Family Safety Night: An Evening to Connect and Have Fun

Empower your family with a fun night of safety!

 

First, gather the items listed below to use during your Family Safety Night: 

The whole family     Set the tone: When you talk to your kids about safety, it doesn't have to be scary... it can be fun! Food - Order in so everyone's focus is on the information and not the preparation OPTIONAL: Make a child ID kit.

Once you have all these items, you are ready to have a fun night of learning about safety, gathering invaluable information and connecting as a family.

Topics to Discuss on your Family Safety Night:

1. Home Safety – Ask some basic questions about safety in your home to make sure everyone has the same information. You can even make a game out of it. Ask questions like: Where is the first aid kit and the fire extinguisher? Where do we meet when there is severe weather?

 

2. Personal Safety – Remind your children that they are special and deserve to be safe. Reinforce the message that if they are ever in a situation or with a person who makes them feel uncomfortable or afraid they should immediately talk to a parent or other trusted adult. With small children we often label this as the “uh-oh” feeling. Play some “What If” games to make this loaded topic seem less scary. “What if we were separated in a store?” “What if someone asked you to keep a secret from your parent?”

3. Online Safety – Make a list of the online rules that your family agrees to follow. Go online to www.jwrc.org and to www.netsmartz.org  to get additional information and games about staying safe online.

4. Five Trusted Adults – Make a list of five trusted adults outside your immediate family your children could call in case of an emergency or if they needed to talk about a problem. Let your children call the different adults to ask if they would be willing to be on a contact list. Post the phone numbers of the five adults next to the phone. If the children are older, add the numbers to their cell phones.

 

5. Personal ID Kit - This is optional. You can use our printable ID kit, with instructions, and some common household items. Remember that the most important piece is a recent photo, which is invaluable in missing persons investigations.

Click here to download/print PDF  handout.