Discover Resilience: The Podcast Teaching resilience early: Helping kids prepare for the unexpected
Mar 31, 2026
Soraya Sutherlin, a certified emergency manager and founder of Emergency Management Safety Partners with 20+ years in crisis response, shares practical ways to help children prepare for the unexpected. She discusses age-appropriate safety basics, playful teaching methods, handling scary conversations, and real-life lessons from a house fire. Short, actionable ideas to make preparedness feel normal and empowering for families.
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Preparedness Began With Childhood Fear
- Soraya shifted from fear to curiosity about disasters, which drove her career into emergency management.
- Childhood earthquake fear and a sixth-grade tsunami project motivated her to learn how preparedness reduces anxiety and builds control.
Teach 911 With A Mock Phone Early
- Start teaching emergency basics as early as age three, beginning with how to get help like dialing 911.
- Use tactile practice (paper-plate phone layout) and repetitive, consistent patterns so small children recognize the number formation.
Build Situational Awareness With Games
- Teach situational awareness through games and observation exercises so children learn to notice surroundings.
- Play the ABC game and use landmarks (blue house, two stop signs) so kids can describe location without memorizing an address.
