Share your tips on teaching kids about road safety with Churchill Insurance. Win a £300 Love2Shop voucher! NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

Roads can be an intimidating place for children and a worrying place for parents, especially on the school run. Churchill Insurance wants to introduce extra lollipop men and women across Great Britain to help keep our children safe. Churchill would like to know how you teach your children about road safety. Which rules do you pass on about roads and cars? Do you have any fun and creative techniques to make them stick? How old were your children when you started teaching them – and how long did it take for things to sink in?

Lucy Brooksbank, Head of Marketing at Churchill, added: "Lollipoppers are the stalwarts of our communities, national treasures who bring fun and joy to everyone’s school run, as well as importantly keeping children safe. Churchill looks out for customer's best interests, so what better way to demonstrate that than by supporting our Lollipoppers and taking action to keep them on our streets? With child pedestrian casualties during the school run still an issue in the UK, we want to put 50 Lollipoppers on school crossings. We want people from across the UK, whether they are a parent or just concerned about a local crossing to nominate their schools and help to keep children safe during the school run.”

Please share your ideas about teaching road safety with Churchill Insurance below.
Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Make sure your school has a chance of receiving Lollipopper funding by nominating at www.churchill.com/lollipoppers

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Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Our kids know that they are not to cross the road without holding our hands. We always make a point as well of teaching the kids to stop, look and listen. Even if the road is clear I always stop and ask if a car is coming or can we hear one coming. We also make a point of telling them about he importance of traffic light. The kids love being able to press the button and wait for the green man. The first thing we tell them is that they cannot cross the road at traffic lights without seeing the green man.

Always, always, always wait for the Green Man on pelican crossings, irrespective of what others do or if it may save time or be safe to cross.

Currently trying to teach my daughter so I will be very interested in reading other people tips! Obviously doing all of the standard stuff, but if anyone knows how to make it interesting I would love ideas! :D

Everytime we crossed the road we verbalised what we had to do. Constant reminders followed. Even when my son wasp.d enough to walk to school on his own I would meet him at the road he had to cross to watch him cross over it.

Always wait for the green man at crossings.

Always stop before the kerb and wait for an adult to cross with (good training to make this a 100% rule needed as kids love to run/scoot/cycle on ahead)

Create fun songs and rhymes to remember the steps for good road safety.
Craft together and create things to promote good road safety such as brightly colour badges, clothing etc.

lots and lots of practice crossing roads, lots of rewards, and teach them to wear bright clothes.

Set a good example and always cross in a safe place. If you have young children, teach them to hold an adult’s hand near roads and when crossing, and do ‘Stop, look and listen’ every time you cross, even if you’re in a hurry. Make sure older children know not to cross the road while playing with a toy, using a mobile phone or listening to headphones – they are likely to be distracted and may not hear potential danger.

Oh and in the dark, rain or fog, wear something bright or reflective so you can be seen by other road users. You can buy reflecter bands, badges etc to attach to children's coats/shoes/bags/bikes etc.

Always use pedestrian crossing but still check before crossing

Always set a good example and if others don't talk to your child about why and the consequences.

One of the most important thing is to make sure they know that you shouldn’t just walk out at a zebra crossing - to make eye contact with the driver first or at least make sure they are slowing down - or in the case of a crossing near us - make sure they stop completely before you step out.

The same with pedestrian crossings - don’t just rely on the green man - look and check first- many a car will try and jump the light and cyclists round our way are a nightmare.

Always explicitly verbalise what you are doing to cross safely, even with a very small child still in a push chair, so that "Stop, look and listen, before you cross the road" becomes their mantra.

Always wait for the Green Man and use crossings when available.

My children have always love being chosen to press the button at crossings, I make sure I lead by example and never cross until the green man lights up. Lollipop people are few and far between now, it would be great to start seeing them again on the school run.

I showed my kids the video of the hedgehogs crossing the road that i was shown at school

We play on the names of the crossings:

"Press the magic button and wait for the green man before you fly across the pelican crossing."

"Don't charge across the zebra crossing, wait for the cars to stop first."

I have always got my children To always cross at the pedestrian crossing when the green man lights up. Once my son dropped his water bottle that rolled into the road, he was almost going to go and get it when I stopped him. I told him that water bottles can be replaced but we couldn't replace him.

Practise road safety techniques on desolate roads near where you live such as Industrial estates on an evening when most of the businesses are shut. When kids are young use wrist bands that you are both attached to. This will stop your child from braking free from you. There are good for when it is very busy with lots of people about. Use videos on the we that shows safe ways to cross a road including zebra and other pedestrian crossings. When with your child never cross until the green man appears as to do so can instill unsafe behavior into your child.

First of all talk them through each step of road safety as you go along. Secondly, adhere to all road traffic and safety laws - lead by example. Finally, test them! I used to walk across roads that I'd sneakily looked down to make sure they were safe and see if they followed me. If they did, I would go back to the kerb and explain they should always look, never just follow people - even adults.

Make it practical and fun. Plenty of visual aids and then go out and about putting what they've learnt into practice.

Always use crossings where available, and teach them Stop, Look, and Listen.

I took the kids to a quiet road so they could practice first and then proceeded to go to heavier trafficked roads. I also made sure that they were aware of what could actually happen by showing them videos online (not bad ones)

Always use crossings. Always wait even if it's clear. Show them the good practice at all times and it's more likely to stick and have them follow it.

Once you have shown/taught them a few times - let them take the lead. Let them explain the steps to you each time.

Repetition breeds remembering. Having them vocalise it really helps this.

Try to use crossings but if one is not available try to find a position where you can clearly look both ways and are easily seen. Never cross behind a bus. I talk my children through it and get them to say when they think it is safe. I once looked after a child who seemed to have no road sense so we set up a road at home with toy cars, people etc and this seemed to help after one of the toy people got run over and taken to hospital!

Let them believe that they are teaching you. Make it fun to learn :)