FAST Defense: 10 Safety Tips for Children

1. Don’t look like an easy victim. Present assertive, self-confident body language and eye contact, not passive, not aggressive behavior.
2. Know your numbers. Memorize important phone numbers, address, and practice how to make phone calls from a payphone.
3. Have a Password, and family strategies for being home alone and answering the phone, and the door.
4. Never go anywhere with a strange adult or child. Also, never go anywhere with anyone you do know without your parent’s permission.  The above password can help when a child is being collected etc.
5. Have a strategy for getting lost. Empower your children to practice designating “safe places” like a store clerk or security station whenever you go shopping or to other places.
6. Know your neighborhood and other common routes. Designate safe places to go to in an emergency, (a neighbor’s house, store, etc…).
7. Never accept anything from a stranger. Always trust your guts whenever anything feels funny to you, and be on alert!
8. Fire Proof Your Children. Work out an escape plan and basic fire strategies.
9. Unwanted Touch. No one has the right to touch a child in a way that feels uncomfortable. Empower children to say “No” to an adult or another child in this situation.
10. 10.Teamwork Rocks! There is safety in numbers. Watch out for your friends and each other. Report anything strange that happens, to your parents, a teacher, or principal. NO Secrets!