For homes with children, it requires another layer of safety to keep the kids safe around electricity. With their curious fingers and imaginative minds, understanding the dangers of electricity may be a challenge. We’ve compiled a list of key points for parents who want to teach electrical safety to their children.
What you should say: Outlets are for plugs.
Remind your children to never insert their fingers, toys, or any object into outlets.
What you should do: You can’t be always on the lookout so to help them be extra safe, use outlet covers.
What you should say: Water and electricity don’t mix.
You can help them understand better if you explain this concept with concepts they’re interested in or already know. You can also use simple experiments to explain the concept of electricity and how it sometimes can be dangerous.
What you should do: Practice what you preach; keep electrical cords away from sinks and bathtubs and don’t touch electrical equipment with wet hands.
What you should say: Never pull on an electrical cord to plug an appliance.
Cords can be found everywhere in your house and is accessible to your children’s curious hands. After teaching your children about electricity, you can start discussing how to handle electricity related parts in your homes safely.
What you should do: Keep cords out of reach of children by avoiding running cords under rugs or furniture. Regularly check for damaged or frayed cords.
What you should say: Stop, look, and listen
Teach your kids how to handle electrical problems with stop, look, and listen.
Stop – keep away and do not approach the hazard.
Look – observe the situation carefully.
Listen – for instructions from adults.
What you should do: Make electrical safety a conversation to prepare them for any possible hazards they may encounter. Answer their questions honestly and patiently to help them better understand and assess such events better.
Why is this important?
Teaching your kids about electrical safety can help them develop lifelong safe and good habits around the electricity. For kids, being informed can help lessen their curiosity which helps with how they react and interact to anything related to electricity. Building such awareness and mindfulness can help prevent accidents, such as electrical shocks and burns, in your home and community.
Start your electrical safety conversations with your children at an early age. You can start with fun interactive videos and on hand activities such as experiments and crafts to keep them interested. This also helps you, as a parent, prepare yourself to what to expect and how to continually create a safe environment in your home.
