School-age safety: what to expect

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Although they are becoming more physically adept, school-age kids are still likely to have falls – from climbing higher, balancing more and riding faster than they could when they were younger. In fact, children aged five to nine have the highest hospitalisation rate for falls. When they're older (10 and over), children are more likely to go to hospital after a fall from their wheels – bikes, skateboards, scooters and roller blades.

Older children may have a good grasp of safety and road rules, but they will still need you to remind them of road rules and to cross roads with them until they are at least 10.

School-age children also forget safety rules occasionally, particularly when they can't resist the temptation of experimenting with things like liquids and fire.

Even though your child seems very capable now, it's still up to you to keep an eye on him, provide a safe play environment and remind him about safety.

The main areas to think about are:

• falls, including from bikes, scooters, skateboards and rollerblades, and at playgrounds
• poisoning
• drowning and other water-related injuries
• safety around cars
• burns and scalds.

Things you can do to keep your child safe

Around the house

• To prevent poisoning, keep everything that could hurt or poison your child out of reach. Lock up or get rid of any household items inside and outside that could poison him.
• To prevent cuts, keep everything sharp out of reach, either at the back of benches, or in drawers with child-resistant locks.
• To prevent burns, keep guards around fires and heaters, and keep reminding your child what is not safe to touch. Use the backburners on the stove. Turn pan handles towards the back of the stove. Keep kettles, teapots and cords for electric kettles and pans up on the bench, out of reach.
• To prevent falls, wipe up spills on floors, keep play areas clear of furniture or rugs that might cause tripping, and remind your child where he can safely run and climb, whether inside or outside.
• Avoid bunk beds until your child is nine or so, and make sure that younger children do not climb up and fall.

In and around water

• Make sure that an adult is always with your child when he's near water, whether it's at the beach, or at a friend's swimming pool.
• Now is a good time to teach your child the basics of swimming, rules for swimming safely (like ‘never go into the pool without telling me’), as well as what to do if he gets into trouble.
• Your school-age child isn’t old enough to look after a younger child near water or in the bath.

Out and about

• Now is the time to start building a lifetime of safe habits; teach your child about road safety and what to do in an emergency.
• Constantly reinforce safety around cars and, if you can, set up a safe play area in the backyard, fenced off from the driveway.
• Find a safe area such as your backyard or a park so that your child can learn how to ride bikes, scooters and other wheeled toys. Make sure he has the right safety helmets and protective wear such as elbow and kneepads for whatever activity he's into.
• Always take your child out of the car with you, even if you're only popping in to a shop for a moment. Leaving him in the car, even on an overcast day, is like leaving him in an oven.
• Look for playgrounds that give your child lots of challenging and safe new activities, and stay close to him as he tests his physical limits.

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