid kit together as it is a good way to teach children the use of each item that goes into it. It also helps the children understand that the first-aid kit is to be used in case of an emergency, and that it isn’t a toy.

We asked, “What goes into the kit?”

“Band aid” Said Sophie. “Wrap things to stop the hurting.” Said Olivia.

We explained that we add band-aids and dressings to stop a wound from bleeding, bandages to support and heal fractures and broken bones and ice packs to help with swellings.

The children pointed to parts of their body where they might get an ‘ouchy’. Izzy used her doll as an example. “Her leg is hurting, you put the band-aid on and it goes away.” Said Izzy as she wrapped quite a few bandages over her dolls body. “My head hurts, Mickey fall and break it open. You warp it around ok.” Said Michael as he encouraged his educators to treat his injury.

We began by using band-aids and practiced applying these in pairs. Once the children had mastered peeling off the wrapping and applying these with care, we moved on to wrapping bandages. We asked, “Where would you apply this? Where could we be hurting? What does it fix?” Vivienne said, “Broken inside…you put it back together.” As she described broken bones.

Sophie, Olivia and Vivienne had turns using an ice pack and crunching it to activate the contents. They both applied this to their doll and carefully wrapped the icepack in a paper towel. “Black dot there on her head. You put the ice pack on the dot.” Said Sophie. Charlie spent considerable time applying a bandage over his doll and over his own hands and arms before treating Harn and Jiin’s multiple injuries. Harn appeared to have a bleeding finger and sore neck that Charlie treated successfully.

Teddy was busily performing a health check on everyone with his flashlight “Let me look at your mouth.” He would ask his peers. “Very sick but it’s getting better.” He assessed as he looked into Frankie’s mouth. “You have all your teeth.” Teddy then took a look at his own set of teeth. “I’m getting better. I’m getting there.” He said as he stuck his tongue out in front of the mirror.

Frankie and Zach took their baby dolls temperature. “Too hot. Put this on.” Said Frankie as she cooled her patient down with an ice pack. Jiin demonstrated to Frankie how to clean a wound before applying a band-aid. “I’m cleaning the wound with antiseptic first. This avoids infection,” Said Jiin.

To tie in the discussion, we explained that the most important thing that we need to do is call for help. We need to know who to call, to help a person if they are injured or require first aid help. We asked, “Who can you call?” “Call on the telephone for the ambulance. They come pick you up and call your mum.” Said Sophie. We explained that we must alert our teachers, our parents and call triple zero.  

We found that switching roles and allowing the children to practice being the calm reassuring caregiver was incredibly effective. Even though we have used play in our teaching, we were explicit about what our children were learning. When they successfully demonstrated several skills, we celebrated their achievements and pointed out that they now know some useful first aid. We believe this provides them with much needed confidence in an emergency; and taking a “real” class on the subject can help even more. Using real items with extra bits of gauze, tape, and cotton balls helps a child to be organised and to find recognisable tools quickly in a tricky situation.

Such topics can be tremendously empowering for kids, as they are achieving real-world competencies and facing serious adult-like situations. It is easy for them to see how first aid classes apply in the real world. As our children grow older we would like to continue with first aid practice and cover learning such as:

+ Applying pressure to a bleeding wound

+ Icing a swollen injury

+ Applying cold running water or a wet towel to a burn

+ Pinching the nostrils for 10 minutes for a nosebleed

+ Draping a blanket over a person in shock

+ Gently rolling a person into the recovery position

Please let us know your thoughts.