While children need to meet people and make new friends, they also need caution in their interactions, especially when dealing with adults. After a brief discussion about identifying strangers, some role-playing can teach students how to adhere to safety rules and respond to dangerous situations, such as playing with friends outdoors when a car stops or becoming separated from their parents in a public place.
Lessons on fire safety should include action plans for school and home. At school, you can coordinate your lessons with school fire drills, having students practice the buddy system and reach a designated exit. Just as each classroom follows a planned exit route when there is a fire at school, families should have exit plans at home. Students can draw their houses with the exit plan that includes an outside meeting place. You can talk about how fires can start unintentionally when children play with lighters and matches.
From cleaners and sweet-scented shampoo to plants and medicines, preschoolers may encounter various poisons throughout the day. The Upstate New York Poison Center states that children under five make up half of all poisonings. A quick tour of the classroom may uncover some poisonous items, or you can bring in some items to place on a table and play “I spy a poisonous item,” where you describe an item and students identify it. Your local poison control center may offer Mr. Yuk stickers and materials that you can incorporate into your lesson plans.
The Centers for Disease Control reports that car seats halve the risk of injury for toddlers ages one through four. Preschoolers may also spend time on the school bus, which has unique safety rules. You can take a class story time to read “Staying Safe in the Car” and “Staying Safe on the School Bus” by Joanne Mattern. You can also play a game of “Red Light, Green Light” to familiarize students with traffic signals and when it is safe to cross.