Child Safety Resources for Teachers and Early Childhood Educators
Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in Canada. Children are at greater risk for injury for a number of reasons. They desire to take risks to test their limits and independence but their ability to perceive risk is underdeveloped. Their muscles and bones are still under development. They may not have the skills to apply safety rules and practices. As well, safety equipment and precautions such as baby gates, bike helmets, pool fencing, etc. may not be accessible to their family.
Keeping Children Safe Outdoors: ECE Resource
Teach young children and their family the basic concepts of pedestrian safety. Everything is right there for you to integrate safe street crossing ideas and skills into crafts, finger play and poems, interactive games and activities, snacks, and songs. There are even story books below.
Safe Play Every Day: Kindergarten Teacher Resource
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.
Children's Storybooks
These friendly stories help teach children about walking outside and keeping safe while crossing the street. Download these free stories for circle time read aloud or for independent reading. Explore together how the Monkey Family walks and discovers their community.
Shared Reading Posters
Shared reading is an interactive approach to the teaching of reading. Students are able to develop new skills and can consolidate skills they have already been taught. 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.
- I Played All Day
This is 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 promoted at the bottom of the poster.
- I Like to Go to the Park
This is a story about dad and EB Monkey playing safely at the park.
- A Walk with Mom
This is 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. Hardcopies of publications can be ordered for free by calling toll-free the ServiceOntario Contact Centre, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 1-800-668-9938 (1-800-268-7095 TTY).
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.
