Is your child aware of the action which he or she should take when plagued by a stranger? Have a quick look at the things which you must teach your child so that he or she learns to be smart about strangers.At present it is important for parents to make their children street smart. In other words, parents should teach their kids about how to deal with difficult situations in case they are lost or plagued by a stranger. When children are smart, they are safe no matter where they are-at school, in the playground or while riding a bike in the neighbourhood.
The primary challenge faced by most parents while educating their kids about
strangers is that one cannot make them learn the exact way to tell the difference between good people and bad people. This article contains a set of
safety tips that you might want to teach your kids in order to keep them safe from strangers.
Tip 1: Identifying Safe Spots in the Neighbourhood
Safe spots are places where kids can go in order to seek help. Examples of such places are friends’ places, houses of family friends, houses of relatives, police stations, stores, libraries etc. Ask your child to spot some of the listed places while they take a stroll in the neighbourhood or ride his or her bike. In this way, your child will never have to ask a stranger for help in case a problem arises all of a sudden.
Tip 2: Avoid Helping Unknown People
Make your child understand the fact that if adults were to be in danger, they would probably approach other grownups. Also ask them to ignore requests from strangers such as helping with directions, searching for lost items or
money. Kids must never help strangers. Instead they should immediately walk into a safe spot, restaurant, store or a friend’s place in case a stranger keeps insisting him or her to help.
Tip 3: Make Noise to Seek Attention
Most parents tell their children that it is wise to be calm in difficult situations. But what if your child is followed by a stranger while he or she is on the way back home from school? In matters like this, ask your child to forget what you taught him or her. Advise him or her to scream in order to grab the attention of pedestrians. No matter what, adults in the proximity who hear your child screaming will definitely step forward to help him or her.
Tip 4: Avoid Taking Anything from Strangers
Most of the time when you tell your kid that how important it is to refuse candies from anyone but a
teacher, nanny or a family
friend, the word “candy” remains etched in your child’s memory. Kids tend to abide by definite words and hence it is important for you to make your kid understand that apart from chocolates, they should also avoid other things like crayon boxes or balloons offered by unknown persons. The best way to teach them about this would be to do a role play. In the role play, you can assume the role of a stranger and convince your child to accept a cookie from you. If they refuse, tell them that you have already taken permission from his or her parents and see if they still deny taking the cookie or give in to your persuasion.
Tip 5: Looks Can be Deceiving
Almost 99% kids avoid strangers who look mean or have a frightening appearance. But at present most harmful molesters look very normal and some of them even go out of their way to behave well with kids. It is mandatory for your kid to refrain from judging people by their looks. Instead they should always determine whether they are good or bad by their actions.
Basically, it is not possible for parents to protect their children from unknown people all the time. However, parents must tell their kids to watch out for people with strange behaviour and what to do in case they happen to meet with such people. Teach your kid about how important it is to acknowledge instincts and to seek help from other people when a stranger crosses the line.
How can children learn to differentiate between good and bad people? What are basic street smart tips that children should learn? How to teach children to be safe when lost or left alone in crowded areas? Discuss here.
