How to Encourage Safe Play This Year
Safety should always be your very first priority, and that includes when your child goes out to play. No matter how old your child is or how many you have, there are so many ways that you can stay on top of their safety so you can relieve just a little bit of that worry that comes along with caring for your child — which, as a loving parent, you’re going to do regardless. But it comes from a good place, and you can use that motivation to keep your child safe as they enjoy their days. Here are a few ways you can encourage safe play this year.
Use the Buddy System
This one can be an easy one to start out with, especially if you have more than one child. Having them look after one another can not only keep your little ones safe, but it can also help to build considerate habits in the future — of looking out for one another.
Use the Necessary Safety Gear
No matter where you’re playing, there’s usually at least some form of necessary safety gear involved in your activities. Whether your kids are riding bikes around the neighborhood, skateboarding or even just playing a sport, wearing a helmet and padding can be enough to shield your child from serious injuries.
Wash Your Hands
Safety doesn’t just mean safety against injury — it can also mean safety against illnesses and infections, which means washing hands is an important piece of keeping everyone safe. Try to make sure that you wash your hands thoroughly, properly and often in order to ward off germs as much as possible.
Stay Masked Up
Similar to the tip of regularly washing hands, staying masked up when necessary is an important part of staying safe, especially during the pandemic, and even during cold and flu season. Wearing a mask doesn’t just help protect you and your children, but it also helps to protect everyone around you. Masks can help you not spread Covid but getting a covid-19 Vaccine and wearing a mask will help stopping the spread of COVID and other infections as well, you can help maintain everyone’s safety.
Wear Sunscreen
Moving onto another form of safety entirely, it’s also important to protect your child’s skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Not only do sunburns hurt and irritate the skin, but they can actually cause lifelong damage. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you start putting on sunscreen when they’re young in order to keep the habit going for years to come.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can be a state that just creeps up on you, and this can be especially true for kids. If you are playing outside, it can be easy both to get dehydrated and to forget to drink water. In order to make sure that your kids stay hydrated, try to pack a water bottle so that you can all take sips no matter where you go. This can make it much easier to remember to drink water consistently.
Keep Supervision at All Times
Until your kiddos are truly old enough to be alone when they play, you should at least keep a lingering eye on them at all times. Even though some kids are more mature and they know what they’re doing, you never know what can happen in the moments when you walk away. Especially if your kiddos are playing with dangerous toys or playground equipment, or they like horsing around, it’s important that they remain supervised in case anything happens or they need your help.
Home by Dark
If you do happen to let your kids play outside on their own, having a curfew that keeps them home by dark can be a good way to make sure that they remain safe. Not only are there strangers to look out for at night, but having your kids run around in the dark can be a total safety hazard, so it’s important that you make sure you can keep your eye on them at all times.
Bundle Up
If you happen to be venturing out into the cold, it can be extremely important to make sure that everybody is wearing the proper protection. This means that when it gets chilly outside, make sure that everybody has a jacket, gloves, a scarf and anything else they might need to keep warm. This cannot only help with comfort and safety, but I can also help keep your children from getting sick.
How to Keep Your Kids Safe This Year
Your child’s safety should be your top priority, no matter what time of year it is or how old they are. It’s always important to make sure that they are wearing the proper protection on the outside and keeping protected in all other ways, as well. From the buddy system to making sure that you wash your hands, there are so many ways that you can make sure your child stays safe no matter what.
