--- title: "Make a family whistle and hand-signal code" published: "2026-10-15" updated: "2026-10-15" author: "Dad Field Manual editors (drafted with AI help)" time: "25 min" cost: "$0 to $5" ages: "5 and up" where: "Space for two people to stand 30 or more feet apart." topics: ["classic-skills","outdoors"] print: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/print?p=whistle-and-hand-signals" url: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/plans/whistle-and-hand-signals/" --- # Make a family whistle and hand-signal code > Twenty-five minutes in a yard or park. Learn silent hand signals and a few whistle calls, make up your family's own, and learn the three-blast signal for real help. ## What you need - One whistle for each person ($5) - Open space about 30 feet across (free) ## Before you start - **Don't blow a whistle near ears.** Aim it away from people and keep the first blasts short. - **Three blasts means help.** Use it for real emergencies only, never as a game, so people take it seriously. - **Stay in sight.** Play within sight of a grown-up, with no running into streets. ## Steps 1. **Learn the silent signals** (Dad shows) Show the 1911 hand signals. Hand held straight up, palm out: stop. Point in a direction: go that way. Clenched fist jumped up and down: hurry. Hand waved rapidly side to side held high: come here. Hand waved across the face: no, never mind. 2. **Play the signal game** (Together) Stand 30 feet apart. Dad gives a signal without speaking and the kid does what it says. Swap, then add two signals of your own. 3. **Learn the whistle calls** (Dad shows, Kid copies) From 1911: one long blast means be quiet and look out for the next signal. Two short blasts mean all right. Use these for the game. 4. **Make your own family call** (Together) Pick a family whistle call that means come to Dad, such as one long and two short blasts. Practice calling the kid from across the yard. 5. **Teach the help signal** (Dad) Say: "If you're ever lost, stay where you are and blow three times, wait, then blow three times again. Don't wander off to find us." Practice it once, quietly, and keep it out of the game. 6. **Hold a hand-up rule** (Together) The 1911 book says a person who hears a far-off voice should hold a hand up beside the head the whole time. Try it: shout a short message and have the kid hold a hand up if they hear it. ## If it stalls - If the kid keeps blowing, take the whistle for a minute and play the silent signals. - Keep each signal to one clear motion. Too many signals get muddled. - Dad can wear the whistle on a lanyard so it can't be lost. ## Variations - **Ages 3–5:** Only stop, come here and go. Play red light, green light with hand signals. - **Ages 6–9:** The full plan. - **Ages 10+:** Add a signal for each family member and send a short message with only hand signals across a field. - **Rain:** Do the silent signals in the living room and leave the whistle for later. ## Sources - **1911 scouting handbook, pp. 208–209.** The 1911 book lists whistle signs (one long blast for alert, two short for all right, a succession of short blasts for rally or danger) and hand signals for no, come here, go that way, hurry and stop. (checked 2026-10-15) - **Distress signal and staying put today.** The National Park Service Outdoor Emergency Plan says to stay put if you get lost, blow a whistle three times, take a break and blow three times again, and that a whistle saves energy compared with yelling. (checked 2026-10-15)