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

Click here for full T&Cs

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

[matphil]

Each time we need to cross a road I make my son aware of the correct way to cross, hopefully he will learn by repetition. He knows to stop on the pavement and check both ways whilst listening out for cars. They look out for the crossings with the green man so that they can push the button and wait to see him.

[nickitayler]

I use the information from the Brake website - roadsafetyweek.org. It's got loads of activities for the children. We spend time outside and draw our own zebra crossing with chalk in our cul de sac and use ride on cars and bikes to practice safely crossing the road.

[steveyh]

Use crossings, stop, look and listen and pay attention to cyclists who may not stop at red lights. If in doubt, don't cross!

[Kannet]

Make a song up about it. Stop look listen and so on

[nicole101]

I am going to start teaching my little one soon and reading all the tips is a great help!

[stripyeyes]

Teaching them to look out for cars reversing off drive is really important. Loads of cars heading out to work during school run and the little heads aren't always seen in their mirrors. We practice looking for reverse lights and listening for engines to help their awareness.

[kiki725]

I have always told my children to cross at the pedestrian crossing when the green man lights up. I make a point of waiting until the green man appears even if i know i could cross safely because there is no traffic

[NotCitrus]

No crossings on most of our walk to school.
Stop well behind the kerb. Before the bumps. Yes, that far back when you're waiting for me.

When they want to walk without holding your hand, practise shouting "Stop!" every few yards and if they don't stop and wait for you, then it's back to hand-holding, matey.

The Traffic Club magazines and stickers are free and have lots of good ideas.

Also point out when idiot drivers cut the kerb, jump lights, etc. London kids seem to learn road safety fast out of self-preservation (now just need to hope it sticks when they are alone...)

[CopperPan]

Lots of practice is important so I always make sure we walk around town a lot and use public transport instead of going directly from home to places in the car. Lots of the DCs friends have no idea about road safety as they hardly ever cross roads and travel everywhere by car. Teach them to use all their senses, listen out for vehicles as well as looking.

[ama6270]

I have always taught my children with toys, I bought a road layout and cars and lorry's( I have 2 girls and a boy) with flashcards coloured it was a fun game from an early age and taught my children a lot about road safety, it doesn't have to cost a fortune to purchase as most of these I found in charity shops

[essexchic]

I make it fun but at the same time tell them how important it is to stop,look and listen.

[Nettie17]

Always stand back off the kerb, there's always a chance you might get pulled under a bus or lorry. Use crossings but always wait for the traffic to stop as some drivers run the red light. Better safe than sorry.

[Spencer1234]

I've always told my son to stop and look both ways before crossing the road. He rides his bike to and from school a lot so I'm forever telling him to look out for cars.

[VickyRsuperstar]

I have taught my kids "Stop, look, listen and think" exactly as I was taught in school as a kid! I've taught them all from tiny the importance of never running in the road after a ball or toy, but kids are so unpredictable and I've had to stop them and remind them over and over again! Every time I park the car I tell them not to get out into the road side and to wait quietly to cross the road - noone to go across without me. Then we go through the stop, look, listen and think drill before we cross! I say it every time so that they learn by repetition.

[Ganne1]

Teach them of the dangers (children seem so careless these days), but do keep an eye on them when you're out and check what they're doing. It may be necessary to reinforce your instructions.

[emmav6]

they are getting rid of some of our lollipop men/women, it's terrible! I get my children to tell me when it's safe to cross, the more they practise the more they learn!

[TheBigRedBoat]

Teach them from a young age to stay close near roads and to hold hands when crossing.
We've also you tubed the old hedgehog stop look and listen song which my children loves.

[dirtypop]

make it fun and use pictures

[EDisFunny]

When walking my children to school we always use the zebra crossing, we hold hands, and they know to wait until the cars stop.

The hardest thing to explain to my children is why other parents don't cross at the designated places and just run across the street anywhere at a break in traffic.

[glenka]

Always be aware of what is going on around you and never cross the road without looking.

[janeyf1]

I remind her about the 'Green Cross Code', it is punchy, memorable and works. It doesn't stop me worrying about her though

[clarabella12]

we always use crossings when available, and use the green cross code which I say aloud when crossing without one with the little ones.

[AutumnElla]

I use the blhnt approach "Watch the road or you'll get run over and die!"

[PhilTB54]

Walk at crossings ONLY when the green man lights up. Ignoring what others do.

[topsy73]

I learnt early on that they don't understand left and right so use look both ways and mimic it when saying it. Our little boy knows not to run across the road and hold our hands. He also is aware of the zebra crossings and lights systems and that roads are a dangerous place....he is so fiercely independent that at times he will push to do things on his own but we are getting there....