It is never too early to teach pedestrian and road safety to young children. Here are some ideas:
Ensure you put them into their car seat restraint each and every time. Have it properly checked by a qualified Child Restraint Fitters. You can locate your nearest Child Restraint Fitter; by visiting the Roadwise website.
When babies get older, they can sometimes resist all your attempts to buckle them in to their seat by wriggling and squirming and at times becoming very upset. It’s important to stay calm and consistent. If you are going on an outing they like you might try reminding them where you are taking them and how much they will enjoy it and that you won’t be able to start the car to go there until they are in their car seat.
How about trying to make up a song to make buckling up a fun activity!
For example, sing to the tune Here we go Round the Mulberry Tree:
This is the way we sit in our chair, sit in our chair, sit in our chair
This is the way we sit in our chair, sit in our chair, sit in our chair
When we go to playgroup
This is the way we buckle our belt, buckle our belt buckle our belt
This is the way we buckle our belt, buckle our belt buckle our belt
So we can go to playgroup
Whether you are going for a walk or jog with your little one in the pram, talk to them about the traffic lights and signals. Point out when it goes red we stop and when it goes green we can go!
At stop signs say out loud ‘stop’! and come to a full stop. Get them to them to help find the zebra crossing so you cross the street.
Need to run some errands at the shops? Take a walk and help them to learn to understand the dangers by talking about traffic, fast and slow moving vehicles, how close or far away vehicles are, the lights on the back of vehicles and how they change when reversing.
Having a toddler and a baby can sure be a juggling act! When crossing the road or in car parks, have the older child hold onto the pram, bag or the clothes of the adult when hands are unavailable. The safest way to get more than one child in and out of the car is to always place the least mobile child into the car last and take them out of the car first.
What better way to learn than through play! Play red light – green light or make road signs using materials from around the home and pretend to drive or walk and talk about what the signs mean. Singing a song, like the one below, is always great fun!
If you want to cross the road (To the tune of ‘If you’re happy and you know it’)
If you want to cross the road, hold my hand.
If you want to cross the road, hold my hand.
If you want to cross the road,
Then here’s something you should know,
If you want to cross the road hold my hand.
Lastly, and certainly not least, you are the best person to role model these behaviours on a day to day basis. Showing the importance of road and pedestrian safety is an ongoing process that continues through their school years and beyond.
Being persistent and repeating key messages is significant for children learning to be safe in and around roads and vehicles.
SDERA has parent and carer resources available online and other great ideas for teaching children 0-4 years old about road and passenger safety.
Playgroup WA has been supporting, servicing and establishing playgroups throughout Western Australia since 1972.
