Going for walks with your baby or child can be fun. Not only is it great exercise for both of you, but your child will also love the scenery while discovering new things. Something as simple as a flower, insect, or street sign can be incredibly interesting for your child! Use this time not just to relax, but also to educate your child. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach them about staying safe on the street. They might be having so much fun, they won’t even realize all of the great safety tips you are teaching them!
Here are some street smarts to teach your child:
1. Never cross the street without holding your hand, or other grown-up that may be with them.
2. Always cross the street on a crosswalk, if available.
3. When crossing the street, you need to look left, right, and left again to make sure the road is clear of traffic, and is safe to cross.
4. Don’t talk to any strangers! Strangers are people (men and women) that your child doesn’t know. I’ll have more about stranger safety in an upcoming blog!
5. When crossing at a stoplight, wait for the crossing sign to give the signal that it is safe to cross. However, don’t rely on the sign alone. You still need to look both ways before crossing.
6. Your child needs to stay with you at all times. Young ones need to hold your hand unless they can be trusted without holding your hand. If you make it a habit to hold hands when walking, it will be easier for them to accept as something you do when you go for a walk.
7. Keep older ones within your sight. If they understand the rules of the road, they might be able to walk or ride their bike in front of you, or play in the playground as you sit and relax.
Stay Safe and Street Smart!