The toughest thing about being a parent is when your child gets to the point they need to be more self-sufficient and independent. Encouraging our children to be more aware of their surroundings is all to do with the things that we put in place.
It can be incredibly overwhelming to let our children into the big wide world, for example, crossing the road by themselves for the first time or letting them play in a park by themselves for a longer period of time than normal. When it comes to awareness, specifically situational awareness, ensuring you put the foundations in place will make a significant impact on you and your child. What are the things you need to remember?
Teach Safety Strategies
When your children are out and about by themselves, you will feel safe in the knowledge that you’ve armed your children with a multitude of tactics to navigate the world around them. A very good example would be when they are crossing the road.
It’s easy for us to shelter our children and not let them cross the road without us being right next to them, as we can easily get cold feet about it all- we hear so many horror stories about children that didn’t pay attention crossing the road or the sheer number of injury lawyer claims that involve kids, but this is why you need to know what the problems are, and come up with actionable solutions so you and your child can solve them together.
Practice!
It is not just about letting them out into the big wide World after just giving them the tools, but the best thing we can do is to practice. Letting them walk a couple of steps ahead of you so you are able to reach out should something occur when crossing the road or giving them simple reminders of safety tips they need to remember are all little things that will offer them those foundations.
We have to remember that it’s not about just letting them loose- if we allow them to practise to the point that it becomes a habit, you can observe the parts of their awareness where they could benefit from fine-tuning.
Communicate
Simple, yet effective, you should get to the point where you and your child can communicate effectively if there is something you or they are concerned about. If they have any questions about how to cross the road safely or if they should speak to a certain type of stranger like in the supermarket, being open and receptive will ensure they feel they can come to you if there’s anything they’re not sure of. This is why it’s so important for us not to be unnecessarily militant and ban them from doing something, but let them assess the situation based on their own perceptions. When we help our children become more aware of their surroundings, this encourages them to be more confident and ensures that, over time, they can approach any situation with a level head.
