Emergency Ready Challenge
Topic: Emergency Preparedness
1. Activity Introduction
Ready, Set, Stay Safe!
Sometimes something unexpected happens. Being prepared can help us know what to do.
Being ready does not mean being scared. It means knowing what to do.
In this challenge, you will practise making safe choices before and during an emergency.
Remember:
GET HELP → FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS → STAY SAFE
You are not an emergency responder. Adults are responsible for managing serious emergencies.
2. Quick Practice: KNOW → PREPARE → ACT
Think of emergency preparedness as three simple steps.
🟢 KNOW
Know which trusted adults can help you and what safety instructions your family or school uses.
🟡 PREPARE
Practise safe actions before they are needed.
For example, practise listening carefully during a school drill.
🔵 ACT
If something happens, stay as calm as you can, follow instructions and seek help from a responsible adult.
Your job is not to solve the emergency. Your job is to get help, follow instructions and stay safe.
3. Main Activity: READY OR NOT READY?
Read each situation.
Decide:
⭐ READY
A sensible preparedness action is being taken.
🔄 NOT READY YET
Something important should happen first.
1. Knowing the Helper
Situation:
A child knows which teacher or other responsible adult to go to during a school emergency.
Your choice: ⭐ READY
Why?
Knowing who can help makes it easier to seek help quickly and safely.
2. Talking About Safety
Situation:
A family talks together about where children should go if they are told to leave the house.
Your choice: ⭐ READY
Why?
Talking about safety before an emergency helps children understand what adults may ask them to do.
3. Going Back for a Toy
Situation:
A child is told to leave a building but runs back inside to collect a favourite toy.
Your choice: 🔄 NOT READY YET
Why?
Once an adult tells you to leave an unsafe area, follow the instruction. Belongings can be left behind.
4. Listening During a Drill
Situation:
During an emergency drill, a child listens carefully to the teacher’s instructions.
Your choice: ⭐ READY
Why?
Drills are practice. Listening helps children learn how to respond safely when instructions are given.
5. Separated From the Group
Situation:
A child does not know who to ask for help after becoming separated from their group.
Your choice: 🔄 NOT READY YET
Why?
Children should know that they can seek a responsible adult for help rather than wandering away alone.
6. Staying With the Responsible Adult
Situation:
A child stays with the responsible adult instead of wandering away to see what is happening.
Your choice: ⭐ READY
Why?
Staying with the responsible adult helps the child receive instructions and remain in a safer place.
4. Challenge: WHAT WOULD YOU DO FIRST?
Choose the safest first action in each situation.
Remember:
Listen → Stay with your group → Follow instructions → Get adult help
1. You hear an emergency alarm at school.
What would you do first?
A. Run outside as fast as you can.
B. Listen to your teacher or other responsible adult for instructions.
C. Go to another classroom to see what is happening.
Correct choice: B
Why?
Listen for instructions from the responsible adult and follow the school’s safety procedure.
2. You are told to leave a building.
What would you do first?
A. Stop to collect your bag and favourite things.
B. Hide somewhere until everyone has left.
C. Follow the responsible adult’s instruction and move to the designated safe place.
Correct choice: C
Why?
When you are told to leave, follow the instruction. Do not go back for belongings.
3. You become separated from your group during an emergency.
What would you do first?
A. Wander around looking for your friends.
B. Seek a responsible adult and ask for help.
C. Hide so nobody can find you.
Correct choice: B
Why?
A responsible adult can help you get to a safer place and reconnect with the right group.
4. An adult tells you to move to a safer place.
What would you do first?
A. Listen and follow the instruction.
B. Ask other children what they think before doing anything.
C. Go back to check what is happening.
Correct choice: A
Why?
Follow the responsible adult’s safety instruction. Do not go back into an unsafe area.
5. You are unsure what to do during an emergency drill.
What would you do first?
A. Play until you see what everyone else does.
B. Listen carefully to the teacher or other responsible adult.
C. Leave the group and choose your own route.
Correct choice: B
Why?
A drill is a chance to practise. Listen carefully and follow the instructions given by the responsible adult.
5. Challenge: READY, SET, THINK!
For each statement, decide:
👍 GOOD SAFETY CHOICE
or ### 🔄 NEEDS A CHANGE
1. “I will listen when my teacher gives instructions.”
👍 GOOD SAFETY CHOICE
Listening helps you know what to do and where to go.
2. “I will run back to get my bag after being told to leave.”
🔄 NEEDS A CHANGE
Leave belongings behind and follow the instruction to move to safety.
3. “If I get separated, I will look for a responsible adult.”
👍 GOOD SAFETY CHOICE
A responsible adult can help you get to a safer place.
4. “I will wait and see what everyone else does before telling an adult I need help.”
🔄 NEEDS A CHANGE
If you need help, tell a responsible adult. You do not need to wait for other children to act first.
6. Activity: MY EMERGENCY READY SKILLS
Practise With an Adult
This is a practice activity, not a personal-information worksheet.
Ask a parent, teacher or another responsible adult to practise these skills with you.
The adult can tick each skill when you have practised it.
- Skill 1 — Ask for help
Say clearly: “I need help.” - Skill 2 — Explain clearly
Practise saying what happened and where you are, if you know. - Skill 3 — Find a trusted adult
Point out or name a responsible adult you could approach for help. - Skill 4 — Follow an instruction
Practise calmly listening to an adult’s safety instruction and showing how you would follow it. - Skill 5 — Leave belongings behind
Explain why you should not go back into an unsafe area to collect belongings.
Remember
You do not need to practise inside a real emergency or near a real hazard.
Practise safely with an adult.
7. EMERGENCY DRILLS ARE PRACTICE
Have you ever practised a school safety drill?
A drill is a chance to practise before an emergency happens. School safety guidance in India includes preparedness activities and mock drills so students and staff can practise their roles and procedures.
During a drill:
- Listen carefully.
- Follow the instructions.
- Stay with your group.
- Move to the designated safe place when instructed.
- Do not run, push or play.
- Take the drill seriously.
A drill is not meant to frighten you.
It is practice that helps you know how to respond when a responsible adult gives safety instructions.
8. WHAT NOT TO DO
Choose what needs to change.
1. “I will panic and run away from my group.”
🔄 Needs a change.
Safer choice: Stay as calm as you can, stay with your group and follow the responsible adult’s instructions.
2. “I will go back into an unsafe area to get my belongings.”
🔄 Needs a change.
Safer choice: Leave belongings behind and stay in the safer place.
3. “I will try to solve a serious emergency myself.”
🔄 Needs a change.
Safer choice: Get help from a responsible adult and follow their instructions.
Super Safety Reminder
Children are not emergency responders.
If something serious happens:
GET HELP → FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS → STAY SAFE
9. QUICK SAFETY REMINDER
Say these five safety reminders out loud:
- I know who can help me.
- I listen to safety instructions.
- I stay calm and stay with my group.
- I go where responsible adults tell me to go.
- I never have to handle an emergency alone.
India Emergency Number — Adult-Guided Reminder
In India, 112 is the nationwide unified emergency response number for emergency assistance.
Children should seek help from a responsible adult and follow family or school procedures. Memorising emergency numbers is not the main goal of this activity.
10. PARENT / TEACHER SUPPORT NOTE
Help Children Practise Without Creating Fear
Adults can make preparedness feel calm, useful and reassuring.
Try this:
- Practise preparedness during a calm time, not when a child is frightened.
- Explain the family’s and school’s emergency procedures in simple language.
- Let children practise speaking clearly and listening carefully.
- Use safe role-play rather than real hazards or frightening demonstrations.
- Avoid frightening stories, graphic examples or disaster scenes.
- Remind children that adults are responsible for managing serious emergencies.
- Praise calm, sensible behaviour during drills.
- Reinforce the message: get help, follow instructions, stay safe.
For schools, preparedness and mock-drill activities should follow the school’s current emergency procedures and applicable official guidance rather than a generic child-created plan. School-safety guidance specifically places responsibilities for drills and emergency procedures within the school safety framework.