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

[Theimpossiblegirl]

Always lead by example and talk through what you're doing when crossing.

"Let's look for a safe place to cross.Where do you think we should cross? What do we need to do? Okay, I'm looking both ways..." etc. etc.

[fazkin]

My youngest is 3 and he has mastered the concept of waiting at crossings for me when he scoots ahead. It's been repeat repeat and more repeat until he grasped it. I had to tell scary stories of car hurting them though. There has still been moment when he has stepped on to the road without thinking so not sure when he will be fully road safe!!

[dadshere]

We are teaching our daughter the green cross code. to always look left, look right and look left again. Luckily she is cautious by nature!

[jandoc]

try to explain things to them all the time

[katiewalters]

My daughter is 2 and she walks everywhere now. She has to hold my hand to cross the road and I will always stop and get her to check both ways that there are no cars coming before we can cross. She loves to press the button for the crossing, and she tells me when the green man is there and she knows that means we can cross. I taught my son the same when he was about the same age, he's 6 now and knows road safety, but will still hold his hand when we cross the road and he always looks both ways for cars. It encourages my 2 year old as well, as she sees her older brother doing the same.

[cazzzie987]

When I walk around, I teach them what to do and also show them the dangers of not looking where you are going.

[grumpymummy3]

We have taught our children to always stop, look and listen and check both ways before they cross. This has become even more important since we lost our school lollipop lady. And to always wait for the green man before we use a crossing.

[marshgirl]

Lead by example, every time you come to cross a road then talk it through with them.

[hannonle]

I try and get them to join in with choosing where is safe to cross the road and to look and listen. I think it helps them if you give them the chance to make the decisions and think about the danger of crossing. Of course, I'm only on quiet roads in a housing estate, not a busy main road.

[Whyisitsodifficult]

Always set a good example yourself. Show where and how to cross safely. I always ask my nine year old "is it safe to cross" letting him make the decision rather than me telling him. I think it should be part of the school curriculum, mine have just done bikeability this could go alongside that.

[baconbap]

If you're walking along a road with no pavements, face the oncoming traffic. Doesn't seem like anyone teachs their children this anymore.

[Bennyboy1]

Songs as they always stick in kids head. And role play

[fridaykitten]

From walking age, so very young, i have stuck to same strict rules of stay on pavement, only cross roads wiyh adult holding hands, always hold hands in carparks. We only cross at pelican crissings if possible.
Instilling these rules from a young age has worked well as while my preschooler often argues or doesnt listen to other directions, she has never even tried to brake road safety rules.

[Marg2k8]

Teach by example. For example, don't go across crossings youself, even if the road is absolutely clear unless the green man is showing.

[beehummingbird]

Tell them about the green cross code

[compy99]

always use crossings were available, never cross between parked cars, always say outloud look left, look right etc.

[taz10]

set a good example talk to them and explain what happening

[CheeseEMouse]

Singing: "this is the way we cross the road, cross the road, cross the road. This is the way we cross the road. Holding hands with mummy"

Looks pointedly at toddler...

[BellaWella86]

I use the old 'Stop, Look, Listen' routine when crossing the road.

[angiehoggett]

Teach them how to act, calmly and patiently.

[starryskies78]

Im new to this with a 3 yr old but I try to always show by example. It's easy to fall back into ways you normally cross the road, but it just isn't safe for little ones. Use the crossings. Teach them to stop, look and listen properly rather than a quick glance. Express that they need to stay near you or holding your hand as cars are dangerous so we must stay safe. Use crossings and lollipop ladies. Teach them to always walk across the road, telling them they could fall if they run. Hopefully all these things will leave to a greater understanding of road safety as they grow up.

[toodles60]

For younger children its a really good idea to stress the importance of holding an adults hand . Also children are far more likely to remember rules if they are in the form of a song. So think of a well known nursery rhyme tune such as twinkle twinkle little star and change the words to include road safety themes

[arat]

The thing that taught DS the most about road safety was seeing a near-miss on the way to pre-school. 3 kids were playing some sort of tig/chase game when one of them stepped back off the kerb in front of a car which screeched to a stop. He still recalls that incident 5 years later.
Not an experience that's easy or desirable to recreate, but with DD we've made some pretend scenarios when crossing the road which we've used to illustrate the point.

[helcrai]

I started to talk to my two daughters about road safety when they were still toddlers in prams. When we'd go for a walk I would talk to them about how we look both ways as we crossed roads. I'd also introduce the concept of staying away from busy roads when they were out and about by play acting with their duplo toys. They would pick up on this quite quickly and next time we were out mention it. Hopefully this has done some good as they are nearly ready to walk to school on their own!

[Tkw2014]

We've taken our 2 out regularly walking etc, and I think just doing it regularly and reinforcing the rules every time is the best thing to do. My son (nearly 4) now stops automatically and gets off his bike/scooter and waits for me to cross the road.