Street Smart Children

We as parents can go till the ends of the earth when it comes to protecting our children. However in this process we unknowing end up weaving a cocoon only filled with love and care for them. When these children grow up, they are totally unaware of the world’s reality and find it difficult to survive. Thus, being street smart is very essential for every child.

Being street smart means you have a good environmental or situational understanding. You know what’s going on around you. More importantly, you can see what’s happening around you. These are the most important factors when children are growing up

As parents when you spend teaching your children about being street smart, will increase their chances of staying safe and if they are ever in a dangerous situation.

These are the few things you need to do to raise street smart children

Show Them How to Be Aware

Street smart children are more aware of their surroundings. Even when they’re with friends, they should still be cautious. It’s easy for children to get involved in play and not realize someone’s been sitting in a car watching them for the past hour. But children are the best nosy neighbors you can have. They’re outside more. They know who’s supposed to be in their neighborhood and who isn’t. They can easily spot something that’s out of the ordinary.

Help Your children Identify a Suspect’s Details

Take your child on a walk and help him target details of the people around him. To identify height, children can compare a person to an object. Details can be a game of observation. Play “spot the difference “Go outside and put your children to the test. Is the man jogging wearing anything special, like a headband? Every detail counts. Your child will know how to hone in on those details should he ever need to describe someone to you or the police.

Increase Their Memorization Skills With Practice

If your child ever needed to describe a suspicious person to you or the police, could they remember much? The same memorization skills children use to learn their school subjects can help them log specific details when they’re in a situation where they need to take mental notes. Work with your child in everyday situations. For younger children, this can be as simple as asking what kinds of animals were at the park. As they learn to count, ask how many children were on the playground.

The questions can get harder as they get older. Ask him to describe the man who was selling ice cream. Pick a license plate in the parking lot and see how many numbers and letters he can remember.

Talk to Them

Giving your children on a lesson on who to talk to and who to avoid shouldn’t be a one-time discussion. Take time to talk to them about this very important issue. Sit down and make sure you have your child’s full attention. Bring it up again a few days later and ask if they remember what you said. If not, go over it again. This first lesson is crucial to getting them to understand the importance without frightening them or cramming it down their throats to the point they begin to ignore you. After you’ve had your initial talk, don’t drop the subject for good and consider your work done. Revisit the subject periodically to keep the lines of communication open.

Show Them How to Get Help

No one wants to think of their children ever being in a situation where they need to get help. But we still have to prepare them just in case. Knowing how to call 100 is just the first step. Sometimes a phone isn’t available or children need to get out of the situation as quickly as possible.

Let them know it’s okay to say no to an adult. It’s okay if they run to get away from someone who poses a threat, or if scream as loud as he can if he’s grabbed. And its totally fine to interrupt mom’s phone conversation if he feels he’s in danger. Showing your children how to get help will give you peace of mind and will prepare them if they’re ever in danger.

Teach Stranger Safety

There’s a problem with blanketing all strangers with a don’t talk to them/don’t go with them label, though. What happens when a stranger is actually there to help your child? You and your child get separated at a busy mall. A mom and her kids want to take him to the mall’s information desk to have you paged. Does your child go with them or continue to walk through the mall alone in hopes of finding you?

Teach your children about the danger of strangers but also prepare them for what to do should they need a stranger’s help. This can be as simple as giving your child a cell phone for emergency use only. If they’re lost, they have the cell phone to call you. If someone claims the house is on fire, they can turn to a neighbor you trust to help them.

We are in a generation were children have to be ready for all the situation, It is the best if we start it from their childhood.

So let’s not only protect them but make them ready to become a shield for themselves!!

You may also read: 
Raising Independent Children

https://jumpstartpreschool.in/blog/raising-independent-children/