Crossing the road safely

Teaching your class to cross the road safely is a lesson that will stay with them for years to come. It's also advice that is relevant to every single child in your class – wherever they live. Here are the key messages to get across:

• The safest place to cross the road is at a pedestrian crossing or a school crossing patrol.
• You can also cross on a straight piece of road where you can see traffic clearly in both directions.
• You should never cross the road on a corner - you can't see if traffic is coming.
• Never cross the road from between parked cars – it's dangerous. You can't see the road and drivers can't see you. One of the cars could start moving.
• Always use the Green Cross Code when crossing the road. It's easy to remember:
  • Walk to the edge of the pavement and STOP at the kerb.
    LOOK left and right and LISTEN for traffic. When the road is clear and there's no traffic, it's safe to cross.
    Walk straight across the road without stopping. Keep LOOKING and LISTENING at all times.
• If you see a friend on the other side of the road, you must never just run across to say hello – always use the Green Cross Code.
• Traffic moves very fast, so you need to concentrate when you're crossing the road.

Here are a few activities to help you bring the information to life. Simply download 'Which path?' and photocopy for each child. The Safety Statues download is a poster for the classroom wall. The activity is based on musical statues and teaches the basics of the Green Cross Code; so you will need to play music.

Alternatively, click to play our specially created interactive, animated version of Safety Statues – music is included.

If you'd prefer to plan your own lesson, here are a few activity suggestions that may spark ideas of your own. They're just suggestions, so please feel free to come up with your own ideas following any of the road safety messages.

• Make a 'pavement' out of cardboard or paper so the children understand what and where the kerb is. They can take it in turns to stand at the kerb and practice the Green Cross Code in safety.
• Get the class to think of all the traffic they need to look out for when crossing the road – cars, lorries, buses etc. Make a list for the wall and decorate it with drawings the class create.
• If you can see a main road safely from within the school grounds, you could do a traffic census. Counting how many buses or lorries go by will demonstrate just how busy the road is.