Rules your kid needs to follow in the playground
When kids look at a playground, they see these: swings that are slightly scary, tall slides that are even more fun if you climb them from the wrong end, monkey bars that let you hang upside down, tunnels that are perfect for hide and seek.
When parents (or more accurately, mothers) look at the same playground, they see slightly different details: the slide’s rusty bottom is a tetanus shot waiting to happen, the swings have no safety harness for toddlers, the big boy hogging the hanging bridge needs to be given a good talking-to, that suspicious-looking man has been sitting at that bench for a long time already.
Letting kids loose in playgrounds, given how differently children see things, is a nail-biting exercise many parents go through. Thankfully, there are rules that can help push away accidents and dangerous situations when children play. Parents just need to lay these down firmly.
No roughhousing on the equipment.
“Safe playground equipment and adult supervision are extremely important, but it’s only half of the equation,” says KidsHealth. “Kids must [also] know how to be safe and act responsibly at the playground.”
This means, no roughhousing on any playground equipment, pushing is off limits, as well as climbing on guardrails and standing on swings (no matter how extremely fun they are to do).
Play fair.
Winning feels fantastic, and every kid who ever won at a game knows it. Unfortunately, it’s in the self-centered nature of young kids to do what it takes to win—even if they have to step on some little toes to do it.
Teach your kids to play fair by following rules, respecting the other players, and being a good loser if they do lose. Raising Children Network said it right in its article, Fair Play for Children: “Letting your child win all the time can make it harder for him to learn that he won’t always win in the real world.”
Take turns.
A huge leap from the simultaneous play these tech-savvy kids are used to today, taking turns has to make a comeback. According to Growing Creative Kids, “Learning how to take turns is very important. Besides learning patience…taking turns also teaches you communication skills, how to listen, even how to negotiate and compromise.”
So teach your child how to line up at the slide, show her how to wait for her turn at the swings. Kids younger than two won’t have a complete grasp of this concept yet; but you can start easing in the lessons now.
Keep your hands on the playground equipment, not in your mouth.
Children, because of their zero regard for personal hygiene, are major carriers of germs, which they will spread everywhere they go, including playgrounds. Explain to your child, without scaring them unnecessarily about diseases and dying, that it’s very easy for germs to get into their body through their mouth. So they should never put their hands in their mouth (and incidentally, neither should they lick the equipment or eat any rocks).
Don’t leave the playground with anyone except for whoever you came to the playground with.
Despite statistics generally saying abductions by strangers is rare, stay on the safe side and drive home your stranger danger rule. Remember that toddlers and younger kids won’t understand what a stranger is, so start from the very basic.
Ziba Kashef, in her article, “How to Talk to Your Child about Strangers” on BabyCenter, says you need to come up with a game plan that you should run by your child in case you get separated. say, “If you lose Mommy in the grocery store [or in the playground], go to where we pay for things [or approach a policeman or security guard] and tell them you’re lost, tell them your name and don’t move from that spot until I come to get you.”
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