In 1996, the National Safety Council established the month of June as National Safety Month to highlight the importance of safety where we live, work and play. Keeping our children healthy and safe is of critical importance. How can we teach our children about safety measures that they can and should take? Below is a list of safety activities for children and much more. Importantly, please do not scare your children, and be sure to explain why planning for and taking safety measures are important!
Brainstorm Safety Rules to Follow at Home
What should be done in the event of a fire? What should be done if the electric power goes off? What should be done about inclement weather issues such as storms? What should be done in the event of a stranger coming to the house? By going through the above checklist with your children and making sure they know how to react in each situation, you are getting yourself and your family prepared for any possible harm and ensuring their safety.
Repeat Safety Rules Often
You can make it a game involving memorization skills. For example, you can ask: As soon as you walk out of the house, what do you make sure you do? Answer: Close the door. Why? Because pets can get out and run around and we want them to be safe; because insects can get into the house and bite us; and because we want to keep our home safe and secure. Also, art projects about firetrucks and firemen, police officers, and police cars are excellent tools to reinforce what they are learning.
Think About Various Road Safety Tips to Point Out to Them
When you are driving, there are many street signs of different shapes and colors that you can explain the meaning of. For example, you could teach them the importance of the three traffic lights’ colors and how each color represents safety measures. You can also teach them about the basics of stopping and looking before crossing the road as well as using proper footpaths or safety features such as zebra crossings and overhead bridges. When you arrive home, have your children do art projects about traffic signs and lights.
Discuss Strangers Approaching Them and What They Should Do
Include scenarios of different venues, such as the park, after school, at a store, and at home. Set some guidelines that they should follow including never accepting sweets or meals from strangers, never letting a stranger inside your home, never entering a stranger's home or vehicle, and running away, shouting, and locating a responsible adult whom your children can tell what happened if a stranger makes them uneasy.
Please take the time to discuss these and other topics with your children and intentionally plan for their safety.
For more information, please visit:
https://empoweredparents.co/safety-activities-for-preschoolers/
https://www.childfun.com/themes/misc/safety/
https://nationaltoday.com/national-safety-month/
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