Home Safety Tips for Kids

Having a safe home is a family effort. Families need to be diligent together to keep their home safe, and elementary age kids are at the right age to start pitching in and helping!

Kids' Safety

Everyone wants to have a safe home. But it does take work to make sure all safety issues are considered. Everything from smoke detectors to fire extinguishers need to be checked to make sure they are in working order. When you make home safety a team effort, your chances of success will be that much greater.

Home safety tips to keep in mind:

• Hold a safety meeting once a month or so. Have a checklist of home safety items you want to discuss and evaluate. Have the whole family make sure that everything is in working order and everyone knows what to do if there is a problem. Also, make sure that everyone knows how to use safety equipment like fire extinguishers.
• Have a plan! During your safety meetings, discuss things like what to do if there is a fire, a stranger trying to come in the house, making sure the doors are locked when leaving home, etc. You can even role play some of these so that your child will have a better idea of how to address safety issues should they occur.
• Demonstrate safe options whenever the situation presents itself. For example, take a moment to explain why you turn the pot handles on the stove a certain way when cooking, or why you always make sure you know who is at the door before opening it.
• Get movies, books, and games that deal with safety issues. The local library is a good place to start. Go through them with your child and then discuss the issues.
• Take your child to the fire department and police department for a tour. This will give him a chance to meet the people who help keep him safe, so he will feel more comfortable if one of these professionals ever has to be called out to the house.
• Set up a reward or behavior safety chart for your child. List the age appropriate things that he can be responsible for when it comes to safety (e.g., locking his bedroom
window each night, cleaning the lint out of the dryer after every load, etc.).

One of the most important things you can do to have a safer home is to set a good example, When your child sees you making safety a priority, they will be more likely to follow suit. Take the lead, get your child involved, and you will be successful at having a safe home!