Road safety

[Fandangos]

Can anyone offer advice on how to get road safety through to 4 year old twins?

Recently their road sense has gone out the window. They both used to stand by me and wait until it was safe to cross. Now, they are distracted and a bit wreckless near the road.

My son carried on walking onto the road the other day, whilst I was quite strictly saying, "stop, press the button, wait"!

Then, today, my daughter raced down the road to our house, I trusted her to wait there for me, as it wasn't the first time. But she actually then crossed the road to her school friend!

I told her she would not be allowed to go ahead of me for the time being. But, I wondered if anyone had any tips on how to get the message across.

I may offer to put reins on them both, they're at school, so they'd be mortified!

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

Well...you just can't ever "trust" a 4 year old. I don't even trust my 11 year old...I HAVE to because she's 11...but I don't....in that I shit myself whenever she's out alone.

At 4 they can't possibly know the consequences of getting hit by a car or even grasp them when they're explained to them.

You have to hold their hands...that's all there is to it.

[BlueChampagne]

Mine are a bit older but I've been known to point our roadkill as a reminder.

[jannier]

I wouldn't let them run ahead and defiantly keep them in grabbing distance asking them to hold your hands as you near a crossing, if they cant then I would have the reins to hand.

when it safe like in a park I play the stop and go game...with walk like a monster, stop put your hand on your head, stand on one leg etc...so that when your out on a road should they start to run a stop works as they think is a game, but never out of grabbing distance. If you have to run after them they just think its a game and run faster, but if you say stop and they don't them they have to walk by you while others play so its an incentive to stop.
On roadside walks we are always talking about traffic what to look for etc.

[jannier]

Natalie, your site is interesting unfortunately the teachers notes are out of stock for early years. Hope they are back in soon as I would like to do more with my toddler group.