1) Learn your phone number. (It is often easier for kids to learn than their addresses, and can be more helpful if police find them loast in another city.)
2) Know the color, make an dnumber of doors of the family car. (An easy way to teach children this is to have them draw and color a picture of the car.)
3) Know how to find help. (Children should know that police, firemen, and mail personnel are people they can turn to for help, and are easily identifiable.)
4) Learn directions to your home. (A child within four blocks of home should know how to find it and can practice this on walks with a parent.)
5) Practice using a pay phone. (Older youngesters - ages 5 or 6 - can learn to call home on this, even if they need to use a crate to reach the phone.)
6) Never go near a stranger's car. (Speak louder if the stranger can't hearor go get your parent to help them, but do not approach the car.)
7) Never take ANYTHING from a stranger. (Too often we teach our children not to take treats, but a child could just as easily be lured away by something else, such as free fair tickets.)
8) Learn how to break free if grabbed by a stranger. (Basically, the child learns a windmill motion of his arm, then runs out of harms's way and tells a parent as soon as possible. Practice by being a "stranger" who grabs your child's arm. The child quickly swings that arm in one direction, changes direction and keeps whirling it three or four times after you, the stranger, drop their arm. A would be abductor looks upon a child who takes action as too much trouble to bother with and will go to someone less willing to put up a fuss.)
9) Kick a stranger's shin - and kick it hard - if he or she is bothering you. (Again, this is slearned by practice, at home, with a parent using a pillow to protect his own shin, while the child kicks it. The child should also learn that thsi is an emergency tactic, not something to be gried on brother and sisters.)
10) Don't stay with a group of friends if they aren't following the rules about talking to strangers. (If they aren't being careful, warn them and then leave an tell your parents about what happened.)
These safety tips are courtesy of Seattle Tae Kwon Do at 22803 44th Ave. West in Mountlake Terrace. For a free trial course call 425-775-0299 or check out our website at www.seattletaekwondo.com
