Squirrel First Aid Activities: Fun Ways to Learn Basic First Aid

First aid doesn’t have to be a serious or complicated subject for Squirrels.

At this age, the most useful lessons are often very simple:

Stay calm.

Keep yourself safe.

Get an adult.

Know how to call for help.

Don’t make an injury worse.

Games and role-play can help make these ideas memorable without asking young people to perform first aid techniques beyond their age and training.

1. What Would You Do?

Give Squirrels simple scenarios.

“Someone has fallen over.”

“Someone has a small cut.”

“Someone feels unwell.”

Ask:

“What should you do?”

For Squirrels, the answer should generally lead back to getting a responsible adult and staying safe.

2. First Aid Teddy

Use a teddy bear or other toy as the casualty.

Give the teddy a fictional problem.

Perhaps it has fallen over or hurt its paw.

Ask the Squirrels what they would do.

Using a toy keeps the activity light-hearted and avoids putting pressure on children to act as though someone is genuinely injured.

3. Spot the Danger

Set up a fictional campsite scene with pictures or toys.

Include several obvious hazards.

Ask:

“Can you spot anything that could cause an accident?”

This teaches an important part of first aid that often gets overlooked: preventing accidents in the first place.

4. Emergency Numbers

Help Squirrels understand that 999 or 112 can be used to contact the emergency services in the UK.

Rather than asking them to memorise lots of information, practise what they might need to communicate.

For example:

“Where are you?”

“What has happened?”

“Who needs help?”

Emphasise that they should get a trusted adult whenever possible.

5. The Calm Voice Game

Pair Squirrels up.

One pretends that they’ve had a minor accident.

The other has to speak calmly and get help.

The aim isn’t to perform first aid.

It’s to practise communicating without shouting or panicking.

6. First Aid Equipment Hunt

Show the group a basic first-aid kit.

Let them identify familiar items.

You can ask:

“What do you think this is for?”

Keep the discussion simple and don’t encourage children to experiment with equipment on themselves or each other.

7. Match the Problem

Create cards showing simple situations and cards showing appropriate responses.

For example:

Someone has fallen over.

Tell an adult.

Someone feels very unwell.

Get help immediately.

The Squirrels match the situation to the sensible response.

8. First Aid Charades

A Squirrel acts out a fictional situation without speaking.

The others have to guess what’s happened.

For example:

Someone has bumped their knee.

Someone has dropped something on their foot.

Someone feels dizzy.

Once they’ve guessed it, ask:

“What should we do?”

9. The Emergency Helpers Game

Choose different roles.

One Squirrel is the person who needs help.

Another finds a leader.

Another explains what happened.

The rest of the group stays safely out of the way.

Rotate the roles so everyone gets involved.

10. Safe or Unsafe?

Read out simple situations.

“You see a fire and run towards it.”

“Someone falls over and you immediately tell a leader.”

“Someone is hurt and you leave the group without telling anyone.”

Squirrels decide whether each action is sensible or unsafe.

This can become a lively discussion.

11. First Aid Memory Game

Place several first-aid-related pictures on the floor.

Give Squirrels time to look at them.

Cover them up and remove one.

Can they work out what’s missing?

You can include objects such as a bandage, whistle, torch or first-aid kit.

12. The “Get Help” Relay

Instead of racing with medical equipment, make the activity about communication.

One Squirrel receives a fictional scenario.

They have to reach the designated adult and clearly explain what has happened.

For example:

“Tom has fallen over near the tent and says his ankle hurts.”

This teaches young people to provide useful information.

13. First Aid Story

Tell a short story about a group on an outdoor adventure.

Stop at different points.

“Sam has fallen over. What should happen now?”

Let Squirrels decide what the characters should do.

Continue the story based on their answers.

14. Who Can Help?

Ask Squirrels to identify people who can help when something goes wrong.

They might suggest:

A Scout leader.

A teacher.

A parent or carer.

A lifeguard.

A first aider.

Emergency services.

Explain that the appropriate person depends on the situation.

15. Build an Emergency Plan

Give the Squirrels a simple campsite picture.

Ask:

“Where would you go if someone was hurt?”

“Who would you tell?”

“Where could you get help?”

This connects first aid with their actual environment.

16. Whistle for Help

If whistles are part of your normal outdoor equipment, teach Squirrels that they can be useful for attracting attention.

Practise a simple agreed signal in a controlled area.

Make sure everyone understands that whistles aren’t toys to be blown continuously.

17. First Aid Kim’s Game

Put several objects on a table.

Give Squirrels a short time to look at them.

Cover the objects.

Ask what they remember.

You can include both first-aid items and general safety equipment.

It’s a simple way to introduce awareness and observation.

18. The “Don’t Touch” Challenge

Give fictional scenarios where a Squirrel might be tempted to rush in.

For example:

“Someone has fallen near something dangerous.”

Ask:

“Should you run straight over?”

The lesson is that helping someone doesn’t mean putting yourself in danger.

Getting an adult may be the best thing they can do.

19. First Aid Traffic Lights

Use three categories:

🟢 Safe to help

🟠 Get an adult

🔴 Stay back and get help

Give Squirrels different scenarios and ask them which category they belong in.

It provides a very simple framework for thinking about emergencies.

20. The Big First Aid Adventure

Finish with a simple series of fictional scenarios around the meeting place.

Squirrels might discover:

Someone who has fallen over.

A lost first-aid kit.

A person who feels unwell.

A potential hazard.

At each station they have to decide what they should do.

Keep the scenarios straightforward and focus on recognising a problem and getting appropriate help.

Keep First Aid Positive

It’s tempting to make first aid scenarios dramatic.

For Squirrels, that’s usually unnecessary.

You want them to come away thinking:

“I know what to do if something goes wrong.”

rather than:

“Emergencies are scary.”

Confidence and calm decision-making are valuable skills in themselves.

Use Realistic Situations

The best scenarios are things Squirrels can imagine actually happening.

A trip while playing a game.

A small cut during an activity.

Someone feeling unwell on a walk.

A minor bump.

Someone getting separated from the group.

These situations can teach useful lessons without creating unnecessary fear.

Let Adults Handle the Treatment

Squirrels can learn a lot without being expected to provide medical treatment.

They can learn to recognise when someone needs help.

They can learn how to alert an adult.

They can learn how to describe what happened.

They can learn how to keep themselves safe.

Those are valuable first-aid skills for their age.

Final Thoughts

First aid for Squirrels should be about confidence, awareness and knowing when to get help.

Games and scenarios make those lessons much easier to remember.

You don’t need complicated medical simulations.

A teddy bear, a few picture cards and some imaginative scenarios can teach the fundamentals surprisingly well.

🩹 THE BIG IDEA

For Squirrels, the most important first-aid skill is knowing what to do when something goes wrong.

Stay calm.
Stay safe.
Tell an adult.
Get help.

Those four simple ideas can give young people the confidence to respond sensibly when they encounter an accident.