LIFESTYLE NEWS - An incident in KwaZulu-Natal where a five-year-old boy was dropped off by a taxi driver at the side of the road and was unable to give any information about where he lived or who his parents were, led to conversations on social media regarding the right age to teach a child what to do if they get lost.
Many of the people commenting on the picture had conversations about the right age to teach a child his address and parent’s contact details.
Below are some tips on teaching a child what to do if they get lost:
Your full name
Make sure your child knows your full name. You can start teaching them, then test them every day until they know it off by heart.
Teach your child your cell number and their home address using a song
By age four or five, your child’s memorisation skills are good enough to learn your cellphone number. The best way to help kids memorise your cell number and address is through song. Choose a tune they like and create a song using their address and your cellphone number.
Practise calling you on an actual phone
Your child can memorise your number by learning the numbers on the keypad of a real phone. Once or twice a day, give them a phone and keep practising how to dial your number and call you, using the song as your basis.
Other strategies to put in place if your kids ever get lost
- Put stickers with your child’s address and your contact number inside their book covers.
- Get an identification bracelet with your details engraved on it if they travel alone.
- Place a sticker inside the bag with your child’s details (make sure their name is not outside the bag).
Read the full article here on the Caxton publication, The Citizen
