With the arrival of warmer weather and longer days, kids are spending more time outside—whether walking to a friend’s house, heading to the park or just enjoying the outdoors.
The Alberta RCMP is reminding parents and guardians this is a good time to check in with children about staying safe and being aware of their environment.
Building confidence in children to recognize unsafe situations and trust their instincts is one of the best ways to help keep them safe. Having open, age-appropriate conversations about boundaries, decision-making and what to do when something feels wrong can go a long way in preparing kids for real-life scenarios.
To support families in the community with these important conversations, the Alberta RCMP is sharing a list of tips parents and caregivers can review with their children:
- Remind kids never to go anywhere with someone they don’t know. Even if a stranger seems nice or asks for help, they should walk away and seek help from someone they trust
- Let your child know no adult should ever ask them to do something that makes them feel uneasy. It’s OK to say no and remove themselves from the situation
- If something doesn’t sit right — even if they can’t explain why — children should be encouraged to leave and talk to a trusted adult, as soon as they can
- Teach kids to check in with a parent or caregiver before accepting anything or going anywhere, especially if it involves someone unfamiliar
- Help them identify safe adults they can approach if they feel unsure, like a teacher, neighbour or family member
- Consider setting up a family password. If someone other than you needs to pick up your child unexpectedly, they should know the agreed-upon word
- Encourage kids to stick with friends or siblings when walking or playing outside — there’s always greater safety in numbers
- Walk or bike common routes with your child and point out safe locations they can go to if they need help
- If your child has a phone, make use of family location features available on most Smartphones, like Apple’s Family Sharing or Google Family Link
- Go over how to use emergency call functions and make sure they know their full name, address, your contact info and how to describe their location to 9-1-1 if needed.
- Run through some “what would you do if…” situations with your child to help them think through different safety scenarios
Written by: Stan Ashbee – Vista Radio
