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School-age safety: what to expect

By school age, children are well coordinated, and keen to try out new physical skills and adventures. Many children are learning to swim and riding a bike without training wheels.

Your child seems very capable now he’s at school. But he still needs you to keep an eye on him, provide a safe play environment, and remind him about safety.

Safety around the house

Although school-age children are more aware of safety than younger children, they still forget safety rules occasionally. This often happens when they can’t resist the temptation of experimenting with things like liquids and fire.

To prevent poisoning, keep everything that could hurt or poison your child out of reach. Lock up or get rid of any household items that could poison your child.
To prevent cuts, keep everything sharp out of reach. Put sharp objects at the back of benches, or in drawers with child-resistant locks.
To prevent burns and scalds, keep guards around fires and heaters. 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. Also keep reminding your child about what is not safe to touch
To prevent falls, wipe up spills on floors, and keep play areas clear of furniture or rugs that might cause tripping. Remind your child where she can safely run and climb, whether inside or outside.
Avoid bunk beds until your child is nine or so. Make sure that younger children do not climb up and fall.

Keep some first aid essentials handy in your house, and a list of emergency numbers by the phone.

Safety in and around water

You can help your child have safe fun with water, and protect him from drowning:

A grown-up should always be with your child when your child is near water, whether it’s at the beach or at a swimming pool (including a friend’s or relative’s pool).
Teach your child the basics of swimming and rules for swimming safely. For example, say to your child, ‘Never go into the pool without telling me’.
Make sure your child knows what to do if she gets into trouble in the water.
Make sure you know about swimming pool safety.
Note that your school-age child isn’t old enough to look after a younger child near water or in the bath.
Keep your CPR skills up to date.

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You can also print out our handy illustrated guide to performing child CPR.

Safety out and about

Although they are becoming more physically skilled and confident, school-age kids are still likely to have falls. They want to climb higher, balance more and ride faster than they could when they were younger.

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.

Keep your child safe while he tries out his new physical abilities and interests:

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 your child has the right safety helmets and protective wear such as elbow and kneepads for whatever activity she’s into.
Look for playgrounds that give your child lots of challenging and safe new activities. Stay close to him as he tests his physical limits.

Supervision is still the best protection for your child. But it’s handy to know some basic first aid skills too.

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Safety in and around cars

Older children might 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.

Now is the time to start building a lifetime of safe car habits:

Teach your child about road safety and what to do in an emergency.
Constantly tell your child about pedestrian safety. If you can, set up a safe play area in the backyard, fenced off from the driveway.
Older children can still benefit from using car restraints. Consider whether these might be appropriate for your child.
Be aware of other guidelines for keeping children safe in cars. For example, always take your child out of the car with you, even if you’re popping into a shop only for a moment. Leaving your child in the car, even on an overcast day, is like leaving her in an oven.