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

I've taught mine never to cross the road without holding a grown ups hand unless the grown up tells them it's okay to cross without.

Where we live it's rare a day goes by without someone driving past our house too fast so it's vitally important both children know to be careful. At 3 my dd does have a sense of danger but it needs to be drummed in every single day as they just forget most things and road safety is not something to be lapse about. Tell them the dangers. I actually showed my 9 year old some videos onine to impress how dangerous cars can be. Even at low speeds. Constant vigilance!!!

My DC have just had it drummed in to them that they hold my hand whilst crossing the road, or if we are on a narrow path.

We do have a fun song that we sing though.

Stop, look, listen and think, before you cross the street.
Use you eyes, use your ears, before you use your feet.

We also always wait for the green man whether there are any cars or not. We also get our daughter to tell us when she thinks it's clear so she is learning to assess the traffic.

Always wait for the green when when with your children even though it's clear and you could easily get across! Make stopping waiting and listening a thing that just happens without thinking we practice with traffic lights when we are driving, looking out for green lights to go and red to stop.
We also have a play road set up at home with cars and people so can talk about what to do in each situation.

We've taught them how to be safe near roads since they started walking. Well, we've tried to... eldest has ASD & no concept of risk around cars!

We always wait for the green man, cross at crossings where we can, and always, always hold hands/hold onto pushchair when crossing the road. I've started asking my 4yo dd what we need to do before we cross the road (stop, look, listen) but she's still a long way from being aware enough to be safe by herself.

I always teach the importance of the green cross code and ensure that we wait for the green man to appear before we cross, even if it does look clear.

Always wait for green man - even if I am not with my children in case other children are watching.

My children saw a poor pussy cat get hit by a car on the way home from school/nursery a couple of years ago. My son still remembers it and he is REALLY careful about crossing roads!

It's not ideal, it upset them both but they definitely learnt a lesson there :(

Holding hands to cross the road, staying close to the wall not the kerb on the pavement. Checking out for cars coming out of driveways. We always wait for the green man although other pedestrians don't always! I explain that those adults can chose to take the risk but my children are too precious. I often ask the children if we can cross and proactively get the, to check the road so they can take part in the decision making. With my eldest child (11yo) we discuss the direct the traffic can come from while we wait at the crossing.

Children follow our lead and learn from us so I'm always mindful to do as I was taught as a child, 'stop-look-listen' etc, basically the green cross code. I always make sure we wait for the green man when waiting at a crossing. As a parent, I believe the best way to teach your children is to practice what you preach.

I tell my children to always hold my hand and look both ways and/or wait for the green-man . To ignore the other people who are crossing when it is the red man.

Our LO is 3 & prone to run EVERYWHERE!! We live at the very end of a quiet estate, so very few cars up our end - this has meant he has been able to run around most of the time, but I'm not having to constantly stress that not all roads are quiet & it's really important to stay on the pavement, walk when you are anywhere near the road & hold Mummy or Daddy's hand. Stop at the crossing & wait for the green man(brilliant that they can press the button, makes it much more fun!) :)

Always look both directions when crossing the road

Me and my little 18-month old girl take our new puppy for a walk everyday on neighbouring streets, and I always instill the 'Stop, Look and Listen!' message at every road crossing. She is learning her Green Cross Code and shouts 'Carrrr!' every time a car comes as we're waiting to cross the road, :)

I verbalise it every time and often ask DS to help us cross by doing the same and telling us when it's safe.

Always check the road to make sure the traffic has stopped even if the green man is showing. Watch out for bikes. There are those who don't think the traffic lights apply to them.

Lead by example. Make a show of stop, look and listen so they see that you're doing it as well.

I am a lollipop lady, working in a London borough that (along with many others boroughs) was about to have its lollipop service cut completely.

Or at least it was until I went on a mission last month and got permission from the council, to approach local businesses to ask them to sponsor us.

Since the local newspaper and the BBC got involved, a few sponsors have come forward who were willing to stump up £6,000 per year - which is the cost to keep a lollipop patroller on a crossing, but we need at least another 24 sponsors so it's a onward battle.

My advice as both a parent and a lollipop lady, is to put your mobile phones away when crossing the road, and also to make sure your children get off of their bikes/scooters.

It only takes a second for them to shoot across, especially if they're on a scooter and you're preoccupied with the phone or other children.

Great to see Churchill taking this initiative. We've never needed lollipop people on our roads more than we do now, as schools are becoming more overcrowded and cars are becoming faster, with far more distractions inside them - such as sat navs/phones/computers etc.

"Hold a hand or hold the buggy" has been our mantra for road crossing.

But also from around 3, asking the child "do you think it's safe to cross?" Even if I'm still making the decision. Gets them in the habit early of looking themselves, not just relying on someone else checking.

I've taught my three kids to never cross roads without a grown up, but when we do cross roads together I make a point to stop look and listen with them all, even if it's obvious to me there's nothing coming, so they'll know what to do in the future. It won't be long before dd1 is going out to play on her own and just saying "don't cross roads without Mummy" won't really cut it as they get older! Best to warn of the risks and teach them to cross safely so they are armed with the skills when they need them.

Always use crossings - wait for the green man even if others don't.

Remind them to stop, look, listen; even at crossings.

Continue to look & listen as you cross the road, again even at crossings.

My DC are still quite young so I insist they hold my hand when crossing.

Once you're crossing a road, do not stop - keep going until you reach the other side, even if you drop something for example.

Look out for cyclists too.

Lead by example, cross in a safe place, look both ways, no running and get off scooters etc. as we cross.

I still use the old Stop, Look and Listen.

we practice with toy cars on a road rug