Safety & Emergency Information for Kids
Everyone wants their children to be safe, but many parents may wonder if they are doing all they can to ensure their child's safety. By providing your children with some basic knowledge and information, you can equip them for possible future emergencies. Giving your children basic lessons in safety provides them with the tools they need to cope with safety issues in the future.
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Name and Address
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Your child should know his full name and address, as well as his home telephone number. Children who are school-aged should be able to memorize this information easily. While you should advise your child never to share this information with a stranger, it can be useful if he is ever separated from you and needs to tell the police or other authorities who he is and to whom he belongs.
Stranger Danger
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Teach your child that she should never speak to anyone she doesn't know, unless you are near her (or another trusted adult). Do not scare her into believing that every adult she meets is out to hurt her. Simply warn her that she should be careful and never go anywhere or share personal information with an adult she doesn't know. If she is ever in doubt, she should ask a trusted grown-up to help her talk to an adult she doesn't know.
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Emergency Plan
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If your family faces an emergency such as a natural disaster, you will need a plan for coordinating your efforts. You should practice this plan with your children for several scenarios. For example, you need to determine where your family will reunite if some members are away from home during an emergency, and where inside your home you will go if a disaster strikes.
Helpful Adults
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If your child is particularly shy, he may be afraid of all adults who aren't known to him. Unfortunately, this can extend to helpful adults, such as doctors, police officers and fire fighters. Teach your child about the people who may help him in an emergency, and help him be comfortable around those people so that he will ask for help if he needs it. It is also a good idea to teach your child how to call emergency phone numbers (for police, fire and a trusted adult if you cannot be reached) if he ever needs it.
Online Safety
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If you allow your child to use the Internet, teach her to use it safely. Block unhealthy sites and check your browser's history regularly to monitor her online activities. You may feel like you are prying, but you could be saving her life. Do not allow her to go into chat rooms or use other online forums to discuss personal information with strangers. If she has a social networking site page, such as Facebook or MySpace, make sure she only adds real friends to her friends lists, not strangers. Never let her meet with anyone in person if she met them online.
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