Children don’t always have foresight when it comes to unsafe or dangerous situations. And this makes sense; they haven’t been around for long enough to learn everything. This is where you’ll step in as a parent. You can help guide them through the world to know what’s right and wrong and how to be safe. Here are some of the most important safety tips to teach your children.
1. Remember Private Information
One of the best safety tips you can teach your children is that it’s crucial to always remember private information and know who they should give that information to. Knowing this information is important if there’s something wrong and you can’t be there.
For example, if there was a family emergency and you couldn’t pick them up from school, they should know the phone number of an aunt or uncle who can pick them up. Similarly, if the bus dropped them off in the wrong place, they can then go to a friend’s house and tell the parents your address or phone number so that an adult can handle the situation.
2. Be Careful Around Pools
Being safe is important everywhere, especially when playing around the pool. It’s a fun place that everyone plays in, but it also has a lot of dangers hidden around every corner. Therefore, you must teach your kids what to avoid to properly keep them safe near a pool. For example, plenty of drains, openings, and even pipes can catch onto a swimsuit or finger and put them in a dangerous position.
Outside the pool, they must also be careful with the edge. When it’s wet, it’s easy to slip and fall unexpectedly, or worse, hit your head. Teach them to swim, tell them what to avoid, and show them how to behave in a pool since roughhousing can quickly lead to dangerous situations.
3. Be Careful Around Strangers
This point is something that people have always discussed, but that doesn’t mean you should assume your children know what to do. The qualifications of a “stranger” can be blurry, so it’s important to teach your children that a stranger is anyone they don’t know super well and haven’t known for a while.
Without this distinction, they could think that someone like a grocery store clerk isn’t a stranger. You should also have a safety word so that they can verify if someone other than you, like a relative or friend, is supposed to pick them up.
Teach your children these safety tips, and you can rest assured that when they encounter an uncomfortable situation, they’ll know how to be safe. Even if it isn’t something you’ve directly discussed with them, they’ll understand the importance of safety and will look for dangers in any situation possible!