Activities and Books to Celebrate Our First Responders With Your Birdies
October 28th is National First Responders Day. This day is dedicated to honoring the first responders, including firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, 911 dispatchers, and police officers. They’re the first people who are called when disaster strikes and our world wouldn’t be the same without these heroes.
National First Responders Day is an amazing opportunity to teach your kids about the First Responders in your community.
This year we’re showing our love to the First Responders with our own First Responders Collection. To celebrate our new launch, we want to bring you books and activities you can share with your Birdies, to teach them more about the First Responders and celebrate their hard work and dedication in your home.
Activities and Books to Celebrate Our First Responders With Your Birdies
Let’s start with some activities that you can do with your Birdies and then we’ll share our family's favorite books about first responders with you.
Activities to Help Your Kids Celebrate the First Responders
The best place to start teaching your kids about kindness, gratitude, and community starts at home –and a pillar of those values is our first responders and community helpers. This year, help your kids learn more about these everyday heroes.
Free Coloring Pages
One of our favorite activities to share with you is always free coloring pages. We love any chance to help you save money while having fun and creative ways to keep the kids entertained. This First Responders Day, download some free coloring pages and use them as a jumping-off point to talk to your kids about the First Responders in your community.
You can download firefighter-themed coloring pages for free here. They also have police-themed coloring pages here. We also found some incredible ambulance and paramedic-themed coloring pages here.
Make Graham Cracker Firetrucks
This afternoon snack is the perfect way to kick off First Responders Day! Making your own firetrucks can be done with only 5 ingredients and it’s a great activity for your little Birdies. This would also be a good time to talk to your kids about the importance of fire safety (below we share our favorite books on fire safety).
If you’d like to make graham cracker firetrucks, follow along with Melissa here. She also has a free fire safety printable that makes a great afterschool activity to pair with this snack.
Learn the 9-1-1 Song Together
It’s important to teach your kids about what kind of emergencies they might need to call the police, fire department, or paramedics for. As well as teaching them how to contact the first responders in any of those emergencies. Songs are one of the best ways to do this.
One easy first responder activity you can do with your kids is simply practicing the 9-1-1 song together. Here’s one version we’ve used with our kids.
Of course, you don’t want to have to think about your kids being in an emergency where they need to call 911. But teaching your kids this simple song could help them save their own lives and yours in an emergency.
Make Box-Foldable Ambulance, Firetrucks, and Police Cars
Paper Box World has free printables that help you make your own 3D ambulances, firetrucks, and police cars. All you have to do is print them out (they work better on cardstock), cut them out for your little ones, and then help them assemble them with a bit of glue.
With easy-to-follow instructions right on the print-out, this is one of the easiest activities you can do with your Birdies this First Responders Day.
Paper Police Hat and Badge
This paper police hat and badge is a great way to talk about the police and 911 dispatchers who work hard to protect our communities. We love how easy this afterschool first responders craft is. All you have to do is download the various pieces from ‘A Dab of Glue Will Do’ and then assemble them. It’s the kind of activity that most kids can do themselves, with very little help from mom.
Download the free printable to make your paper police hats and badges here.
Books to Help Teach Kids About First Responders
Books are one of the best ways to teach our kids about fire safety, ambulance workers, and the role of the police in our communities. The stories in books and colorful pictures help our kids remember what they’ve learned. This is especially important when it comes to teaching our kids about fire safety.
Celebrate this First Responders Day by filling your Birdies library with books about the first responders. These are some of our favorites!
Stop Drop and Roll (A Book about Fire Safety)
This book by Margery Cuyler is about an anxious little girl who’s worried about everything – and learning about fire safety scares her. It’s a great example to our little ones that learning about something that scares us can help us prepare for any situation.
No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids
No Dragons for Tea by Jean E. Pendziwol is a book that teaches kids about fire safety in a way that doesn’t overwhelm them. It’s a simple rhyming book with fun illustrations and a poem at the end which offers an easy way to remember what to do in case of a fire.
They're Heroes Too: A Celebration of Community
They’re Heroes Too by Pat Brisson helps us celebrate everyone who helps keep our community safe and running smoothly. It helps our kids learn about the everyday heroes in their lives.
Here Come the Helpers
Here Come the Helpers by Leslie Kimmelman is a book that focuses on the emergency vehicles that first responders use and the people who drive them! This board book is great for little Birdies and it helps them look for the helpers all around them. We especially love this:
“It’s a big, beautiful world,
filled with awesome adventures.
But sometimes emergencies happen.
When they do, look for the helpers!
Helpers are all around you.”
A Hero Lives in My Family: A Story for Kids of First Responders
A Hero Lives in My Family by Dr. Susan Hunt is a book that helps kids understand the roles of first responders and the feelings that come along with it. It’s a great book for families of first responders because while their parents might have a high-stress job, it’s a reminder that their favorite job is being a parent.
No matter how you’re celebrating the first responders this year, we hope to be a part of your family's celebrations. Make sure to shop our adorable new First Responder’s Collection out now!
We’d love to know about the first responders in your family. Who are you celebrating this year?
Make sure you’re following us on Instagram to stay up to date with our latest giveaways, contests, and releases.
And if you’re a first responder reading this, happy First Responders Day! Thank you for everything that you do!
