How to help your child to be safe on the road.

Summer is fast approaching, which means many family trips to the parks/playgrounds or walks in the neighborhood. If your child has grown out of their stroller, you probably often find yourself in tricky situations: your child bikes too far away from you, or they may run ahead of you and forget to hold your hand while crossing the road. Fun outdoor excursions often turn out to be stressful.

Here are a few tips which will help you enjoy spending time outdoors with your child:

1.    Teach your child safety rules for pedestrians. You may search the web for cartoons or tutorials that explain safety on the road or ask your librarian for age-appropriate books. Educate your child and explain why it’s so important.

2.    Before going outside, do a quick rehearsal and set expectations. Ask your child to repeat what he is supposed to do when walking to or from the park and crossing the road.

3.    When walking outside and crossing the road (as long as your child follows the rules), please keep praising him for behaving safely and being a responsible pedestrian.

4.    If your child doesn’t follow the rules (i.e., he didn’t look both ways before crossing the road), the best way to address it will be to retrace his steps. Walk your child back to the starting place and ask him to demonstrate desirable behavior. Keep walking only after your child complies and corrects his mistake. After crossing the road, please repeat the safety rules and your expectations.

I wish you a safe and happy summer.

Victoria