Child Safety Resources for Teachers and Early Childhood Educators
Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in Canada. Children are more at risk for injuries because they take risks to test their limits and independence but their ability to perceive risk is underdeveloped. Their muscles and bones are still developing.
- Preschool: Keeping Children Safe Outdoors
- Kindergarten: Safe Play Every Day
- Ontario Road Safety Resource
- Storybooks
- Shared Reading Posters
- Wall Display Cards or Flash Cards
- Bicycle Safety
- Home Safety Posters
Keeping Children Safe Outdoors: ECE Resource
Teach young children and their family the basic concepts of pedestrian safety. Everything is included for you to integrate safe street crossing ideas and skills into crafts, finger play, games, activities, snacks and songs. There are even story books below.
Kindergarten: Safe Play Every Day
Based on the Ontario Curriculum Expectations, this resource integrates safety concepts into lessons plans for Health, Physical Activity, Language, Science and Technology, Mathematics, and The Arts. This resource has quick and easy to use lesson plans to teach your students safety concepts regarding playing at home, pedestrian/safe street crossing, playground safety, and bicycle safety including helmets. For your convenience, classroom evaluations are included for each activity to indicate if curricular expectations are being met. Many of the tools referenced are available as free downloads below.
Ontario Road Safety Resource
An educational tool for teachers (of students K-12), public health and community leaders, in the prevention of injury and death among children and youth.
- Topics addressed: school bus safety, pedestrian safety, car safety (car seats/seatbelts), driving distractions, impaired driving, railroad crossing safety, bicycle safety, inline skating and skateboarding safety, off-road vehicle safety, and snowmobile safety
- Valuable grade division (e.g., primary, junior, intermediate, senior) level information, cross-curricular lesson plans, as well as a community engagement toolkit.
Storybooks
These stories help teach children about walking outside and keeping safe while crossing the street. Download these free stories for circle time, read aloud, or independent reading. Explore with the Monkey Family the world outside.
Shared Reading Posters
Shared reading is an interactive approach to the teaching of reading. The safety stories below use repeating patterns and high frequency words to engage and support emergent readers as well as lead them to use prediction and confirmation. Ideas for using the poster to encourage reading are included on the back.
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I Played All Day
A story about EB Monkey playing safely at home on a rainy day. An emphasis is placed ed-ending words. -
My Bike
A story about EB Monkey getting a bike and helmet then starts to ride. The 2V1 helmet check is at the bottom of the poster. -
I Like to Go to the Park
A story about dad and EB Monkey playing safely at the park -
A Walk with Mom
A story about mom and EB Monkey going for a walk and having to cross a street safely.
Wall Display Cards or Flash Cards
Nine images representing basic traffic lights, including the walking man and orange hand, as well as signs such as a stop sign, railway crossing, danger, and pedestrian crossing. A crossing guard and EB Monkey promoting the message "Stop Look Listen" are also included.
EB Monkey's World
Encourage children to play these safety games and develop their problem solving skills. See if they can help EB Monkey play safely by making EB's home safe, help EB walk to school safely, or help EB's family get to the park to play the safe way. Children can also colour on-line or print pictures to colour at home or in the classroom/center.
Bicycle Safety
Children need to things to ride their bikes safely; skills and equipment. The Young Cyclist Guide is a great way for children to learn safe bike riding skills.
Some children do not always appropriately wear a bike helmet. This may be because they cannot afford a helmet, they do not know how to wear their helmet properly, their friends don't think it is cool, or adults do not insist that they wear a helmet. To teach the correct way to fit helmets, encourage you student to apply the 2V1 rule.
Home Safety Posters
These Be Aware. Be There. posters encourage parents to always know what their child is doing and actively supervise them beginning at a young age. They address the issues of child choking, poisoning, falls down stairs, and burns.