How to teach safety skills to children?
How to teach safety skills to children, including knowledge items, behavioral skills, & value orientations.
OWN BODY
Your body is your own and you have the right to decide about your body.
This is my own body!
BODY PARTS
You can touch your body yourself. It is all good.
All places and body parts have names. They are all good, important and equal parts. All places are as good and as beautiful. All bodies are as good and as beautiful and equal.
SAY NO!
If somebody is coming near to you or touching you, and you don’t want him/her to come near or touch you, you can say “No, don’t touch me!”
You have to learn to say it loud and strong and lift your hand in front: “No, don’t touch me!” (Some children only cross their hands over chest to say no and it doesn’t work, it’s an instinct).
You can say to a friend; girl; boy; anybody; “No, don’t touch me!”
You can say to a small child
You can say to a big people “No, don’t touch me!”
Big people are far away. They don’t hear you well. You have to say very loud and strong “No, don’t touch me!” and show with your hand.
SWIMSUIT RULE
In your body, there are special own and special valuable, important places.
They are the places under your swimsuit.
You can touch them. Nobody else can.
SAFETY SPACE
You have got your very own safety space!
If you put your hand straight in front of you and rotate around. This is your own safety space.
You know even when eyes are closed, or in dark, where your safety space is.
Your safety space is all around your body.
Your safety space is all that area, over you, under your legs, behind you, and everywhere!
PROTECT AND DECIDE OF YOUR SAFETY SPACE
If somebody comes near you, inside your safety space, you can say:
No, don’t touch me!”
If you want and like somebody, you can let him/her to come close and inside your safety place. Ask first if she/he wants to be near or hug you and respect “No”! And if you stop liking what he/she does, you can say: “No, don’t touch me!”
3 STEP RULE
If it happens that you get afraid, someone comes too near or touches you, you can always do the three step rule:
Say “No”, go away, and tell to an adult you trust.
How was it, the three step rule? Say “No!”, go away, and tell to an adult you trust.
Because your body is valuable. Everyone’s bodies are valuable.
If someone else says “No don’t touch me” you say OK and you must obey!
Raisa Cacciatore, Finland 20.2.2018
See the poster Safety skills and your body in English, in Estonian, in Swedish, in Finnish, in Russian, in Arabic, in Northern Sami, in Skolt Sami and Inari Sami languages.