From BZ/dpa
It’s still summer vacation time. But it is better for parents and children to get together in good time before school starts. Because practicing is the order of the day before the youngsters go to school alone for the first time.
The serious side of life begins with school? Well, it won’t be that bad. However, there are many dangers lurking on the way there.
When can parents send their children to school alone? And do you prepare your child best? The traffic educator Josef Weiß from the German traffic police gives tips.
When do I know that my child can walk to school alone?
The following questions will help parents in their decision: Do I trust my child to walk alone? Does it focus well on traffic, or is it still very easily distracted? Does it stick to previous agreements? Does it know how to behave properly in unforeseen situations – construction site, traffic light failure, cycle path blocked and so on?
And finally: How does my child behave in a group with children of the same age?
So does it pay attention or does it just run with you? If in doubt: Follow them at a distance and observe how the child behaves.
If the child wants to go alone and the parents can say everything is okay at the points mentioned, then they can let the child go alone. You are welcome to go along at the beginning and only let it go the last piece alone.
But it also depends on the way to school – how dangerous is it?
If, for example, there are huge crossings, first-graders will soon be overwhelmed and should still be accompanied by adults. But there are also ways to school that are not particularly dangerous, so you can of course let the children go earlier on their own.
When and how do parents best train their way to school?
Parents are initially asked to find a way to school that avoids the most dangerous places possible. The shortest route is not always the safest, but it must not be too long. You can also ask the schools, there are maps that will help.
And then they practice the way by walking several times. We recommend five to ten practice sessions.
It is very important that danger points such as crossings or driveways are discussed with the child one after the other. Children at the age of five or six cannot yet transfer what they have just learned to other situations. So they really learn at this specific traffic light, at this specific roundabout, and do not yet have the opportunity to abstract enough to transfer what they have learned to the next roundabout. Then you have to do it all over again.
It is best to start training early. It should take place as realistically as possible, i.e. at times when the children will later make their way to school.
Because Sunday afternoon is simply a different traffic situation than in the rush hour in the morning before school.
Just switch roles in between. So: You walk the way to school and the child goes ahead and explains what we do and why. Then they see relatively quickly: If it knows where the dangers are, it can deal with them. That’s a test then.
What are typical mistakes parents make and how can it be improved?
One thing is: parents are – whether they like it or not – role models for their children. This means that I should always behave in such a way that my child behaves the same way.
I can still explain so much to the child: stop at the red traffic light. Then, if I’m in a hurry and run through the red light with the child by the hand, the child will behave the same way in a similar situation.
The other point are the so-called parent taxis. Most elementary schools complain about problems with parents’ taxis, which cause a lot of chaos and traffic in front of the schools in the morning and hinder and endanger other children.
We strongly advise against driving children to school. It is healthier when the child walks, also it gets so much more useful experience in traffic. And it’s better for the environment too.
But if you do have to drive it, many towns and communities now have pick-up and drop-off zones where parents can safely let their children out. They are usually 300 or 400 meters away from the school in order to avoid significantly increased traffic in the vicinity of the school. Then children can at least walk the last part alone.