Are you constantly worried about your child’s safety? Do you feel it is important to lay down a few safety guidelines for your kid both inside and outside the house? If you are wondering just how to go about it, we have the answer for you. Keeping your kid safe at all times means constant adult supervision. It also means implementing a few important changes and rules that ensure your child’s well-being.
Parent’s first job is to offer a safe, secure environment for their children. Children continuously explore their environment and surrounding to play and explore. This exploration helps them learn, develop, and grow but can also land them into trouble.
Though most parents follow safety and security guidelines, it is not a far fetched scenario that parents cannot be with their children all the time. Even if you’re home, your kids might be playing outside or doing a risky experiment in their home science lab. And so, children must be taught generic safety guidelines.
Children benefit tremendously from learning safety rules. They gain confidence and are set on an attitude towards safety. Though some kids are always cautious, many seek the thrill from new adventures. Although teachers in many primary schools in Abu Dhabi teach children about fundamental safety measures from the nurturing age of 6-8. Nonetheless, whichever bracket your kids may fall into, it is imperative to teach and recapitulate safety rules with them.
Here are Some Safety Rules Which Your Kids Should Know :
1. Strangers Alert
Instruct your children to keep the doors locked and secure at all times, and only open the door for familiar faces. Let them know that if any stranger rings the doorbell, they should stay quiet and not open the door. This is especially important if your kids are old enough to be home alone. If you haven’t already, consider installing some security cameras so that your family members can safely and easily see who’s at the door.
Another important thing which your child should know is that no matter the circumstances, they should never let themselves be led away by a stranger. Inform them that if someone says “your mum asked me to get you and take her to her immediately”, they should stay where they are and call out for help. Although at GIIS, a primary school in Abu Dhabi, a child’s safety is the topmost priority. Nonetheless, parents still need to remind their kids that if there is ever an emergency, you will send a grandparent, aunt, or someone your child knows and trusts, and never a stranger.
It can also be a good idea to teach your child a ‘safety word’ that only you and they know. This way, if you do need to send someone your child doesn’t know very well, you can tell them the safety word and so your child will know it’s ok to go with that person.
2. Personal Information Safety
Younger children should not be online without adult supervision, according to van der Zande. “So often when it comes to technical knowledge, adults abandon their roles as leaders,” she says. “Even if you don’t understand the technology,” she says, you can co-pilot with them. You should ask your kids to explain what they’re doing so you can supervise well.
Young adults may expect more privacy when online. 95 percent of teens (ages 12-17) are online today. Online teens are likely interacting with their friends. But ensure they know they can’t meet with someone they’ve only talked to online, and explain that they should never post personal information (like their address or full name) or photos without permission from adults. No one should know kids’ passwords besides parents.
Must Check: Tips To Maintain Excellence in Online Teaching
Discuss cyberbullying and explain that they should always tell a parent or guardian if someone is sending bullying messages. Teach kids that they also shouldn’t respond to any rude messages.
3. Be familiar with the family emergency contact list
Every household should have an emergency contact list, neatly written out or printed, and stowed away somewhere central. This way, if a disaster strikes or an accident happens, family members can easily refer to it and contact others if needed. Let your children know where they can and this list and how to use it if they need to.
Main contact information should ideally be memorized (such as parents’ phone numbers) but other family members’ contacts like grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the immediate area can be noted on this emergency contact list. In addition to family contacts, also include the phone numbers of local paramedics, fire departments, police stations, family doctors, and close friends to be extra prepared. It is recommended to have emergency numbers easily accessible in various places throughout your home.
4. Practice Water Safety
Children under six years of age should always be monitored by a guardian when in a pool or bathtub because they can drown in just a few inches of water. Parents should teach their children to “test the waters” to make sure that it isn’t too hot before they submerge their bodies into it and potentially burn themselves. Also, remind them that they should never mix electricity with water to avoid electrocution.
Kids who do not know how to swim yet should use floaties in larger bodies of water. Help your children become familiar with floating techniques and basic swimming so that they can be calm in the water. Last but not least, encourage them to wear safety gear such as goggles, armbands, and vests to stay afloat. Furthermore, always try to swim under the supervision of an instructor.
5. No touching
As soon as your children are old enough to comprehend the basics, it’s important to teach them that no one except their parents is allowed to touch them. Showing them the difference between good touch and bad touch is necessary from an early age. Also, let them know that they should scream for help and alert those around them if they feel violated in any way.
Talking about touching won’t scare kids and it doesn’t have to be discussed at every meal. The parents should treat it as a common-sense precaution. Make sure kids understand that any kind of touch should not be secret.
6. Stay away from fire
Curious children are often intrigued by art; it’s not uncommon that they want to play with it. Teach them that it is not safe to do so, and let them know that experimenting with fire comes with dire, painful, and potentially deadly consequences.
