First Aid Scenario Stations
A five-station circuit where groups handle situations that often come up in sports and on field trips: ankle sprain, bleeding wound, heat exhaustion, nosebleed and minor burn. Students work on the right response, using the first-aid kit and making team decisions.
How to play
- Spend 3 minutes introducing the five stations and the contents of the first-aid kit; each station has a card with the scenario and another, face down, with the answer.
- Form 5 groups of 5; each group starts at a station and has 4 minutes per scenario.
- At each station, one student plays the injured person, one gives care, one calls 911 if needed and the rest check the steps against the answer card when finished.
- Scenarios: ankle wrap with an elastic bandage, direct pressure on a wound, cooling and shade for heat exhaustion, head forward and pinch the nose, and cool running water for 10 minutes on the burn.
- Rotate on the whistle every 4 minutes until every group has done all 5 stations (20 minutes), switching roles each time.
- Debrief for 7 minutes on common mistakes (tilting the head back for a nosebleed, putting ice straight on the skin).
Rules
- Use the gloves from the kit at the wound station, just like in real life.
- Wraps should be snug but not tight: check that fingers or toes stay warm and pink.
- No medications; only first-aid supplies.
Variations
Easier
Leave the answer cards face up as a guide during the scenario.
Standard
Answers stay hidden until the end, with rotating roles.
Harder
Add a two-victim scenario where students must decide who to help first.
Adaptations
- A student with limited mobility runs the station by reading the scenario and guiding the group, or practices wraps on a classmate's arm from the wheelchair.
- For students who are deaf or hard of hearing, each station includes picture steps and rotations are signaled by holding up a sign.
- Students who get squeamish about wounds can take the 911 caller or step-checker role.
Learning goals
- Apply basic first aid to common injuries.
- Use first-aid kit supplies correctly.
- Divide up team roles during an emergency.
Equipment for a class of 25
- first-aid kit: 5
- elastic bandages: 10
- cards: 10
- mats: 5
Teacher tip
Prep one kit per station with just the essentials so groups do not waste time digging.
PatioLab has "First Aid Scenario Stations" and 1299 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More activities like this
More main activities for High School
10-20-30 interval running in pairs
The 10-20-30 method strings together 30 seconds of easy jogging, 20 at a moderate pace and 10 at top speed, in five-minute blocks.
1v1 Ball Volley Matches
1v1 ball volley: singles games on a small court with a low net, hitting the ball over the net and allowing one bounce.
2-on-2 Volleyball with Blocker Hand Signals
2-on-2 volleyball modeled on beach doubles: the net player uses hand signals behind their back to tell their partner which area they will block and which the partner…
4-on-4 Volleyball with a Setter and Outside Attack
Small-court 4-on-4 games where each team has a setter at the net and builds the pass-set-hit sequence toward the outside hitter.
4x50 Relay: Blind Handoff in the Exchange Zone
Teams of four learn to pass the baton without looking inside an exchange zone marked with cones, with the receiver taking off at speed so no time is lost.
Acrosport Flow: Linked Stunt Transitions
Groups of four link three simple acrosport stunts, moving from one to the next without fully coming down, with safe builds and dismounts.