14 General Safety Rules You Should Teach Your Children

Image: Midjourney/ MomJunction Design Team

You may be constantly concerned about your child’s safety, whether they are playing outside or within the house. Keeping your child safe at all times necessitates continual parental guidance. In such cases, establishing a few safety rules for children can be beneficial.

If you are not sure how to go about setting these rules, we’ve got you covered. Continue reading to learn about common safety principles for home and school that you can teach your child to ensure their safety.

Top 14 Essential Safety Rules For Kids

As a parent, you may want to always be present near your kid. But this is not possible. You have to let your kid venture out without you. There are places where your kid will meet others in your absence, for example, at school. Your kid may also need to be at the daycare or at home with a nanny. Also, it is important to prepare your kid for basic safety steps in the event of an emergency.

Here we list out 14 safety rules for children, that will help in ensuring safety at school and home:

Outdoor Safety Rules For Children

1. Know Your Name, Number, And Address

Your kid may be small but it is important to teach basic contact details like your and your partner’s name and contact number. Your kid should be able to share your contact number with someone in case of an emergency (1). Also, knowing where home is and any nearby landmark is also important. Help your kid memorize these with regular practice at home. Also, help your kid memorize a backup number to call, like a grandparent, uncle, or aunt. For young children, help memorize this essential information through mnemonics or by having them sing or rhyme and incorporate it into games like ‘Simon Says Call Mommy’ (2).

Quick fact

The report from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) states that in America, a child goes missing or is kidnapped every 40 seconds (14).

2. Do Not Eat Anything Given By A Stranger

According to Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D., director of psychology and neuropsychology and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, the prime time of child abduction cases for children aged 10-14 is between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and offering candy/treats is one of the main attempts they try to lure children (3). You need to teach your child about stranger danger i.e., the dangers of eating food given by a stranger. No matter how tempting the treat is, if it comes from a stranger, your kid should not eat it. Teach your kid that it is dangerous to accept food from anyone. Ask them to politely refuse in case someone is offering food without your consent or in your absence.

3. Do Not Walk Off The Yard Alone

Similar to the point above, your kid should know about outdoor safety rules for children and that it is not permissible to walk out of your yard alone. Going out alone puts your child at risk of road accidents, abductions, and even getting lost. If your kid needs to go out for anything, you or some known adult should be accompanying your kid at all times. As you travel with your child, familiarize them with some road safety rules also. Road safety for kids is vital for kids to know so that they carefully navigate the outdoors. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using some tools to prevent children from getting lost, such as keeping an ID card in a child’s pocket or bag at all times and installing locator apps on their phones (4).

4. Never Go Anywhere With A Stranger

Your kid should know that no matter what the reasoning, it is not safe to go anywhere with a stranger. Tell your kid that if a stranger tells them something like ‘Your mom asked you to come with me immediately,’ they should stay where they are and shout out for help. Ensure that if there is an emergency, you will always send a family member, like a grandparent or aunt, to be with your kid and not a stranger.

Jennifer Katzenstein, Ph.D., director of psychology and neuropsychology and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, suggests that parents should start the conversation about ‘stranger danger’ with their children from an early age. She also suggests to teach kids about a ‘tricky person’ who can even be someone they know. In such cases, parents should teach their children not to talk or go with anyone, known or unknown, unless their parents or immediate caregivers are with them (3).

5. If You Get Lost, Stay Where You Are

In the event that your kid gets lost, tell them it is important they stay right where they are. If they see any other mom with kids nearby, they can ask her for help. Your kid should stay inside the place and not go out, even with the other mom. Most common places where kids get lost are the supermarkets. Tell your kid that they can walk up to the counter of the store and tell the person they are lost. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recommends that a child who is lost should look for a safe helper nearby, who could be a person in law-enforcement uniform, a security guard, or a store person with a nametag (5).

Quick tip

When going in crowded places, proactively set a meeting place to reach if anyone gets separated (15).

6. If I Am Uncomfortable I Will Not Do It

This safety rule for children is applicable whether they are outside, at home, or online. No matter what your kid may be asked to do, if it makes them uncomfortable, they should NOT do it (6). This could be something as simple as taking off clothes in front of others and diving in a home pool. This may also include influences from friends or peers to do something and even cyberbullying. Karen Hasselman, a school-based therapist at Centerstone Clinics (a nonprofit health system), states, “Children tend to give in to peer pressure for a couple of different reasons. One might be they don’t have a lot of relationships or friendships, and they fear the risk of losing them. Another might be that it is easier to go along with the crowd rather than going against it” (7).

However, you must teach your kids that if they are not comfortable with it, no matter how many friends are doing it, you should not do it or follow them. Ensure your child feels safe expressing their feelings and encourage them to voice their discomfort without feeling scared. Teach them to trust their instincts and maintain boundaries whenever they encounter something unpleasant.

Safety Rules For Children At Home

7. Do Not Climb The Fence

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) states that falls are the most common cause of accidents at home, accounting for about 44% of all children’s accidents (8). Climbing on a fence is one of the major reasons for falls in children. Your kid may be playing ball and suddenly it bounces off to a space inside a fence. Teach your kid never to try and retrieve something by climbing through a fence. If something like this happens, your kid should ask the help of a grown-up but never go near a fence.

8. Playing Or Experimenting With Fire Is Not Allowed

According to NFPA’s Home Fire Victims by Age and Gender report, children under five accounted for five percent of home fire fatalities and four percent of injuries during 2015-2019. On the other hand, children under 15 accounted for 11 percent of the home fire casualties and nine percent of the injuries. So whether or not you are at home, your child should know the concept of fire safety and that playing with fire is absolutely not allowed. Only if you are around and have given your permission can your kid be near the fire. Make sure all fire outlets are safely out of your kid’s reach.

Kim, a kindergarten educator with three decades of teaching experience, shares her engaging approach to imparting fire safety knowledge to young children. She says, “An activity that I love to do with fire safety is to make a fire truck brace map. After reading the kids a book about fire trucks, I took a clipart image of a fire truck and cut it apart to make all the pieces. We then worked together to label each part, just like we had done when we labeled the firefighter. Now, the fun part. I gave each child a baggie with the pieces needed to make a fire truck snack.

“We talked about each part of the fire truck and which part of the snack represented that part on the fire truck. The children then assembled their snacks. After eating the snack, I gave each child a brace map recording page. Here, they drew the parts of the fire engine. Some labeled with beginning sounds, some used pictures, and some copied the words from the large brace map (i).”

Experts say

According to the U.S. Fire Department, children below five years are at a higher risk of dying in fires (16).

9. Do Not Eat Anything Unknown

Every day, many children under 18 years of age get hospitalized due to unintentional poisoning from food, medicine, or any other substance. These substances can be rat kills, detergent, alcohol, paint, and other things. Therefore, it is essential for parents to keep these substances and medicines out of their children’s reach, probably in locked cabinets. Also, make sure to clean spoiled foods from the kitchen and the refrigerator. If you have younger children under five years of age, always supervise them when they eat to avoid the risk of choking on foods (9).

10. Do Not Play Or Experiment With Electrical Appliances

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teaching electrical safety rules for children at home is important. Tell your children not to go near any electrical outlets, try to put their fingers in electric holes, or play with electric cables and other equipment. Parents should ensure that all electrical appliances are plugged out and kept away from electrical boards when not in use. Also, the electrical outlets should be blocked with furniture, and electrical cords should be kept away from children’s reach (10).

11. No One Is Allowed To Touch Your Kid’s Body

This is one of the very important personal safety rules for children, and you should teach it as soon as your child understands the basics. Teach about good touch and bad touch. Tell your kid that no one is allowed to touch your kid except mommy, and sometimes papa, if needed. If anyone else has touched your kid, your kid should immediately shout for help and alert people around. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends an easy-to-understand and learn approach, ‘No-Go-Tell.’ This approach suggests kids say ‘No’ to anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable, ‘Go’ away from that person or place as soon as possible, and ‘Tell’ the parents or anyone whom they trust about the situation (3).

Online Safety Rules For Children

12. Do Not Share Address And Phone Details With Anyone (Except in Emergency Situations As In Point 1)

This safety rule for children is applicable whether they are outside, at home, or online. Your kid should know that it is unsafe to share personal details like phone numbers, addresses, email IDs, or pictures with strangers. Any information that is shared should only be with your consent or in your presence. Especially in this era of digitization, cyberbullying, and personal data breaches are the most common risks of children being online. In particular, personal data leak of minors is the major risk for child identity theft, where criminals use the exposed personal information of kids for credit cards and to open accounts for various things (11).

13. Do Not Talk To Strangers Online

According to the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center, children aged 12-15 years account for about 50% of the sexually exploited victims from online strangers. Therefore, teach and discuss safe internet usage with your children (12). Teach them not to discuss or talk about personal things with strangers online or share any personal video. Help them understand the consequences and be aware of the websites and apps children use. Set parental control on devices and, if possible, place the computer in the common area and not in the child’s room.

14. Do Not Click On Inappropriate And Danger Links, Apps, And Ads

There are several apps and games online that can expose children to sexually explicit content or encourage them to do risky actions or stunts. Therefore, make sure to be aware of the games your children are playing. Also, teach them not to click on unknown websites or links as these can also lead to malware installation. Set parental controls and check your child’s search history. Have an open discussion and safe environment at home for children to express their worries freely (12) (13).

Infographic: General Safety Rules For Children

Ensure your child’s safety by teaching them general safety rules, including being aware of their surroundings, knowing things to avoid, and learning basic contact information. Remember to reinforce these rules to protect your child consistently. Here is an infographic detailing what to teach your child. Read on!

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: General Safety Rules You Should Teach Your Children

Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team

Teaching your child about road safety and traffic rules is very important. Show your kids this informative and fun video to help them grasp the idea easily.

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Beth SullivanM.Ed in Special Education

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