Walk Safely to Childcare
8 ways to teach your early learner about road safety.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Parenting is a journey, and although there’s personal growth involved, there’s also lots of actual journeying!
Shopping trips, playground excursions and family holidays will get you on the move, and once your little one starts at childcare, there’s the regular commute to and from your early learning service.
A lot of this family journeying will be done on foot, so it’s super important to teach your under-five about road safety, and the Pedestrian Council of Australia has some tips to help you do this.
Here are eight ways to instil good pedestrian habits in your pre-schooler, and keep them safe as they navigate our busy, beepy, bitumeny world.
1. Always model the correct road safety behaviour
Your child learns by watching you and copying what you do, so it’s really important that you’re a model pedestrian (and driver).
Standing back from the road when waiting to cross, never jay-walking and watching for pedestrians when you’re behind the wheel are three ways to model good road safety behaviour.
You can also show your pre-schooler a road-safe approach when playing with toy cars, dolls and teddies at home.
2. Always hold your child’s hand in traffic situations
Your child needs to be holding your hand (or another grown-up’s hand) when they’re on a footpath or in a car park, and this is the rule from the time they can walk, till they’re eight-years-old.
The Pedestrian Council of Australia then explains that all children under the age of 10 need to hold an adult’s hand when crossing the road, and they must always be actively supervised around traffic.
3. Teach your child what to hold onto if you don’t have a hand free
If you’re pushing another child in a pram, and don’t have a spare hand as you cross the road, then make sure your pre-schooler knows to hold onto the pram handle or strap and walk along with you.
Also, no matter how fast you rush out the door, it’s really important that your younger child is safely strapped into their pram, with their harness clicked in properly.
4. Show your under-five how to safely cross the road
This means using pedestrian crossings and teaching your pre-schooler to wait for the little green person to flash at traffic lights, or teaching them how to look right, left, then right again, before stepping out slowly but surely onto a zebra crossing.
5. Teach your child to ‘Stop! Look! Listen! Think!’ every time they cross the road
These four words will make them aware of what’s happening and what might happen, and with this mantra in mind, your pre-schooler will be much less inclined to dart out into the traffic for that lost ball, or run across the road to see their friend.
6. Make your child aware of the vehicles in their vicinity
Bikes, scooters, cars, vans, trucks and buses can pick up speed quickly or appear in places you don’t expect, so teach your under-five that vehicles may move into their area.
For example, if you see a vehicle that’s about to reverse in a car park or parking space, you could say, “That light means the car is about to go backwards, so we’d better stay out of its way.”
And if there’s a bus, the Pedestrian Council of Australia says your child should be taught to always wait until it’s gone, then use a safe place to cross the road.
7. Put your child in well-fitting shoes
Loose laces and badly sized shoes can be a trip hazard when your little one is crossing the road, especially if they’re new to the whole walking thing, so it’s important that your under-five’s shoes have dependable fasteners, grippy soles and other pedestrian-safe features.
There are lots of good designs to choose from, and if you’re not sure which shoes to get, have a read of this KindiCare article, because it contains top tips from a paediatric podiatrist.
8. Share some books about road safety
Picture books are a really great way to teach your little one about the world and normalise new experiences, like starting childcare.
And when it comes to road safety, there are several titles you can explore, including This is How We Stay Safe for ages 3+ and That’s the Sound the Street Makes, for ages 4+.
All of the above actions will help to keep your little one safe when they go to big school, and on that front, it’s good to know that 16 May 2025 is National Walk Safely to School Day.
This annual community event promotes road safety, health, public transport and the environment, and loads of primary schools are getting on board.
So, look out for all those pedestrians before and after school, and make sure every day is a safe-walking day!
