Summer is coming to an end and the kiddos are heading back to school. This always bring along the conversation of kids walking to school, to the bus, or staying home after school by themselves. With that I decided to put together a list of things for those of you who have kids who fall into these categories.
The reality is that not all parents are in a situation to pick up and drop off their kids at school or the bus stop. Debating aside, it should be a priority to arm parents who do have their kids walk and bike to school with as much knowledge as possible to keep their children safe. My goal is to educate all parents who may find themselves in this situation.
The safer we can make the kiddos the better!
First and foremost the below information is assuming that your child/children have the necessary skills to walk to/from the bus or school. That they can stay aware of traffic, that they can cross a street safely, etc.
Safety in Numbers
For those of you who have kids that walk to/from the bus or walk to/from school, try and have them walk with someone else. Chances are if your kids have to wts.
The Route
One thing that is often overlooked is the route the kids walk to the bus or school.
Make sure you have walked this route your kids so they are clear on the directions.
Try and avoid major intersection crossings. This may not always be possible, but it should be a consideration. For crossings in most areas, there will be a crossing guard at intersections. Make sure kids are walking to that intersection as opposed to crossing at a different one.
Have them walk a well visible route. With communities today, there are plenty of walking or bike paths behind neighborhoods, but those usually are not visible. Make sure the route is well visible from the neighborhood or other traffic.
Notice What is Normal
Just like I have talked about in other blog posts, your kids can notice was is and is not normal. Actually, they probably do a better job of it than most adults. Tell them to pay attention to cars and to people as they are walking to/from school or the bus.
Did they see a new car somewhere? Parked down the street? Did they see a person they have never seen before? Talking about these things will help keep them aware.
Give Them Time
Make sure kids have enough time to get to school or the bus stop. The last thing we want is a kid feeling rushed.
I could just imagine one of my kids being late and feeling frantic about missing the bus or being late to school.
This could cause them to cross at a different place to save time, or not look when crossing the street, or take a different route.
So give them enough time to be about 5 minutes early.
Give Them A Plan
What do they do if someone tries to pick them up? What do they do if a stranger starts talking to them?
Talk to your kids about these situations. It is sad, but in today’s world bad things happen. Help prepare them by talking to them.
Give them some scenarios about a stranger approaching, a person with a dog, puppies or candy…I know it may sound cheesy, but these talks and discussions are huge.
A saying I always like to use is You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know.
Kids won’t know what to do or how to react if you never talk to them about it!
Home Alone
Awareness comes back into play here. Your kids should be aware enough to know if something is not normal when they return to the house after school.
Is the door cracked open?
Is the garage door up and not supposed to be?
Is the side gate is open?
Discuss these things with your kids if they will be coming home to an empty house and staying by themselves. Talk to them about what they should do if they notice any of these things.
Talk about what to do if they walked in to door and they saw clothes thrown about, or things broken like the house had been burglarized.
What do they do if the doorbell rings?
Make sure they know where you are and how to get a hold of you. Phone numbers should be posted somewhere easily visible. These should include parents’ numbers, both work and cell. A close neighbor or relative’s number and of course 911 for any emergency.
Give them rules on what they can and cannot do as far as having friends over, cooking food, going outside, etc.
Test Run
Conduct a test-run. Leave them at home for a short period of time and see how they do. This will give you a good gauge of how prepared they are and areas that you as a family need to improve upon.
You can do this with getting into the house as well. Make sure they can unlock the doors, turn off the alarm, etc.
All these things should be tested out beforehand.
Thanks for taking the time to visit and read. Our children are the most important things in our lives, so anything we can do to make them a little safer the better it is for us!
