Grade by Grade
B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Fit, Safe and Skilful

Staying Safe and Responding to Injuries

B3 A1.1 A1.4About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can follow safety rules and routines that lower the risk of injury, including concussion, for me and others.
  • I can describe what to do if someone gets hurt while being active.
  • I can tell when an injury is an emergency and know when to call 911.
  • I can notice how a hurt friend feels and comfort them.

Words to know

injury
Harm to the body, like a scrape, a sprain or a bump.
accident
Something that happens by mistake and may cause an injury.
concussion
A brain injury that can happen when a hit to the head, face, neck or body makes the brain move inside the skull.
emergency
A very serious situation where someone needs help right away.
risk
The chance that something could cause harm.
first aid
The first help given to someone who is hurt, usually by a grown-up.

Remember from Grade 2

You learned that a concussion is a brain injury, and you learned STOP – TELL – REST if someone bumps their head. You also learned to help friends with medical conditions like asthma and allergies.

This year you will learn more ways to lower risk, and what to do when someone gets hurt, including when it is an emergency.

Lowering the risk

A risk is a chance of getting hurt. We can't make activity perfectly safe, but we can make the risk much smaller. Before and during activity, check these:

  • Space: Is the area clear? No rocks, holes, ice patches, broken glass or furniture corners in the way?
  • Equipment: Is it the right size and in good shape? Helmet on and buckled for biking, scootering, skating and tobogganing?
  • Clothes and shoes: Running shoes with laces tied? Layers, hat and mittens in winter? Hat and sunscreen in summer?
  • Body: Did you warm up? Do you have water? Do you need your inhaler or other medicine nearby?
  • People: Are you keeping space between you and others? Is a grown-up nearby?
  • Rules: Do you know the rules and follow them, like no pushing and gentle tags?
SafetycheckSpaceclear, no ice or rocks?Equipmenthelmet on and buckled?Clothes, shoeslaces tied? layers?Bodywarmed up? water?Peoplespace between us?Rulesno pushing?
Six things to check before you play. Each check makes the risk of getting hurt much smaller.

Lower the risk of concussion

  • Wear a helmet that fits for biking, scootering, skating, skiing and tobogganing.
  • Look where you are going and keep your head up.
  • No rough play: no pushing, tripping or tackling in backyard games.
  • Use soft balls for throwing games, and never aim at someone's head.
  • If you bump your head, never hide it, even if you want to keep playing.

What to do when someone gets hurt

Accidents can still happen. Here is what to do:

  1. STOP and look. Stop playing. Is the person badly hurt? Is the area still safe for you?
  2. GET a grown-up. Tell a grown-up right away. Shout for help or send a friend to get one.
  3. STAY and comfort. Stay with your friend. Speak kindly: "Help is coming. I'm here."

Don't move someone who might be badly hurt, especially if they hurt their head, neck or back. Wait for a grown-up.

1 STOPand look2 GETa grown-up3 STAYand comfortEmergency and no grown-up near? Call 911.
When someone gets hurt: 1 STOP and look, 2 GET a grown-up, 3 STAY and comfort. In an emergency with no grown-up nearby, call 911.

Is it an emergency?

An emergency is very serious. Someone needs help right away. Examples:

  • A person won't wake up or is not breathing normally.
  • A person is bleeding a lot.
  • A person with a serious allergy is having trouble breathing or their face is swelling.
  • A person had a hard hit to the head and is very confused, throwing up or getting sleepier.

In an emergency, get a grown-up fast. If no grown-up is nearby, call 911. Say your name, where you are (your address or the park name) and what happened. Stay on the phone and listen.

911 is only for emergencies. Never call it as a joke.

If it might be a concussion

Signs can include a headache, feeling dizzy, feeling sick to your stomach, blurry vision, feeling confused or foggy, feeling very tired, or being more upset or teary than usual. Signs can show up right away or later.

The person should:

  • stop right away and not play again that day,
  • tell a grown-up, who will watch them and take them to a doctor,
  • rest and go back to school work and to play slowly, only when a doctor says it is okay.

This is true even if they say, "I'm fine!"

InjuryWhat a Grade 3 student can do
Scrape or small cutTell a grown-up. A grown-up can help wash it with clean water and cover it.
NosebleedSit down, lean forward (not back) and pinch the soft part of the nose. Tell a grown-up.
Twisted ankle or sore wristStop and don't use it. Tell a grown-up. A grown-up may put a cold pack wrapped in a cloth on it.
Bump to the headStop, tell a grown-up, and don't play again that day. Watch for concussion signs.
Bee stingMove away from the bees and tell a grown-up. If the person has a serious allergy or trouble breathing, get a grown-up right away: it is an emergency.
Common injuries during activity and what you can do. Always tell a grown-up.
Worked example

Let's respond to a fall at the park

Jada and Owen are racing on the park path. Owen trips, falls hard and hits his head on the path. He sits up and says, "I'm fine, let's keep racing!" But he says his head hurts and he looks dizzy.

  1. STOP and look: Jada stops racing. Owen has a headache and looks dizzy. These are signs of a possible concussion.
  2. GET a grown-up: Jada calls to Owen's dad on the bench: "Owen hit his head and he's dizzy!"
  3. STAY and comfort: Jada stays with Owen. She says, "I know you want to keep racing. But your head matters more. Your dad is coming."
  4. After: Owen does not race again that day. His dad watches him and takes him to a doctor.

Even though Owen said "I'm fine", Jada was right to stop, get a grown-up and stay with him. Telling is caring, not tattling.

Worked example

Let's do a safety check before skating

Before skating on an outdoor rink, Lucas and his aunt do a safety check. What should they check?

  1. Place: Is it a rink that is cleared and supervised, not a pond or lake with unknown ice? ✔
  2. Equipment: Skates laced snugly, helmet on and buckled? ✔
  3. Clothes: Warm layers, mittens, a neck warmer instead of a long scarf? ✔
  4. Body: Warm up with some marching and arm swings? ✔
  5. People and rules: Skate in the same direction as others, keep space, no pushing? ✔

They check the place, equipment, clothes, body, people and rules. Never go on ice on a pond, lake or river unless a grown-up has checked it is safe.

Hands-on activity

Safety detective and help-call practice

You need: paper, a pencil and a grown-up.

Part 1, Safety detective: Walk around your yard, a room or your local park with your grown-up. Find 3 risks (like a tree root, a slippery spot, a sharp corner). For each one, write how to make it safer ("play away from the tree root", "put down a mat").

Part 2, 911 practice (pretend phone only!): With your grown-up, practise what you would say:

  1. "My name is ______."
  2. "I am at ______ (your address or the park name)."
  3. "My ______ is hurt. He/She ______ (what happened)."

Make sure you know your home address by heart.

Part 3, Role play: Your grown-up pretends to trip and hurt an ankle. Show STOP, GET, STAY and use kind words.

Your turn

1

Name three things to check before being active.

2

What are the three steps when someone gets hurt?

3

Why should you not move someone who hurt their neck or back?

4

Name two signs of a possible concussion.

5

When should you call 911?

6

What should you do for a nosebleed?

7

Your friend falls and is crying. What could you say to comfort them?

More practice: warm-up

1

What should you wear on your head when you bike or toboggan?

2

True or false: if a friend says "I'm fine" after hitting their head, they can keep playing.

3

Is 911 for jokes?

4

Who should you tell when someone gets hurt?

5

Name one way to keep others safe in tag.

More practice: on your own

1

You are playing at the park and see a patch of ice under the swings. What should you do?

2

Is a small scrape on the knee an emergency? What should you do?

3

Your friend who is allergic to bees gets stung and starts having trouble breathing. Is it an emergency? What do you do?

4

What three things should you say if you call 911?

5

Why should a person with a concussion go back to play slowly?

Challenge

1

Ravi wants to hide that he bumped his head so he can finish the soccer game. Explain to Ravi why that is a bad idea.

2

Make a safety checklist with at least 5 items for tobogganing at a local hill.

3

While biking, you see a grown-up stranger fall off their bike. They are awake and say their wrist hurts. You are with your mom. What should happen?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which lowers the risk of a concussion?

2.

Someone falls and hurts their neck. What should you do?

3.

Which is an emergency?

4.

If you call 911, what should you say?

5.

A friend has a headache and feels dizzy after hitting her head. What should she do?

6.

For a nosebleed, you should...

7.

Your friend is crying after a fall. Which is a kind thing to say?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 3 students demonstrate behaviours and apply procedures that maximize safety and lessen the risk of injury, including concussion, for themselves and others, and describe how to respond to accidents and injuries, including concussions.

About concussions: Ontario's Rowan's Law focuses on concussion awareness and safety in sport, and school boards have concussion procedures. A child with a suspected concussion should stop activity right away, not return that day, and be assessed by a doctor. Return to school and play should be gradual and follow medical advice. Children often under-report symptoms because they want to keep playing, so we stress that telling is caring.

About first aid: The lesson keeps children's role simple: stop, get a grown-up, stay and comfort. Only grown-ups should handle ice or cold packs (always wrapped in a cloth), medicines and epinephrine auto-injectors. Make sure your child knows your home address and how to call 911, and that 911 is only for real emergencies.

How to help at home:

  • Do the safety-detective walk at your local park.
  • Practise the pretend 911 call with a toy phone.
  • Model helmet use yourself.

Common difficulties:

  • Not wanting to "get someone in trouble". Explain the difference between telling to get help (caring) and telling to get someone in trouble.
  • Tipping the head back for nosebleeds. Leaning forward is the advice now.
  • Ice safety. Children should never go onto ponds, lakes or rivers without a grown-up confirming the ice is safe.

Social-emotional learning: Noticing how a hurt friend feels and comforting them builds empathy and healthy relationships.