Teach Your Kids How To Deal With Strangers

Nowadays, parents can't be too careful when it comes to keeping their children safe in a world fraught with danger. With kidnappers coming up with more innovative and clever ways to get children within their reach, teaching stranger danger to children may ultimately be one of the most important lessons they will ever learn.

Activities for stranger danger depend on age and grade levels of children. Younger children can be shown a stack of pictures of friends and family. One photo might be of his grandfather. "Family," the child will learn. Another photo might be one of the mailman, "Stranger," the child will learn. It is important for children to realize that just because they might see a particular person on a regular basis, this fact does not automatically make them their friend.

Children love to act, so why not give them an opportunity to act out one of the activities for stranger danger? It might be scary for the child, so reassure them that it is just Mommy or Daddy trying to teach them the right way to act if a stranger approaches them. Ask them what they would do if a stranger approached, what they would say, how they would act, take on the role of the stranger. As the stranger, ask the child if they've seen their dog, try to give them candy, or try to take their hand. What should they do? This is an opportune and ideal situation to teach your child the proper way to handle such inappropriate advances. They should not say a thing, just run away. If they are pursued, yell, kick, scream, bite and scream louder!

It is important for children to know the boundaries of their bodies. Another of the activities for stranger danger involves sitting the calm child down and discussing where it is okay to be touched, and where it is not okay. It is also important to emphasize the fact that if they are touched in an inappropriate place, they should tell you, their parent, immediately, even if they were told not to.

Just like swimming or riding a bike, it is important to go over all of these above activities to instill them in the child's mind so it will be their first reaction, their first behavior in that circumstance.

Although the internet can be a dangerous place for children, it is also an excellent source of information for activities of stranger danger. There are coloring books, print books, and DVD's available to enable you and your child with the knowledge and power to both avoid such situations, and act wisely during them.

When children are old enough to be left home alone, there are always rules they must abide by to be certain they are safe as they can be. It is always a good idea to have direct access by phone to a parent or guardian, next-door neighbor and the police and fire department. Some other items to remember:

-Never answer the door
-Never indicate to a phone caller that you are home alone
-Never use the stove or microwave unless you've been instructed how to and have been granted permission
-Never invite friends over while alone
-Keep the doors and windows locked

Following simple and effective rules may not only save your child's life, but by empowering them with knowledge, they will feel confident and capable in standing up for themselves.