Developing soft skills through first aid training for kids

Soft skills are interpersonal abilities that help us to work effectively in personal and professional environments. Developing strong soft skills is very similar to building muscles – you have to work at it through repetitive practice and exercises to get better and stronger. Soft skills, often referred to as “people skills”, are critical in navigating personal relationships and around the workplace. Our soft skills are often judged (however subconsciously by the people around us) in how we interact with others, navigate challenges, or contribute to a positive and healthy environment.

When kids (and adults) take first aid training, they learn first aid – of course! But well beyond this important life skill, first aid training also builds upon many soft skills that we hope to instill in our kids. Here are the soft skills that are busy exercising in the background while our kids learn first aid:

1. Effective communication: When kids learn how to express ideas in a clear and concise manner, and listen actively, this helps improve collaboration and increase efficiency.
2. Teamwork: In first aid classes, kids learn to work together by practicing how to assist each other in emergency situations, reinforcing the importance of building relationships, offering help, and practicing empathy by caring for others.
3. Problem solving: Kids will practice thinking quickly and making decisions under pressure, which can help them stay calm and make good choices in challenging situations.
4. Adaptability: Kids will practice providing first aid in various scenarios, which teaches them to assess a situation, prioritize tasks, and self-regulate their own emotions when handling change and uncertainty.
5. Confidence: By continuously stepping out of their comfort zone, kids build resilience and challenge their limits. Kids also grow confidence in their ability to help others in an emergency.

Learning first aid not only equips kids with practical life skills and safety awareness, but also develops essential soft skills and promotes important values like responsibility, compassion and critical thinking.

Our First Aid training for kids (and adults) focuses on strategies for practicing the soft skills mentioned above and more! Through all our courses and training, we emphasize the importance of role-playing (practicing scenarios with others to improve leadership, teamwork, and communication) and reflection (reflecting on how you dealt with a situation and how you might handle it differently next time).

If you’re interested in enrolling your kid (or yourself) in first aid training, check out our top requested first aid courses. For youth-specific courses, check out our Youth Courses, like Babysitting or the Stay Safe Program. Youths are also welcome to take Emergency First Aid or Standard First Aid, which will also look great on their resume (bonus!). If you’re unsure of which training best suits your needs, give our office a call or email us!

While in this post we talk about kids, the same concept can be applied to adult participants as well!