Safety Rules at School You Should Teach Your Kids

Safety rules at school are one aspect that we forget to teach our kids. As parents, we consider that our children are safe in school and its premises. However, it is good to educate children about safety rules at school they need to keep in mind all the time. 

Teaching safety rules at school is the responsibility of teachers, parents as well as the school management. In this post, let us understand the safety rules we should teach our kids based on their age and activities.

Rule #1: Never accept anything from strangers

Children become easy targets for strangers. They wait for the right instant for children to move alone near the playgrounds or out of the school gate. They approach them with some excuse like asking for time or saying that they are relatives of their parents. Slowly, they will start collecting personal details and may harm children. Kids being unaware of the malicious intent will pose themselves to risk by trusting strangers. 

What to tell your kid? 

• Instruct your kids not to share personal details like house address, phone number, parent’s occupation, or anything with any stranger.

• Tell your kid not to accept a lift from strangers while commuting to school or tuition or out of school activities.

• Teach your kids to report immediately to the teachers, security guard, or principal if they find someone lurking or suspiciously roaming around the school campus.

Rule #2: Never put hands and head out of school bus windows

Most parents prefer sending kids to school in school transport. They consider it as a safe means for their child’s commute to school. While this is true to much extent, there are some safety rules at school that are related to school bus usage.

What you should tell your kid?

• Never put hands or head out of school bus windows.

• Never do foot boarding or sit on the steps of the school bus while it is moving.

• Instruct them to be seated all the time in the school bus; standing would make them vulnerable to fall should the driver apply a sudden brake.

• Tell them not to push or pull friends even for fun while in a school bus. This may lead to injuries for both parties due to the bus movement.

Rule #3: Never let anyone touch without consent

Every child should know the difference between good touch and bad touch to protect themselves from predators. Risks can come from any side – malicious teachers, in-house staff, watchmen, bus drivers, etc. Your child should know whom to allow to what and to which extent.

What to tell your kid?

• Just because they are teachers, principals, or physical education teachers, no one will have the privilege to touch your kid in any way. Indicate to your child that they should not allow a person to touch them without their consent.

• Ask your child to share every incident at school daily with you without hiding anything. Give them the assurance that you, as a parent, will stay with them and listen to them all the time. 

Rule #4: Never move out of the school gate and premises

Kids sometimes feel like going out of the school gate either for fun or as a mission. At their age, it feels like moving out of the school gate is an act of freedom or heroism. Be it either to bring a ball from outside the playground wall or to buy something that is being sold outside the school gate, children may step out of the school for any reason. This can invite unwanted dangers to them.

What to tell your kid?

• Tell them that not moving out of the school gate once parents drop them in the school is the first and foremost safety rules at school they should follow.

• Make your kid understand that home and school are two safe zones for children, and they should be inside them under any circumstances.

• If they need to collect the ball or shuttlecock that fell out of the ground, ask them to inform the respective teacher and go out only with their guidance.

• Never give money to children. This may encourage them to move out of the school gate and enjoy some street food or go on shopping alone that might invite risks.

Rule #5: Never stay alone and roam in isolated areas

Some schools may be vast on campus, with trees and lonely areas that staff may rarely enter. Such places could pose threats to children, especially if they roam alone in those areas. Anti-social elements will be waiting for children to step into such danger zones to cast their net.

What you should tell your kid?

• Instruct them strictly not to roam alone anywhere on the school premises.

• It is wise to take a friend even while attending the toilet for enhanced safety. 

• Tell your kid to stay in groups of more children and stay with them while lunch, playing, and moving around the campus. 

Rule #6: Never make bad friends 

Children do not know what is good and what is bad. They get easily enticed by habits like drugs, smoking, drinking, addiction to harmful video games, or porn if parents do not keep a watch on them. 

In most times, such things happen due to peer influence. Students who come from affluent families or students of a higher age than your kid will easily show their influence on them. This is one of the safety rules at school that may not strike our minds but is essential as kids grow up.

What to tell your kid?

• Tell your kid not to succumb to peer pressure. Childhood is meant for playing, studying, and relaxing with family so that they grow up into responsible and happy adults.

• Educate them on the harmful effects of bad habits. Give them examples of how they ruin lives and spoil the future. 

• Make your kid understand that living simply is more beautiful than comparing with richer people and feeling the lack of luxury. 

• Tell them that comparisons should be done on the brighter side for healthy growth and not on the negative side.

Rule #7: Never lie or try to cover up

Kids fear parents. They wish to hide some details from them for the fear that they may scold or punish them. Thus, they lie or cover-up. This will eventually turn into a habit and put your kid in a dangerous situation.

What to tell your kid?

• Give enough confidence to your kid that parents are their friends. Encourage them to share whatever happens at school without hiding. Be it they skip eating lunch or steal a nice-looking pencil from the friend, listen to everything. Teach them with patience what is good and doable.

• By doing this, you will instill confidence in your kid that they can share anything with you be it right or wrong.

Rule #8: Never forget the contact details

Children should always remember the contact details of parents and alternate contact persons. This should include the child’s full name, house address in full, parents’ contact numbers. They should also be able to tell the contact details of alternate emergency contacts like grandparents or uncles and aunts whom the school can contact immediately if parents are not reachable.

What you should tell your kid?

• Make them memorize all the details – phone numbers, house addresses, along with the route and landmarks near your house.

• Write these down in their school diary as well as pin the slip to their school bag and lunch bag. 

• If the kid is too small to memorize these, you can even put these details on the back of their uniform for enhanced safety.

Rule #9: Never play with dangerous items

Kids play with anything. Be it an electric plug or a gushing water pipe, they can never anticipate what happens next. Even a football or a compass can turn into a potentially dangerous item if your kid is not alert. Thus, dealing with items in a safe manner is one important safety rule at school your kid should be aware of.

What to tell your kid?

• Tell them strictly not to play with sharp items like scissors, compass, or needles even for fun.

• Ask them to be alert while playing on the ground. Cricket balls, football, etc can cause severe injuries if the child is not alert.

• Items like pencils, chalk pieces, or pens can get stuck in the nose or ears. Make your child understand that these are not play items and should not be kept in mouth, eyes, ears or nose.

• Explain the harmful effects of playing near the balcony walls, jumping from the benches in the classroom, or sitting on the balcony walls and compound wall, etc.

• Tell them not to be playful with switches in the classroom, generators in the school campus, or water wells and large trees. 

Rule #10: Never bet or do something risky 

Some children in the school tend to be provocative. They enjoy making other students some risky feats and bets. This can be a dangerous thing and one of the crucial safety rules at school your child should be aware of. Teachers and staff should keep a watch on such practices. Besides, your child should know what to do and what knot to do even when provoked.

What to tell your kid?

• Teach your kid not to resort to any dangerous feats when someone challenges them to do so. Jumping from steps, walls for bets can be fun but can cause injuries. Similarly, playground-related bets can have severe side effects. 

• Tell your child that they need not answer or respond to such bets. If someone is constantly provoking them or encouraging other children to such dangerous bets, ask your child to inform teachers immediately.

Rule #11: Never stay silent in case of any problem

Some children tend to be introverted. They do not share anything even with siblings, friends, or parents. As a result, when something bad happens at school, they cannot speak out and share with anyone. This could turn problematic in the long run. Thus, encouraging your child to speak out is one of the safety rules at school they should keep in mind.

What to tell your kid?

• Tell them that they should never keep anything to heart. Sharing with parents will unburden them and parents will give the right solution that benefits their future. 

• Encourage them to take part in extracurricular activities so that they will develop self-confidence. 

Rule #12: Never do forbidden activities in the classroom

When teachers are not in the classroom, children feel like free birds. They want to have the most of the fun and do many things. While things will be happy and joyful if such activities are good, they may take an awkward turn if the child crosses their limits.

What to tell your kid?

• Tell kids that classrooms are equal to temples that shape their future. Ask them to behave decently to fellow students and teachers.

• Remind them that by doing good things, they can make beautiful memories from school, as much as they would feel bad throughout their life if they do bad things in the classroom. 

Rule #13: Never look down on fellow students

Some students behave in an arrogant way toward other students. The reason could be the difference in financial status or ability to grasp subjects. This is a harmful attitude that will spoil the child in the long run.

What to tell your child?

• Tell your kid that everyone in the school is equal in every aspect. Uniforms imply that students are all equal in the school.
• Make the understanding that in life discipline and humble attitude are important more than money and arrogance. 

• Teach them to share their things, lunch with underprivileged students if any in the classroom.

• Encourage them to help those students who are having lesser grasping power in understanding the subjects.

Rule #14: Never get into fights 

As children grow up, their temper starts flaring up. Small incidents with fellow students can initiate big fights and quarrels. One of the safety rules at school which we should tell students is not to get into fights with anyone.

What to tell your kid?

• Ask your child to report to the teacher in case anyone tries to provoke them or hurt them. 

• Educate them that retaliating will be harmful to the child himself. 

• Give them confidence that elders like teachers, parents, and principals can handle any troubling students better than the kid.

Rule #15: Never forget hygiene and health

This one goes beyond any doubt. As much as any safety rules in the school are important, staying hygienic and cautious about health is equally important these days.

What to tell your kid?

• Tell your kid to stay on a mask all the time in school.

• Alert them the need for washing hands frequently to avoid the risk of germs.

• Tell them to stay away from friends and teachers who are sick and till they recover.

• Inform them not to share water bottles and food because of the times we are in.

Thus, these are the safety rules at school you should teach your kid. Which one is your favorite? Would you like to add any more? Please let us know through your comments.