Street smarts for young children

Your child can recite the alphabet, put on his own coat, maybe even write his name. So surely he can learn how to safely cross the street alone, right? Wrong. "It's impossible for kids under 10 to negotiate traffic and the pedestrian environment appropriately," says Angela Mickalide, Ph.D., program director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. "Studies have shown that, developmentally, kids this age really cannot judge the distance of an oncoming car, the speed at which it's traveling, and how long it will take them to cross the street. More kids ages five through nine die of pedestrian injuries than in car crashes." She recommends that children under 10 always cross with an adult and confine their bike riding and in-line skating to sidewalks and driveways.

Still, there are some street-safety rules that even little kids can absorb-though they should always be supervised.

Ages two through four

Toddlers and young preschoolers struggle with controlling their impulses. "They might understand the rules, but their attention span is short and they are easily distracted," says Phyllis Sonnenschein, Ed.D., a developmental psychologist in Boston specializing in parent-child relationships and a professor at Wheelock College. "If they see a puppy across the street, their impulse may take over and they'll run after it." An adult should always supervise young children's play, and take the following precautions:

Walk on the sidewalk, not in the street.

Teach your child never to chase a ball or other items that roll into the street.

If your kids must play in the driveway, consider placing a removable barrier-such as a string or safety net-to block off the entrance from cars.-"Visual cues help kids a lot," says Sonnenschein.

Teach your children who can help them cross the street safely-and who can't (like a nine-year-old sister).

Buy reflective tape and apply to clothing for walking at night.

Ages five and six

By ages five and six, kids have achieved some impulse control and can hold onto rules more effectively. Sonnenschein suggests implementing a sequential training process to prepare kids for ultimately navigating the streets on their own. "At five, from time to time you can hold your child's hand halfway across the street and then let go and walk right next to him the rest of the way."

Some information to convey to them as well:

Never enter the street from between parked cars or behind bushes. "Kids are too short for drivers to see," explains Mickalide.

Before crossing, stop, look left, right, and left again.

Never walk in the dark without an adult.

A red light means stop, green means walk.

Ages seven and up

"If parents have put energyinto teaching and training their kids from ages two through six, then by seven they will start to bear the fruit in the sense that kids will have begun to develop good safety habits," says Sonnenschein. Still, Mickalide stresses that it is easy to become overly confident in your own children. "It's a common mistake for parents to think their kids are smarter or more mature than they are," she says.

At around age seven, kids also begin to understand the concept of danger and that behavior has consequences. "It comes from being able to see that cars do go fast and from overhearing information about accidents on the radio or television," says Sonnenschein. "Plus, by now most children have ridden in a car that has stopped short or almost hit something."

Continue to reinforce the basic rules of the road for younger children while expanding the sequential training process. At ages seven or eight, occasionally walk next to your child while crossing without holding his hand the entire way. Take it step-by-step and by age 11, he should feel comfortable crossing on his own.

Safety on bikes, trikes, and skates

When your child is the one on wheels-whether he's two and riding a Big Wheel or six and getting his first bike, these rules apply:

Helmets must be worn at all times.

Parents should check all equipment periodically to make sure it fits properly and is in good working order.

In-line skaters must wear helmets, knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards.

A tall flag should be placed on tricycles if small kids are riding in the driveway so drivers can see them.