Some people enjoy dealing with home emergency preparedness and actively create kits and contingency plans for their families. Others – not so much. Unfortunately, emergencies don’t differentiate between those who like to plan for them and those who don’t.
But what can we do if we understand that emergency preparedness is important but we just don’t have the time or bandwidth to put together a plan and maintain it?
The answer – we make it part of quality family time with these simple strategies:
1. Make home emergency preparedness a yearly tradition
There is so much on our plates already. Often it’s hard to remember to do the important tasks when there are so many urgent day-to-day tasks to focus on instead. The solution – add it to the calendar.
The first step to creating and refreshing home emergency kits is to allocate a specific time of year for it and make it a tradition.
Mom Tip#1: Try tackling emergency preparedness projects during less busy times of the year. The beginning of the year or the end of summer break are two times when family members might be more open to taking part in these preparations. When nothing else exciting is going on and there is some incentive behind getting involved it’s easier to get family buy-in.
2. Personalize your emergency kits and incentivize the experience
The second step on your home emergency preparedness journey is to make it an enjoyable family experience. Once you have a specific weekend in mind, invite family members to join in a shopping trip to choose the snacks, drinks, and special items they want to add to their own personal emergency kit.
Need more incentives to get your family motivated? Allow everyone to eat the snacks and drinks that are being rotated out of their emergency kits and give them the freedom to pack their emergency bags themselves.
Mom tip #2: The key to making emergency preparedness sustainable is to make it an anticipated family tradition. Building a living room fort, doing an indoor picnic, or just setting up a tent in the backyard and sorting supplies increases the chances of it happening on a yearly basis.
3. Combine home emergency preparedness with acts of service
The final step is my personal favorite. It involves turning emergency preparedness into a meaningful family experience by combining it with an act of service.
Here are some examples:
- Make smaller versions of your personal emergency kits and drop them off at the local homeless shelter. Include items such as fresh socks, small first aid kits, energy bars, and bottled water.
- Take the opportunity to rotate older pantry items, such as canned foods and drinks, out of your kitchen and donate them to a soup kitchen or shelter during the same week.
- Have some extra supplies? make a kit for an elderly neighbor who might not have the resources to make one for themselves.
In truth, home emergency preparedness is not only important but beneficial for creating meaningful experiences for the entire family. By setting a specific time of year to get it done, creating age-appropriate incentives, and combining it with acts of service, it can become a tradition your family looks forward to.
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