Safety tips for children to follow during the holidays

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General Safety Tips:

  •  Stranger danger – It’s never a good idea to tell someone that you are home by yourself.
  • Ensure that all doors and windows are locked. If you get home and the door is open or a window is smashed, don’t peek inside, instead, go to a neighbor you trust for help.
  • If someone knocks on the door do not open for anyone that you do not know. If there is an intercom system ask parents to teach you how to use it and who to open for.
  • Ask parents to create an evacuation plan with you in case there is an emergency at home.
  • Do not share your holiday plans with anyone on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and BBM. Thieves can gain access to up-to-the-minute details through status updates and posts, allowing them to learn when the home is likely to be empty.
  • Don’t give your home address to any strangers or people you do not know well.
  • Never go out to meet anyone that you have spoken to on any social networks.
  • If you want to practice how to cook make sure you do it under adult supervision first, ask parents to go over the safety rules of the kitchen with you first.
  • In case of an emergency, like a fire or a sibling getting hurt. It is important that you ask your parents to draw up an “in case of emergency” list. It should have your address and home phone number as well as your parent’s numbers and work address. Also get trusted family members details.
  • When going out with friends, try not to wander by yourself. Let your parents know where you will be at all times and arrange to be fetched and dropped off at a safe public place.
  • If you are the mall always stay in groups. If someone tries to get you to leave with them. Scream and make the people around you aware of what is happening.
  • Keeping busy with homework, chores, and play can make your “home alone” time go quickly. If you find yourself getting bored you could try other ways to keep busy such as:

  1. Read a book or magazine

  2. Work on a hobby or try a new one

  3. Listen to music, sing or play an instrument

  4. Write a letter or email or phone a friend

  5. Write a story full of made-up adventures of your time alone at home, give it a happy ending.

Beach Safety Tips:

 

beach-flags

Beach Safety Tips:

  • When at the beach, it’s important that you stay visible to your family at all times. For younger children, memorise mum or dads number in case you get lost!
  • Before heading out to the beach, an amusement park or any public place that’s going to the be crowded, speak to your parents about the ground rules: no running off, staying insight, no swimming on your own, and definitely no talking to or walking off with strangers. Make sure that you have something to identify you and your parent’s number.
  • When you get to the beach, find out where the nearest information desk is and make sure you tell your parents that will be the common meeting spot if you get lost. If you’re at the beach, you can make the meeting spot at the lifeguard station, or anywhere that’s easily visible. Make sure you do not approach just any adult for help, but to wait at the designated meeting spot until a family member gets there.
  • At South Africa’s many beaches, you’ll find safety precautions on notice boards and, during the busy festive season, lifeguards are appointed to monitor and enforce beach safety procedures.
  • Remember that swimming is not permitted anywhere at the beach – flags are placed in the sand near the water’s edge to show which areas are safe for swimming. It’s very important to only swim between these flags, as swimmers can be caught in rip currents outside of designated areas and find themselves in trouble.
  • Beaches in many parts of the country don’t have shark nets, and bathers need to be aware of this. At selected beaches, there are dedicated “shark spotters” and flags are put up daily to indicate the presence of sharks. This is what the different coloured flags indicate:

  1. A green flag means the water is clear and no sharks have been spotted.

  2. A black flag means that the water is too murky for the spotters to see anything.

  3. A red flag means that a shark has been spotted on that day, but is no longer visible to spotters.

  4. A white flag with a black shark means a shark has been sited and you should not be in the water.