Teaching under sixes how to stay safe near to a road is just as important as teaching them how to cross safely. Here are the key messages to get across to your class:
- Roads are busy and dangerous, so children should never go out without a grown-up.
- Always hold a grown-up's hand. Never run off or go near the road on your own.
- Because you're little, it's not easy for drivers to see you – so you need to take extra care when you're near the road. Stay with a grown-up.
- To make it easier for drivers to see you, you could wear really bright colours during the day to help you stand out. At night, when it's dark, try to wear something reflective.
- Never play or run near the road.
- When you're walking on the pavement, make sure the grown-up holding your hand gets you to walk on their side furthest away from the road and traffic.
- Even though you're on the pavement, you still need to look out for cars; someone might reverse out of their driveway.
You can use the games and activities on this site to bring this information to life. Here are a few additional activities for the class to enjoy. Simply download them and photocopy the number you need. To help you plan, we've even suggested the part of the curriculum we think each activity best complements.
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.
- Draw a dot-to-dot puzzle of a grown-up and child holding hands near a road for your class to complete.
- Get the class to colour in an illustration of someone - using bright colours to make the clothing really stand out.
- Make a 'bright' class collage – using coloured paper or pens to create a picture.
- Make a 'reflective' night time collage – using tinfoil for the moon and stars, old CDs for owl's eyes etc.
