Child Safety Week – tips to keep your child safe inside, outside, and online

What is Child Safety Week?

Mark your calendars! Child Safety Week 2024 will take place from the 3rd June to the 9th June.

Organised by the Child Accident Prevention Trust, this annual campaign sparks numerous safety discussions nationwide, all aimed at reaching the specific audience of parents.

Child Safety Week serves as an opportunity for impactful safety tips, educational endeavours in safety conversations, and aims to spread awareness of child safety and safeguard the well-being of children.

The core message for Child Safety Week is for small children to have the freedom to grow and learn without serious harm. Read our bite sized facts to get the most of keeping your children safe.

Safety rules for children online

Mobile phone safety

Promote a safer digital world for young people this Child Safety Week by setting clear boundaries and explaining their importance.

Research recommends that children aged 2 to 5 years old should be limited to less than one hour of screen time per day. So, it might be worth enforcing a boundary of screen time restrictions. Other boundaries can include app controls. Use handy tools like Google Family Link for easy parental control, ensuring a safer online experience that makes family life easier.

Educate your kids this Child Safety Week on security measures to navigate risks associated with public Wi-Fi, password sharing, and oversharing online. Excessive use of mobile phones and browsing social media posts risks for children like exposure to inappropriate content, privacy concerns, addiction, and potential impact on mental health. Constant comparison on social platforms may contribute to low self-esteem and reduce confidence. Encourage open communication with your kids.

Instead of letting your kids roam free on the iPad, why not suggest going for a short evening walk? Engaging in physical activity not only helps children to sleep but also contributes to concentration and their overall mental well-being. Read our blog that discusses the importance of exercise for kids! If you’re looking for more bite sized safety tips, you can read our guide on mobile phone health and safety for kids.

Cyber-bullying

A growing concern, cyberbullying involves the harassment of individuals through electronic channels like mobiles, online forums, gaming chat rooms, and social media. Cyber-bullying might include nasty text messages to starting rumours or sharing embarrassing photos. Addressing cyberbullying requires taking proper action rather than relying on children to speak up about the issue. Parents and teachers can adopt top tips to create a safer online environment, such as staying informed and up to date about online platforms, teaching children about responsible digital behaviour, and using educational websites like the NSPCC to enhance their knowledge and awareness.

Safety rules for children inside the home

Ensure child safety indoors by following these crucial tips for Child Safety Week.

Recognise the main accident risks within the home, especially since children lead active lives.

Hot drinks

Many accidents can be prevented. Be cautious with hot drinks, as they can be dangerous to children and can stay scalding even after 15 minutes. This is particularly crucial for 8 to 18 month olds, who are most vulnerable as they love to grab. When making a hot drink, watch out for those fast little fingers and push your mug to the back of the worktop before reaching for the milk. Identify out of reach safe spots to place your hot drink, making it a habit to ensure your child is down before picking up your drink.

Stay away from electricity

Young children are naturally curious about switches and electrical devices, so it’s important to educate them on how electricity works. While plug blockers are useful for toddlers, older kids may easily remove them. Instead, you can use videos or picture books to explain the role of electricity in powering lights and appliances at home. Emphasise the danger of combining water with electricity and make a rule of never touching switches or electrical devices with wet hands. Teach them to avoid inserting objects into plug sockets and maintain a safe distance from sources of water.

Dog safety

Introducing pets into a family provides valuable lessons for kids, in understanding the dangers and avoiding distractions that could lead to serious injury. While most pets are friendly, it’s crucial to teach children the importance of handling them with care to avoid unintentional injuries. As many families know, pets can be possessive of their toys and dishes, and it’s best to teach your kids not to take them away.

Safety rules of children outside the home

Road safety

Create habit of holding hands or using walking reins for young children when walking. Ask questions during walks to help them grasp concepts like ‘fast’ and ‘slow.’ Begin teaching the Green Cross Code from the age of five, encouraging them to stop, look, listen, and think.

However, it’s important to note that they may not always remember safety rules, especially when distracted by friends. Children often imitate your actions, so demonstrate safe road behavior by checking for traffic before crossing. Children struggle to judge the speed and distance of traffic until at least age eight, with accidents peaking around 12 when they begin making independent journeys. To enhance their road safety skills, encourage practical learning and practice routes.

Water safety

Drowning is often silent, and a child in distress may not be able to speak or use their arms.

Unlike what we see in movies, real drowning doesn’t involve splashing or calling for help. Understanding the situations where drowning can occur is crucial for preventable death this Child Safety Week.

Raise awareness and teach older children to swim in safe places like a public swimming pool and beaches with lifeguards. Explain the potential hazards of open water swimming, with the risk of strong currents, deep and cold water, and hidden hazards beneath the surface. Remember, this knowledge is key to preventing this preventable and silent danger, raising awareness for water safety and promoting a safer world with fewer accidents.

Free downloadable resources

Safeguarding with Premier Education

Child safety parents week pack

Child accident prevention trust educational recourses