Stranger Danger

Strangers, it’s a scary word. To parents it represents one of our biggest fears. We worry a lot about a stranger harming our children. To continue with Goddard’s theme this month about safety, we are focusing on strangers this week. How do you strike the balance between raising a friendly child vs. raising a cautious child?

Here are a few tips to help teach your children about the concept of strangers:

·         Tell your child what a stranger is in terms they can understand. For example: anyone you don’t know by name is a stranger. 

·         Explain the tricks that a stranger might do to lore them away: For example: I can’t find my lost puppy can you help me or Your parents are injured and I need to take you to the hospital to see them right away. Role play these tricks to show them how to react in each situation.

Here are a few tips you can tell your child to avoid stranger-danger situations:

·         Tell your child the importance of staying within view and out of isolated areas when they are out of the house.

·         Work under the rule, if I can’t see you or you can’t see me you are too far away. This could stop your child from ending up in an isolated place where a stranger can harm them.

·         Work under the rule that your child should tell you where they are going at all times.

·         Tell your child that they should never talk to strangers unless they are with their mom, dad or guardian.

Teach your child critical information they will need if they get separated from you.

·         They should know their phone number and address at an early age.

·         By the age of three, they should know their own full name and their parent’s full names.

·         By three-and-a-half, they should have their address memorized.

·         By age four, your preschooler should know their phone number.