It’s Important to Us that All Children Practice Basic Back to School Safety
As summertime ends, we’re blogging about back to school safety tips this month. We love kids of all ages at Little Wiggles & Giggles Learning Center. It’s our mission to provide quality daytime child care, as well as before and after school supervision. Whether they’re on the way to, from, or they’re at school, it’s important to us that all children remain safe. When preparing kids to go back to school, they’ll be safe when they:
- Stay Alert on the Bus or their Bikes or While Walking
- Understand Stranger Danger
- Wear Well-Fitted, Well-Stuffed Backpacks
- Keep Hydrated
Stay Alert on Your Way to School and From School
One sure fire way to stay safe when it’s time to go back to school is to always stay alert. When kids and parents stay alert en route to and from school, children stay safe from traffic-related accidents. Regardless of how kids get there and back, when they stay alert, they stay safe.
How to Stay Alert While Walking, Riding Bikes, On the Bus, or in the Car
If kids walk or ride bikes to school, they stay alert by avoiding distracted walking or riding. Those who ride the bus stay alert by standing six feet away from the curb before getting on the bus. When getting off of the bus, they stay alert when they don’t push or shove. If you take your kids to school, you need to stay alert while driving, especially in school zones.
Note: Children also need to stay alert to, and be mindful of, stranger danger when going back to school.
Always Be Mindful of Stranger Danger During Back To School Season
In our blog last month, we talked a lot about stranger danger. We explained that the ICMEC estimates nearly eight million children worldwide go missing each year. According to U.S. D.O.J. reports, 800,000 U.S. kids go missing stateside annually of those eight million children worldwide. Based on the information in our July 2022 blog, children can avoid stranger danger in several ways.
Three Ways Children Avoid Stranger Danger When Going Back to School
First, children who walk or ride bikes to school should do so with a buddy to avoid stranger danger. Secondly, they avoid stranger danger by automatically saying no to rides from a stranger, no matter what that person alleges. Finally, because they’re born with fully developed intuition, or gut feelings, children avoid stranger danger by trusting their gut feelings.
Don’t Overstuff Backpacks and Stay Hydrated Going Back to School
Another back to school safety tip is not allowing kids to overstuff backpacks. A child’s backpack shouldn’t weigh more than 5 to 10 percent of their body weight. Not overstuffing backpacks will keep them safe from falling, and from long-term back problems. Children should also use both straps when wearing backpacks, to evenly distribute weight on both shoulders. Finally, kids also stay safe and healthy when going back to school if they keep hydrated.
How Do Children Stay Safe When They Keep Hydrated?
Ultimately, the back to school safety benefit for children to keep hydrated is because hydration boosts energy. This will help them stay alert. Also, when people, especially kids, keep hydrated, their joints stay lubricated and improve cognition. When children keep hydrated, they’re safe when going back to school as they’re maneuvering the halls, and participating in class.
At Little Wiggles & Giggles Learning Center, we take care of children, from infancy to early elementary school. For more information about our services, call us at (570) 208-9125. Like us on Facebook and follow us for updates. We’d be happy to explain more about back to school safety tips.
