Safety Tips for Kids During Back to School

Back to school 2009 should be a safe and fun time for parents and children. When it comes time to send the little ones off to school, follow these safety tips for kids so that you can rest assured that your kids are playing it safe for back to school!

Stranger Safety Tips for Kids: Back to school 2009 will be the first time to school for many children and for these children, parents need to make sure that they have thoroughly addressed the concern of talking to strangers. Most children learn this at a very young age but then starting school becomes an awkward time because they are now being told that they can talk to strangers. Begin teaching your children the difference between strangers and teachers and how to tell before sending them back to school!

Bus Safety Tips for Kids: Bus safety is another common issue when it comes to back to school time. Tell you children that just because the bus has no seatbelts does not mean that your kids should ever be standing on the bus if it is moving.

Walking Tips for Back to School 2009: Make sure that your children know where to cross the street. Whether they walk to school or will just be walking home from the bus stop they should know only to walk in front of the bus, to wait on the side of the road in the designated area where the bus stop is and when walking home to use crosswalks properly!

If your child will be walking to school then you should dress him or her in brightly colored clothing to help drivers see the child better.

If your child will be riding a bike to school he should be familiar with proper biking rules on the road and ALWAYS wear a bicycle helmet for safety. Ride the route a few times over the summer with your child so that you can assure that he is not only familiar with the route but also with how to follow the road rules and respect signals and signs on the way.

Weather Safety Tips for Kids: On occasion the weather may cause some irregularities for the kids during the school year. Create a plan for your children to follow when thunder rolls in if they are at the bus stop or walking home. You should also have a snow plan if you live in regions where this may be a winter issue.

Wardrobe Safety for School: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children not wear clothing that has drawstrings to school and if they do the strings should never hang more than 3 inches on either side. This is to prevent the strings from getting caught on playground equipment, bus doors, or car doors.

Playground Safety for School: The kids love back to school time and this should be time to have lots of fun on the playground too. Make sure that your child knows how to play on playground equipment properly and safely. Also check the school playground to assure that there is proper surface materials in place to prevent injury from falls. The surface of the playground area should have soft sand, rubber or wood chips so that the area is softer than concrete which will cause injury.