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Health & Fitness

Be Sure to Pack Some New Safety Skills in Your Child's Backpack This Year!

Family safety rules, tween independence, play-dates, school safety, porn on the school bus. Welcome to a new school year. Are you prepared?

Yep… hard to believe but folks are already gearing up to head back to school. Personally, I am still enjoying the lazy days of summer BUT I know that this is also the perfect time to start thinking about your childs safety needs this coming school year.  Here are some good ideas to help get you moving and making the transition of going back to school a safe one!

This is also a great time to update your family 911 emergency contact sheet.  Download your Savvy Parents Emergency 911 sheet for your home!

Preschool:   Practicing phone numbers and reviewing your family rules for safety. Let them know that they should always go to a grown up if they get the icky “uh-oh feeling and that their bathing suit areas are PRIVATE.  Need a set of the “Super 10″ rules for safetyDownload them!

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Elementary age: Ask your child who they feel are the safe grown ups are in their life and who they would choose to have as an “approved” grown up to pick them up from school.  Go over what your daily routine is going to look like and  what to do if there is a change in your regular plan. Practice the preferred route if you kids are walking to school and/or the bus stop. Identify homes or businesses along the way that they can go to if they need assistance.

Tweens:  Are you thinking about a cell phone for your tween? You can download the Savvy Parents Safe Kids cellphone contract to help you and your tween come up with a plan you can both live with.  Talk about how your tween can get out of potentially risky peer situations this year and ask who they feel comfortable talking to about issues that may be bothering them (don’t get your feelings hurt if they don’t chose you!). If your Tween will be riding the middle school bus, get ready. The stuff they see/hear on the bus will HORRIFY you. Kids with smartphones are EASILY looking at porn and sharing it with other kids. Including yours. Talk to your child about what to do if ANYONE shows them inappropriate images. Even other kids.

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Talk openly and often with your kids about safety. The more your "normalize" the safety conversation, the more likely your child will come to you to talk about what is going on in their life.

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