Activities and tips for teaching kids how to be safe
Parents and caregivers are fierce protectors of their kids who care deeply about always keeping their children safe. But there are moments when kids must be on their own, or away from their parents. That’s why it’s important for kids to know how to stay safe by themselves.
“Kids learn by watching their parents,” says Amy Frias, community educator and Safe Kids Orange County coordinator, and Michelle Lubahn, community education manager at CHOC.
Doing activities together that promote safety can be a great way for parents to teach kids how to have safe habits. Amy and Michelle offer the following fun, easy safety activity ideas.
Activities to teach road and sidewalk safety to kids
- Take a safety walk together as a family. Point out potential safety hazards in your neighborhood. Show your kids safe places to cross the street, avoid distracted walking (like looking at phones) and stay visible by wearing reflective clothing.
- Cross the street together and make sure to remind kids to always look left, right and left again and make eye contact with the driver before crossing.
- Set up a crosswalk simulation. Using chalk or tape, set up a mock crosswalk. Teach your kids about the importance of using crosswalks, looking both ways before crossing and waiting for the signal at an intersection.
- Play red light, green light. This can be a great way to teach kids about traffic light colors.
- Go on a family bike ride and teach your kids how to properly wear a helmet. Make sure to point out and follow the rules of the road. Don’t forget to wear a helmet yourself — your kids will learn from you!
Activities to teach car safety to kids
- Have a buckle-up relay. Set up a relay race where children have to “buckle up” by fastening a seatbelt correctly in a designated seat. The first team to finish buckling up wins. Use this opportunity to teach them the importance of wearing seatbelts and how to properly secure them.
- Remind your kids under 13 to always sit in the back of the car because it’s the safest place for them. Make the back seat fun by offering coloring or activity books to your kids. Younger children should always be buckled up in an appropriate car seat or booster in the back seat.
- Sing this song to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round,” to remind your kids about car safety:
The wheels on the car go round and round.
Round and round.
Round and round.
The wheels on the car go round and round.
All around the town.
The parent in the car says, “Sit in the back, sit in the back, sit in the back.”
The parent in the car says, “Buckle up please, buckle up please, buckle up please.”
The seatbelt in the car goes, “Click click, click, click click click, click click click.”
Activities to teach water safety to kids
- Create a list of water safety guidelines for your family together. Use drawn or cut-out pictures from magazines to help illustrate your rules like:
- Always swim with a buddy.
- Wear a life jacket.
- Look before you leap or dive.
- Teach your kids the “Stewie the Duck” song (to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star”) from the Stew Leonard Foundation.
Don’t jump in ‘til you learn to swim.
Cover your chest with a life vest.
A grown-up must watch you in the pool.
You’ll be safe if you learn these rules!
Don’t jump in ‘til you learn to swim.
Stewie the duck wants you safe like him.
The full song can be found on Spotify, here.
- Have your child take a community education class on water safety from local government programs, healthcare organizations or swim schools. CHOC Community Education offers a free “Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim” class to kids ages Pre-K to first grade. Call 714-509-8887 for class availability.
- Have your child help you empty out buckets, wading pools and the bathtub when they aren’t in use—children can drown in as little as two inches of water. Make it a game, and enjoy splashing water on each other while you empty.
Activities to teach kids home safety
- Have a safety scavenger hunt at home. Walk around your home and point out potential hazards to your child like a second-story open window, unattended stovetops or exposed electrical cords. Be sure to explain to your kids how to be safe during these scenarios.
- Have an at-home fire drill. Show your kids what the fire alarm sounds like, practice “stop, drop and roll,” and where to find the nearest exit.
- Role-play scenarios together. Teach your child not to accept gifts or talk to a stranger who may approach them or come to the door, have a kitchen safety lesson and show them how to handle sharp objects, turn pot handles inward and use oven mitts and where to go during an earthquake.
- Practice first aid. Teach your children basic first aid skills, like how to clean and bandage minor cuts, the importance of washing hands and when to seek help from an adult. Your child can even role-play like a nurse or doctor to practice first aid.
More safety resources for families
- Visit Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization helping families and communities keep kids safe from injuries in the US and beyond. The Safe Kids Orange County coalition is led by CHOC, providing resources like handouts, videos and other strategies to keep your kids safe and reduce unintentional injuries.
- Visit CHOC’s Health Hub for more safety tips and strategies from our pediatric experts.
- Take free community education classes for parents and kids near you. Visit CHOC’s Community Education page for more information about our classes for the community.
- Read books and watch videos about safety together as a family
- Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim, by Kim and Stew Leonard Jr.
- Safety in Seconds: Bike Helmet Fit Test video
- Chuggington I Rail safety video
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Safety Resources from the Pediatric Experts at CHOC
For more important tips to prevent injuries in children and teens, visit choc.org/safety.
