How Can I Teach My Child About Home Safety Precautions?

Household safety is an important topic for every child. As their parent, it's your job to make sure your child has the information he needs to be safe. Deciding what to discuss with your child will be determined by her personality and age. However it is done, the most important thing is that it occurs in a setting that guarantees your child is listening and that it is said in a way that will be taken seriously.

  1. What to Talk About

    • Decide what safety issues most affect your child's life. If your child is home alone, he might require more information on how to handle situations such as a stranger at the door. A younger child might need more information on objects within the home, such as open windows and electric sockets. Decide what is most important so that you are not overwhelming her with too much information at one time.

    How to Say It

    • Think about your child's personality and figure out how best to discuss this topic with her. Some children like facts, while others like to visualize what you are saying. If your child does better with facts, setting specific rules and giving the reasons for them might be a good way to begin the discussion. For example, when talking about fire safety and not plugging too many things into a socket, you can be specific on what should be plugged in and what should not. If you have a child that likes to visualize what you are saying, then books or videos on safety will be helpful. The Home Safety Council has several safety videos at homesafetycouncil.org (see References). Role playing is also a useful tool and allows you to see how the child reacts in certain situations and what requires more discussion.

    Deal with Fears

    • When talking about the consequences of poor safety choices, some children might be so focused on what could happen that they miss how to avoid it. If they are anxious, it is important to take a step back and explain how taking the safety precautions you are discussing will prevent the consequences from occurring. Make sure that you open up the conversation so that he can discuss his fears. This can be done by asking open ended questions such as, "How would you feel if someone knocked on the door and I wasn't home?" Once she answers, figure out ways to help her handle whatever feelings she thinks would come up.

    Tips

    • Not only is this a conversation that will continue and change through out your child's life, it is also important to keep it fresh by discussing important safety precautions on a regular basis. This will ensure the child remembers the lesson when it is necessary. Also, when discussing safety precautions in the household or for any important conversation, it is good to eliminate as many distractions as possible. Turn off the television, put away the phones and make sure everyone is focused on the conversation.

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