What to teach your children about home safety

Good safety and security habits can start as soon as kids can pick up toys and lock (or unlock) the door. When everyone in the family does their part to protect each other's safety, everyone is safer.

Below, we've got some tips on how parents can teach kids to make safe choices and practice safe habits.

Nearly every event of a child's young life is a learning experience for them and a teaching experience for parents. Toddlers and young kids love to help and have jobs that make them feel like big kids.

These jobs or tasks are on their level and easy to understand or turn into a game:

• Pick up toys around the house so they aren’t tripping hazards.
• Secure bicycles and other outside toys.
• Learn how to lock deadbolt locks.
• Turn emergency evacuation practice into a game.

At this age, children respond to repetition and reinforcement. Regularly talk about rules that keep them safe:

• Knives, scissors, and other kitchen utensils are off-limits without an adult.
• Matches and lighters should be used only by an adult.
• Answer the door or phone only if you can see an adult in the room.
• Walk slowly in bathrooms, pool areas, and other wet, slippery places.

Smartphones and social media have changed the game for parents of adolescents and tweens. Help them create safe habits to stay safe online and prevent cyberbullying by setting some ground rules. It's not enough to set the rules and wait for them to make a mistake. Parents should have ongoing discussions about what their kids are doing online, who they're talking to, and what could lead to danger.

A few don'ts for adolescents to follow online:

• Don't divulge personal information on social media sites.
• Don't post family holiday plans on social media.
• Don't post holiday photos online until you and your family return from the trip.
• Don't advertise when anyone is home alone or when parents are out for the evening.

Kids at this age are also capable of more complicated tasks in response to emergencies. Team them how to:

• Solve problems around the house, like how to use a fire extinguisher.
• Turn off the water, gas, and the main power to the house.
• Arm and disarm the home security system.

In addition to all of the above information, you can add some home safety responsibilities to the lives of your teenagers. Teens can be responsible for arming and disarming home security systems, including using smartphone and tablet apps provided by most home security companies. Teens can also be helpful with teaching, instructing, and encouraging the younger children in your home to be as safe as they can and to think of security issues as often as possible.

Around the house, teens can be involved in the installation of a DIY home security system, if that’s what you decide to go with. Or if you opt for a professionally monitored service, you can have them be present when it’s installed so they learn about potential security weaknesses, like ground-level windows, unsecured garage doors, and dark areas that need motion sensor lights on your property.

No matter what age category your children fall into, they can play an active role in keeping your home secure. 

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• How to Keep Your Teen (or Tween) Safe Online
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