First aid and health
First aid for burns, cuts, nosebleeds and injuries, and stopping germs. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.
Know it already? Jump straight to the quiz
Please note: this summary follows CAPS for schoolwork and is not medical advice. For questions about your own or your child’s health, speak to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
First aid
| Injury | First aid |
|---|---|
| Small cut | Press with a clean cloth until the bleeding stops, rinse it with clean water and cover it with a plaster |
| Grazed knee | Rinse with clean water and put on a plaster |
| Twisted ankle | Rest, ice in a cloth, a bandage and raise it |
| Splinter | Wash it and ease it out with clean tweezers |
| Sunburn | Cool the skin and move into the shade |
| Fainting | Lay them down, raise their legs and get an adult |
| Someone chokes | Can they cough? Let them keep coughing. They cannot cough, speak or breathe? Shout for an adult, get someone to phone 10177, and give up to five sharp blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. An adult can give abdominal thrusts. |
Serious cases
- Someone touches a live wire: don’t touch them; get the power switched off.
- Hard bump on the head and dizzy: keep them still and tell an adult at once.
- A bee sting and the face swells: get an adult at once; it may be an allergy.
- Very hot day, faint and sweaty: shade and small sips of water. High fever: an adult takes them to a clinic.
- The recovery position: laying an unconscious person who is still breathing on their side so that they can breathe and will not choke.
- Vaccines train the body to fight a germ early. Don’t share towels, combs or shoes.
- A first-aid kit has plasters, bandages, gloves and antiseptic.
More first aid
| What happened | First aid |
|---|---|
| Scald (hot water or steam) | Just like a burn: cool running water for about 20 minutes; do not put butter on it |
| Bruise | A cold cloth or ice in a cloth for 10 to 20 minutes |
| Dog bite | Wash it well with soap and water, cover it and go to a clinic |
| Snake bite | Keep the person calm and still, keep the bitten limb still, and get help at once; do not cut or suck |
| Sting (bee, wasp) | Scrape out the sting and put something cold on it |
| Poisoning | Call the Poison Information Helpline: 0861 555 777 or an ambulance at once; do not make the person vomit; take the container along |
| Heavy bleeding | Press hard with a clean cloth and keep the wound higher than the heart |
Remember this and test yourself
- First step in any emergency: make sure you and the injured person are safe.
- Ambulance: 10177 (from a cellphone you can also dial 112). Give your name, the address and what happened.
- Minor burn: cool running water for about 20 minutes.
- Nosebleed: sit, lean forward and pinch the soft part of the nose for about 10 minutes, breathing through your mouth.
- Wear gloves when someone is bleeding: it protects you both from germs.
Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.
Nosebleed? Head forward, not back — or you swallow the blood.
Important words
First say what the word means, then turn the card over.
Match column A to column B
Tap a word in column A, then its meaning in column B. You can also start in column B.
True or false?
Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.
Now the real quiz!
The quiz has many more questions on this topic. Every question shows straight away whether you are right and explains why.
Take the quiz: First aid and health- Read one part together and ask your child to tell it back in their own words.
- The ticks (“I know this”) are saved on this device only. We never ask for names or emails.
Follows CAPS for Grade 6 Life Skills. Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.