Our topic today is Safety. Can anyone tell me what they think safety means?
What are some of the rules you follow at school to Stay Safe? How about at home?
Let’s take a look at this picture. What do you think is happening here?
What prevents this from happening? (Street signs, traffic lights, etc.). It is called the rules of the road. Those rules are designed to keep us safe.
There are rules that are designed to keep us safe in other ways too and we are going to discuss some of them together.
How about if there was a fire in the building? What are the rules you follow in the school when this happens? (discuss the rules)
Ok now forget the rules for a second and let’s talk about how it feels if you see a fire. (Handout the feelings worksheet and do it together with the group)
Why are we talking about our feelings in a talk about keeping ourselves safe? (let the kids answer).
The reason it is so important to listen to our feelings is that our feelings help to tell us about the situation we are in, if it’s safe or not safe. If we are feeling happy, comfortable, or relaxed, then we are probably safe. However, if we are feeling sad, scared, or uncomfortable, we are probably not safe.
*Important: Discuss the feeling of being confused or mixed up (hand out the confused/mixed up worksheet). Discuss having 2 feelings at the same time. Ex. My mother didn’t let me go to the party my friends were going to. I love my mother, but I am angry with her.
Group 1: what kinds of things are scary for kids? Is it okay to feel afraid? Is it ever not ok? How do people act when they don’t want to admit that they are afraid?
Group 2: what kinds of emotions or feelings do you have on a typical day? Which are the hardest ones to show and why?
Group 3: discuss being confused or mixed up. What is that like? Give some examples. Why is this one of the most difficult feelings to discuss?
Group 4: why do you think it might be harmful to keep your feelings to yourself or hidden? What could happen? What is the benefit of sharing your feelings?
After they have done this have each group make a list of “helpers” that are available to kids when they need to talk or need help with something. Ask them to describe times when they’ve used these helpers.
These helpers that we use can be our trusted adults. It is important to have trusted adults in our lives that we can turn to for anything. (have the kids think of 5 adults that they can talk to about anything)
Explain that each child will go home with a trusted adult chart to fill in. They should review it with their caregiver and decide together who should be on that chart.
1. You want to make sure not only to put people that are in your family but also at least one or two people you trust outside the home. A teacher or nurse can be a trusted adult in school and can be put on your safety chart.
2. You need to make sure that the trusted adults you pick are all old enough to drive a car, so you won’t be able to put down your best friend in school. Although you like to share your feelings with your friend and your friend even makes you feel better when you are feeling sad, your friend won’t be able to really help you figure out how to deal with your feelings or what to do next time. You may choose to tell your friend about what happened, but make sure to also tell a trusted adult on your chart.
3. Always remember that if you go to tell a trusted adult on your chart, but you don’t feel that person is really listening or providing you with the help you need, you can go tell another adult on your chart. You have to keep telling until you feel heard and you get help.
4. What if someone on your Safety chart is no longer an adult you want to have on your chart? Or you don’t feel that you trust them any longer, or you put your teacher from this year, but next year you have a new teacher you want to put on? Can you change the Adults on the chart? YES! Your Safety chart is yours so you can change the adults on your chart whenever you need to.
Have students write in their journals in lesson 1.
