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Safety Tips for Kids

Life is fragile, and it seems that kids especially can injure themselves in myriad ways. Teaching your children safety precautions is an ideal way to help them feel responsible and more grown up while keeping themselves safe. Life never offers any guarantees, but your children can keep themselves safer in their community by following a few simple rules.

  1. Knowing Their Name

    • Make certain a child knows her full name and her phone number. Other important items for a child to know include her address and her parents' names. If a child ever becomes lost, this information can helpgreatly in locating her parents or guardian.

    Protective Gear

    • Every child should wear a helmet for sports and other outdoor activities. Head injuries cause a host of problems. In some cases, a person never recovers. Most of these accidents are preventable if the child wears a helmet. Wearing a bicycle helmet or other protective head gear is required by law. Other protective gear includes elbow and knee pads. Your child should wear these items at all times while engaging in potentially dangerous activities such as skateboarding.

    Walking Across Streets

    • Traffic accidents happen not just to those in cars but to pedestrians as well. A child needs to learn to cross only at the crosswalk and to walk when he has the light. Street signs read "Walk" or "Don't Walk," or show images of a person standing or a person walking. Teach your child what these street crossing signs mean to increase the chances of walking across the street unharmed. Discourage jaywalking -- even when she doesn't see or hear a vehicle. A child needs to learn to wait for the light to change.

    Talking About Everyhting

    • Encourage your child to talk to you about what happens during the day. Tell the child he should keep no secrets from you and that he can talk to you or his teachers about anything that troubles him. This revelation can prove especially important when something happens that makes your child feel uncomfortable or strange. Tell your child she should report any instances of inappropriate touching. Explain the meaning of inappropriate touching from adults. Communication plays an important role in keeping a child safe. Listening to your child will encourage him to be more open.

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