First Grade Safety Lessons
First grade health lessons focus on safety topics as they apply to daily life. These include safety in the kitchen, safety around water, fire safety, safety in different kinds of weather and safety around strangers. Other important subjects include identifying an emergency and responding appropriately by calling emergency personnel, and understanding physical boundaries and trusted adults. There are many ways to teach these lessons in the first grade classroom, incorporating many of them into other subjects as they arise.
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Physical Safety
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This runs the gamut from fire prevention and safety to water, weather, and outdoor safety. An important subject in physical safety lessons for first graders includes "stranger danger." Teach children to recognize potentially dangerous situations with adults, what to do and how to get help. Most importantly, children need to know how to avoid such situations as much as possible by always letting an adult know where they are, never leaving a place with a stranger and similar strategies. Many schools employ the help of the local police or other organizations to come in and share information on these subjects.
Emotional Safety
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This includes abusive situations, as well as topics of friendship and mental health. Ensure children understand the importance of confiding in a trusted adult about any emotional safety concerns they may harbor. Some school districts or curriculum include information on inappropriate touching at this age as well.
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Safety During Emergencies
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This overlaps with other areas, depending on the specific topic being discussed. Consider teaching basic first aid tips, such as not moving an injured person. All children should know how to dial 911 in the case of an emergency. Fire emergency safety includes having a fire escape plan for the home and understanding that they must not re-enter a burning building for any reason. Again, guest speakers often help in covering this information.
Considerations
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Some safety topics have a national awareness week or month, such as Fire Prevention Week. Try teaching subjects during these times, as you are more likely to find additional teaching resources available, such as field trips or special visitors. Include safety lessons during studies of other subjects, as they naturally arise. For example, discuss water safety when studying ponds, oceans or water. Include a lesson on safety during thunderstorms and proper clothing for weather conditions when you study weather. By tying it to relevant learning, students may better retain new information.
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References
Resources
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