(En inglés)
Action 8. Model Safe Behaviors
Children learn from watching and interacting with the adults in their lives. Everyone benefits when managers, staff, and families follow safety practices. When you know and follow your safety related policies, you help your children see, repeat, and practice the safe behaviors that you are modeling.
Talk to children about why we have safety rules. When taking a walk with the children, talk about the ways you are staying safe. When you come to an intersection, talk about holding hands, looking both ways, and crossing the street only when an adult says it is safe. By talking and doing, you create a positive association with the experience and a lasting memory for children to draw upon when they find themselves in that situation again.
At mealtime, talk about why it is safer to be seated. Take small bites of food and chew slowly to model safe eating behaviors. When you follow the proper steps to wash your hands, and explain what you are doing, you show children the right way to wash their hands so they can be healthy and safe.
Model ways to help children learn how to judge what is safe. Explain when to use walking feet and when it is okay to run, so children learn to move around their play areas safely. Teach them not to leave toys in a walking area where someone may trip. When playing outside, wear a hat to block the sun and drink enough water to show children and their families how to be safe outdoors.
One way to model safety practices for families, is to talk about how to look for and eliminate hazards using a safety checklist. You can also help them get safety equipment like gates and cabinet locks to prevent injuries at home. Your conversations with other staff members are another chance to model safe behaviors for children and adults.
When you are preparing to scan and count children before going to the playground, talk out loud about why you're counting and checking the classroom to be sure that no child is left behind. Keeping open lines of communication with coworkers supports a learning culture that encourages people to speak up if they have a safety concern.
In a culture of safety, we embrace every chance to model the safe behaviors we want to see in children, families, and each other.
Los niños aprenden observando e interactuando con los adultos de sus vidas, y todos se benefician cuando los gerentes, el personal y las familias siguen las prácticas de seguridad.
Este video explora cómo el hecho de mostrar comportamientos seguros en una cultura de seguridad es una parte importante de las relaciones positivas y enriquecedoras que el personal y las familias establecen con los niños bajo su cuidado (video en inglés).
