Question: What are the basic safety rules we should teach young children? - Safety Conscious
Answer: Keeping children safe is no longer simple. Fortunately, childhood risks can be minimized with education and teamwork by parents, schools, communities and children themselves. Here is a safety primer for parents from the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Teach your children these old-fashioned basics, including their full name, address and phone number, as well as your name and work number. Be sure to show your children how to use the phone and how to call 911 or 0 in emergencies. In addition, don't advertise your children's names. Place name labels only inside their clothing, lunch boxes and backpacks.
Make your children safe in your neighborhood by getting acquainted with your neighbors. Teach your children to use designated sidewalks when walking to and from school or school-bus stops, and where to seek help in "safe" houses in case of an emergency. Whenever possible, try to have your child accompanied by an adult or another child when walking, biking or playing in the neighborhood.
Keep your children safe on the street, avoiding unwanted attention, by concealing attractive belongings (like a portable tape player) in a backpack. Have them stay on well-lit sidewalks, and advise them not to take shortcuts through fields, woods, vacant lots or construction sites. Teach your youngsters to identify and avoid potentially dangerous situations, like groups of loiterers. Always know where your children are going, who they are with and when they will return home. Make sure your children always have coins in case they need to call from a pay phone.
Assist the school in keeping your children safe by knowing and reinforcing school rules for safety in the building, on the playground and on the school bus. Attend parent/teacher meetings to meet other parents and to help establish community-safety networks. And be sure to support education programs on drug/alcohol abuse, crime prevention, self-defense strategies and conflict management.