Planning and preparing for a power outage

Preparation and planning are a part of every adult’s life. Discover resources to help you prepare for a power outage and ideas for keeping your children busy until the power comes back on.

Preparation and planning are a part of every adult’s life. We prepare and plan for car and home maintenance, meals, the next activity that the kids are involved in, bills, deadlines at work, and much more! The weather, however, is something that we inevitably have difficulty planning for, especially when inclement weather results in a power outage. Because power outages don’t usually occur often, we forget to prepare and plan for when a power outage does occur. 

If you are not sure how to start planning for a power outage, try some of the following resources:

Don’t forget that planning and preparing your family for a power outage includes finding things for the kids to do. Here are a few suggestions for keeping kids busy during a power outage:

  • Give them their own flashlight! Ask them to read, make finger puppets or tell stories using their flashlight.
  • Play board games your family has not played in a while. Get the kids up and moving by playing charades.
  • If it is safe, go outside. Use chalk to make pictures in the driveway, ride bikes or go for a walk.
  • Make a snack together. Create a crazy snack that you wouldn’t normally make out of food that’s accessible in your cupboard.
  • Go camping inside. Pitch a tent or create a fort for playing, reading, sleeping and having fun!
  • Have a bonfire and make dinner or dessert!

Don’t forget to involve your children in the planning and preparing for a power outage. By helping, your child can actually gain valuable like skills such as communication, critical thinking, decision making, personal safety, empathy, cooperation and much more. To learn more about life skills, visit the Michigan 4-H Youth Program page to see how MSU Extension uses the Targeting Life Skills Model.

Planning and preparation are keys to become ready for a power outage. Having the necessary supplies and a list of things to do for kids will help to alleviate stress for the entire family.

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