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Unlike adults, young children do not have the maturity to know what they should and shouldn’t do when they join in traffic, such as walking on the street. Without the supervision of adults and knowledge of road safety, children can be in danger at any time.
It can be difficult for us as adults to always ensure the safety of our children on the roads. Therefore, teaching children road safety lessons from a young age is extremely necessary and helpful for children.
What should the children know when participating in traffic to ensure absolute safety?
1. Know the signals:
Teach children to recognize and meaning of traffic lights and signs. For example:
• Green means go.
• Red means stop.
• Yellow means slow down.
• Zebra-crossing for pedestrians to cross the street.
These are the essential traffic signals preschool children need to be taught and memorize when participating in traffic.
2. Cross-the-road skills:
Teach children always to pay attention to traffic lights and use zebra crossing to cross the road. Look left. Look right. Listen to the sound of the car engines and the car horn. Watch out for vehicles that are coming. If vehicles are approaching, wait till it is safe to cross.
Children at a young age, like preschoolers, should only cross the street with adults’ support.
3. Do not run on the road.
Some children do not have enough patience and tend to run on or across the road. Children are easily attracted by things they see on the road and leave their guardian’s hands to run or sprint away, which is dangerous. Teach children why they should not do so. We should constantly observe and remind children about this when participating in traffic.
4. Always walk on the sidewalk.
Teach our children which part of the road is for pedestrians and which one is for vehicles. If there are no sidewalks, teach children to walk on the left side of the road to face oncoming traffic.
5. Safety in the car or bus.
Children tend to stick their hands or heads out of a car’s or bus’s windows when the vehicle moves, which can cause serious injury. They may get hit by other vehicles, or they may hit objects near the road, such as trees, street light poles, traffic signal poles, etc.
6. Always wear a helmet when riding bicycles and motorbikes.
Children should not be allowed to ride bicycles on roads with heavy traffic and without adult supervision. Wearing a helmet will help ensure our children’s safety and reduce injury in case accidents occur.
Watch the video clip below and see how the WIS students have learned about traffic safety.
