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Build a family emergency kit together
60 min · $20–$40 · Ages 6 to 14
Grab first
- A large plastic bin with a lid, or a duffel bag
- The Ready.gov basic kit list, printed or on a phone
- Bottled water: one gallon per person per day
- A flashlight for each person, plus extra batteries
- Index cards, a marker and tape for labels
Before you start
- Flashlights, not candles. CDC says to use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns rather than candles, gas lanterns or torches, to lower the risk of fire.
- Never heat the house with a gas stove or oven, and never run a generator indoors, in a garage, or less than 20 feet from a window, door or vent (CDC).
- If you ever use a generator, CDC says to have a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide detector in the home.
- Medicines and sharp tools stay with you. Pack them in a closed bag at the top of the bin, and keep the bin where little kids can't open it.
The steps
- Turn the list into a hunt
Pull up the Ready.gov basic kit list and read it out. AAP suggests making packing a game, like a scavenger hunt. Give each kid a room and a few items to find: “You've got the kitchen. Find the can opener, the first aid kit and anything canned we'd actually eat.”
- Gather the basics
Ready.gov's basics include water, several days of non-perishable food, a manual can opener, a flashlight, extra batteries, a battery or hand-crank radio, a first aid kit, a whistle, and a phone charger. AAP adds blankets, a change of clothes and shoes, and keeping flashlight batteries outside the flashlight.
- Do the water math
Ready.gov says one gallon of water per person per day, for several days; AAP's kit list says three days. Let a kid do the math out loud: “Four people times three days is twelve gallons.” Count what you have and write what's missing on the shopping list.
- Add your family's own needs
Ask, “What would we need that's not on the list?” Ready.gov's extra list includes prescription medicines, pet food and extra water for pets, glasses, baby supplies, cash, copies of family documents, and activities for kids. Let each kid add one small comfort item: a deck of cards, a book, a stuffed animal.
- Make the contact card and meeting spot
AAP says to pick a meeting place outside the house and one contact person everyone calls if you're separated, preferably someone who doesn't live nearby. Write both, plus your phone numbers, on index cards: one for the bin, one for each backpack. Practice: “If you can't reach us, who do you call?” AAP says kids should know how to call 911 and give their name and address.
- Label dates and pick two check days
Write the earliest expiration date from the food, water and medicines on the outside of the bin. AAP says to review the kit at least every 6 months and replace food, water, batteries and medicines as needed. Pick two days six months apart and put them in your phone. Make a kid the date keeper.
- Store it and show everyone
Ready.gov says to keep the kit in one set place and make sure everyone in the family knows where it is. Walk each kid to it and ask, “Where's the kit? Where do we meet?” until they can answer without thinking.
When it goes sideways
- If the shopping list is long, buy one item per grocery trip. The bin can fill up over a month.
- If a kid gets worried, keep it matter-of-fact: “This is like a spare tire. We hope we never need it, and now we've got it.”
- If the food in the bin is something nobody eats, let the kids pick shelf-stable snacks they like and swap them out on check day.
- If you have a teen, hand them the check days: they run the inventory and write the next shopping list.
Read the full plan and its sources. Source dates stay with the plan; these are practice ideas, with no claim of a real-world test.