If your child is anything like mine, then recess and physical education are highly coveted activities at school. This is a great time during the school day for your child to get moving and burn some energy, but it can also be a time when injuries can happen. Actually, accidents and injuries can happen in school at any time! Keeping your children safe and injury free is a top priority for both parents and school personnel, and there are many things that we can do to help keep our kids safe and injury free.
Here are 6 tips that can help your child be injury free at school:
Closed toe shoes:
I am always surprised when I see kids at my daughter’s school wearing flip flops and sandals. According to a recent study, foot injuries are one of the most reported injuries at elementary school. Kids often step on one another’s feet on accident, and when one is wearing open toed shoes, that could cause major problems. You can prevent many foot injuries by sending your child to school with closed toe shoes such as tennis or athletic shoes, or casual shoes. Keep the sandals and the flip flops for out of school wear.
Clothing free of hanging straps or strings:
My daughter loves to wear fab clothes to school, but I make sure that they are fab without all the extra. I don’t send her to school with clothing that has hanging straps or strings, which often get caught in doors, chairs, and other items. Also, if your child isn’t good yet at tying their shoes, try sending them to school in Velcro strapped shoes, or ones that don’t requiring tying.
Safety Talk:
Discuss safety with your kids. Let them know that it is important for them to act in a safe manner at all times, and especially at school. Things like “keep your hands to yourself”, “no hitting or heavy horesplay” and other like activities can go a long way in helping to curtail injuries and accidents.
Appropriate clothing and/or shoes:
Know your child’s schedule and send them to school in clothing that is appropriate for that day. For instance, on days my daughter has P.E., I send her in athletic shoes and I don’t let her wear skirts or dresses since she will be running and doing a lot of physical activity. The school operates on A, B, C, and D days, so each day, I know what activities are taking place at school. This helps a lot to ensure she is properly dressed and safe for the day’s events.
KidGuard:
KidGuard Student Insurance is an insurance plan offered at many schools that covers children while they are at school. It’s a low cost insurance program that insures your child should they be involved in an accident while on the school grounds or during a school sponsored activity, including sports programs. The cost is as little as $15.00 for the school year and can be used in conjunction with your already existing insurance. Contact your school to see if they offer KidGuard insurance, or visit the KidGuard website.
Playground Rules:
You and your child should know the playground and recess rules at your school, and you should go over these rules with your child often to insure that they are behaving and acting in a safe manor. My daughter’s playground includes no running on the black top, no pushing, no jumping off of the swings, no climbing on the slide, etc.
No matter what we do as parents, accidents will happen at school. But if we create some preventative measures at home, it can help them experience less injuries and accidents.
What are some things you do as a parent to help keep your child injury free at school?
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