A Word About...Reinforcing Good Safety Habits
Children are naturally trusting. It can be hard to teach them to balance this trust with
caution. But children today need to know common-sense rules that can help keep them safe,
and they need to build the self-confidence to handle emergencies effectively. As a
caregiver you can:
- Make sure children know their full name, address (including city and state), and phone
number (including area code). Be sure they know how to call "9-1-1" or
"0" (operator) in emergencies. Practice making emergency calls with a
make-believe or a disconnected phone.
- Remind children never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers.
Young children tend to think that strangers are ugly, scary people who wear black hats and
lurk in the dark. Clarify that a stranger is anyone parent and child don't know well and
don't trust.
- Take time to listen carefully to a child's fears and feelings about people or places
that scare him or make him feel uneasy. Tell him to trust his instincts. Let the child
know he can tell you anything, and that you'll be supportive.
- Encourage children to stay with friends, not play alone. Always know where your child
is, what she is doing, and who she is with.
- Make sure children are taking the safest routes to and from school, stores, and friends'
houses. Walk the routes together and point out places to go for help. Encourage children
to tell an adult---you, a teacher, a neighbor, a police officer---about anything that
doesn't seem quite right.
- Remind children that no one---not even a teacher or close relative---has the right to
touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, and that the right thing to do is
say no, get away, and tell an adult who will help them.
- Discuss with children the things that pose special dangers in your community
Help your child review needed home security skills:
- Have him check in with you or a neighbor when he gets home. Agree on rules for having
friends over and for going to a friend's house when no adult is home.
- Tell her not to let anyone into the home without your permission, and never to let a
caller at the door or on the phone known there's no adult at home. She can say her parents
are busy and take a message.
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