Medicine Safety Sorting Cards

Use these scenario cards for the sorting activity. Students will work in pairs to decide whether each situation is Safe or Unsafe.

Cards:

1. Mom measures cough syrup with a dosing spoon and gives it to you.
   
   
2. You find pills on the counter and take one without asking an adult.
   
   
3. You wait for an adult to give you medicine and measure it correctly.
   
   
4. You share your friend’s headache medicine because they asked.
   
   
5. You keep medicine in a locked cabinet up high after using it.
   
   
6. You taste medicine that looks like candy without asking an adult.
   
   
7. You help an adult pour medicine into a cup before taking it.
   
   
8. You find leftover medicine in the trash and consider trying it.
   
   
9. You only take medicine that an adult gives you in the right amount.
   
   
10. You mix together two different medicines all by yourself.
    
    

For printing: cut each numbered scenario into its own card. Provide two sorting mats labeled Safe and Unsafe for students to place the cards on during the activity.

Medicine Safety Detective Board Game

Objective

Help detectives practice identifying safe vs. unsafe medicine situations while racing from Start to Finish on the board.

Materials

• Medicine Safety Sorting Cards (scenario deck)
• Printed game board (see below)
• Game tokens or counters (one per student)
• Pencil or crayon (optional: to color spaces)

Setup

1. Place the game board on a table or the floor.
2. Shuffle the scenario cards face down and place them in a deck beside the board.
3. Each detective chooses a token and places it on Start.

How to Play

1. Students take turns in a circle.
2. On your turn, draw the top card from the scenario deck and read it aloud.
3. Decide as a class if the situation is Safe or Unsafe. Encourage the reader to explain their reasoning.
4. Check against the answer key printed on the back of each card:
   • If correct, move your token forward 1 space.
   • If incorrect, stay where you are.
5. If you land on a space marked with 🔍 (Detective Bonus), move forward 1 extra space as a reward for keen detective work!
6. Return the card to the bottom of the deck and pass the turn to the next player.

Winning the Game

The first detective to move their token to Finish wins and is crowned Top Medicine Safety Detective!

Printable Game Board

Use this board layout. Teachers can print it on an 11×17 sheet or draw it on chart paper. Students may color the spaces before playing.

(🔍 = Detective Bonus space — move ahead 1 extra space when you land here.)

Medicine Safety Rules Discussion

Purpose:
Help students explore and understand the key rules for handling medicine safely by talking through real-life scenarios and recording class rules.

Materials:

• Chart paper titled "Medicine Safety Rules"
• Markers

Discussion Steps

1. What Is Medicine?
   • Show a picture or empty bottle labeled “medicine.”
   • Ask: “What is this? What do you think medicine does?”
     [Student Response Space]
     
     
     
2. Who Gives Us Medicine?
   • Ask: “Who should give us medicine?”
   • Follow-up: “What could happen if we take medicine from someone who isn’t a grown-up?”
   • Teacher Tip: Reinforce that only trusted adults (parents, guardians, doctors) should give medicine.
     [Student Response Space]
     
     
     
3. Should We Share Medicine?
   • Ask: “If a friend has a headache, should they share their medicine with you?”
   • Follow-up: “Why might that be unsafe?”
   • Record student ideas under the chart header.
     [Student Response Space]
     
     
     
4. Where Does Medicine Belong?
   • Ask: “Where should medicine stay when no one is using it?”
   • Follow-up: “Why keep it up high or locked away?”
   • Teacher Tip: Emphasize storing medicine out of reach to keep everyone safe.
     [Student Response Space]
     
     
     
5. How Much Medicine Do We Take?
   • Ask: “How do we know how much medicine to take?”
   • Follow-up: “Who measures it, and what tools do they use?” (e.g., dosing spoon).
     [Student Response Space]
     
     
     
6. What If We Find Medicine?
   • Ask: “What do you do if you find pills or syrup and no adult is around?”
   • Follow-up: “Who do you tell?”
     [Student Response Space]
     
     
     

Recording Class Rules

• After each question, write the student’s rule statement under Medicine Safety Rules on the chart paper.
• Review all rules at the end: have students read them aloud together.

Closure Question:

• “Can someone name one rule we wrote down today?”
  [Student Response Space]
  
  
  
  
  
  

Outcome:
Students will leave with a clear, shared set of safety rules and feel confident to follow them or ask for help whenever they encounter medicine.