Teaching kids about firefighters is an important aspect of fire safety. The following firefighter activities for kids will explore all aspects of a firefighter’s life. They make an excellent compliment to your fire safety curriculum.
Firefighter Play (Dramatic Play)
Turn your dramatic play area into a fire station and let the kids have fun pretending to be firefighters. Of course, the most important part of a firefighter is their dress up. So provide the children with firefighter hats, overcoats, boots, and other dress up materials. If you are running short on these items, you can make impromptu firefighter garb by taking some old T-shirts and slitting them down the front, then spray painting them read or using fabric dye to dye them. You now have a firefighter coat. Add to your area the dress up clothes, a bell, cardboard axes, a hose, medical equipment, radio’s or pretend walkie talkies, and any other equipment you have on hand that would simulate firefighter play. Use the activity to direct the children about different fire safety facts and items.
Egg Carton Fire Trucks (Art)
Gather enough egg cartons for the children in your class. (Note: You can substitute for cardboard pieces cut into rectangles if you’d rather) Cut out some black circles for wheels, and some black ladder pieces for the truck. You can also make windows or headlights with yellow construction paper. Have the children decorate the cardboard pieces or egg cartons by painting them with red and yellow paint. After they have finished, have them use the shapes to add ladders, wheels, and windows to their fire trucks as desired. For a finishing touch, you can also attach yarn for a fire hose.
Five Little Firefighters (Language-Fingerplay)
Five little firefighters sleeping in their beds,
The first one said “Put your helmet on your head!”
The second one said “Down the pole we’ll slide”
The third one said “Get ready to Ride!”
The fourth one said “Put your gas mask on your nose”
The fifth one said “I’ll grab the hose”
Then a squirt and a woo and out went the fire
So the five little fireman could finally retire!
Firefighter Hats (Fine Motor-Dramatic Play)
Use these instructions to make firefighter hats with your children. First off, Start off with large pieces of paper, or newsprint/newspaper. Fold the paper in half. (Figure 1) Next fold down the top two corners. (Figure 2) Fold up the bottom portion on each side. (Figure 3) Open up the hat and fold up one of the ends. Secure it with tape or glue. Attach a fireman’s badge with the child’s name to the front of the hat, and let them wear their creations around the classroom!
Fire Dance (Gross Motor-Music)
Cut some orange, yellow, and red paper streamers or party rolls into strips about 2 feet long. Set them out in an open area of your classroom, Put on some music, and have your kids use the streamers to make a “fire dance”.
Fire Station Field Trip (Special Activity)
While the books talk a little about the fire station and a firefighters life, nothing can beat the firsthand experience of visiting a fire station. Call your local fire house and arrange a trip to visit them at their firehouse. They will know of lots of things to emphasize on your trip regarding fire safety.
Fire Prevention Badges (Language)
Make fire prevention badges for your children to wear. Cut out pieces of construction paper in the shape shown below. Have the children write in their name, and decorate their badges with markers. Use a safety pin or masking tape to attach them to their clothing.
Cardboard Box Fire Truck (Gross Motor-Dramatic Play-Art)
Make a fire engine for your kids to play with out of a cardboard box or two. Gather a large cardboard box, and cut out the two smaller flaps in the front and back. Next, cut squares out of the side flaps to make them into ‘ladders’. Cut two holes in the front and back of the engine for handles. You can either cut out the bottom of the box so they can walk with it and set it down, or you can leave the bottom in. Glue on some paper plates for wheels and headlights, and then let the children decorate their fire truck with red, yellow, and orange paint. After it’s done, let children pretend to be firefighters while carrying their fire truck around the classroom with them.
Fire Truck Snack (Special Activity)
Have the children create fire truck snacks. Start with a full graham cracker. (We suggest buying name brand, generic ones usually are broken). Have the kids cover the gram cracker in red frosting. You can either buy red frosting or use vanilla and red food coloring. Give them some M& M’s for lights, oreo’s for wheels, and cut up rope licorice to assemble fire ladders on their truck. Then enjoy the sugar high!
Firefighter Shakes (Special Activity)
In a blender, puree strawberries with a little bit of honey or sugar until they are blended well. Then add Ice cream and milk, to create a healthy little shake for your little firefighters, so they can be strong fighting the fires!