Children as young as four years old are capable of learning and executing basic first aid, according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.
Teachers at a pre-school in Bergen, Norway successfully taught first aid to the four and five-year-olds in the class using a simple five-finger rule system. The children were instructed to: look at the person, talk to them, touch them to try to wake them up, call emergency services, and then to stay and give comfort. As part of the lesson, they were also taught how to place someone into the recovery position and how to keep the airway open.
"Two months later the children were still able to work out whether a person was unconscious or asleep and whether an accident victim was breathing. The children could also remember the phone number of the emergency services and accurately describe their location," said Georg Bollig from Haukeland University Hospital.
"First aid training should begin in the kindergarten, via play, and be reinforced throughout school to increase confidence and encourage people to provide first aid should the need arise."