How to ensure your children’s safety during the summer holiday

Mother helping daughter zip up life jacket before playing in river on summer afternoon

It’s no news that the summer holiday is here and it is an opportunity for parents, especially those who have their children in boarding houses to spend quality time with their wards.

Contents

1. Keep them with trusted relatives or neighbours 2. Don’t leave them alone 3. Keep them engaged 4. Keep all sharp objects away 5. Take a leave 6. Gives rules 7. No visitor should be allowed in your absence

Even as we plan on making the best out of this holiday with our children, it is also important that we ensure that their safety is guaranteed.

The need to ensure the safety of our children during this summer break cannot be overemphasized. In our society today, cases of kidnapping, rape and some other vices have become prevalent.

Therefore, it is important to put in our best effort in ensuring our children’s safety while they are at home with us.

To ensure the safety of our children while on the summer holiday, below are steps to be taken by parents.

1. Keep them with trusted relatives or neighbours

As working parents, it is expected of us to guarantee our children’s safety during the summer holiday while at work. Thus, if you have trusted relatives around, you can allow your children to spend the weekdays with them while you come for them during the weekends. Alternatively, you can keep them with trusted neighbours while you go to work.

2. Don’t leave them alone

Children become vulnerable to danger when they are left alone, especially during this summer break. So, wherever you want to go while your children are at home during this break, take them along even if is just down the road. Always ensure that your children are within your reach and do not lose sight of them no matter how busy you can get during this summer break.

3. Keep them engaged

An idle mind is said to be the devil’s workshop. During this holiday, try your possible best to keep your children engaged. You can enrol them in summer classes, learning of skills or even playing of video games. When your kids are occupied with one activity or the other, the chances of getting into danger are reduced.

4. Keep all sharp objects away

For guardians or parents with children below 10 years, it is important you keep all sharp objects away. Every item at home that you know may cause any hazard should be taken from the reach of these children. When the kitchen is not in use, ensure it is locked to avoid children having unrestricted access to it.

5. Take a leave

For parents working in organisations where they are given annual leave, if possible, they can schedule their leave to be during the children’s summer holiday. This is in order to have adequate time to watch over their wards.

6. Gives rules

Another means of ensuring the safety of our children during the summer holiday is by giving them rules to guide their conduct while at home. For children older than four years, a list of rules should be created which must be strictly adhered to and punishment must be meted out to anyone who defaults on any of the rule.

7. No visitor should be allowed in your absence

Whenever you are not at home with your children during this break, ensure that they do not allow any visitors in. You can come up with a secret code that is only known to you and your children, such that if anyone knocks without saying the secret code such individuals no matter who they are to the family will not be allowed in your absence.

During this summer holiday, the safety of your children should be of paramount importance to you and you should put in your best efforts to ensure that their safety throughout the break is highly guaranteed.

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