Defining The Word "Stranger" For Kids.

By Kelly Mayberry

One important topic that we want the parents and kids to be familiar with in the Addison, Carrollton and Farmers Branch community is knowing the meaning of strangers.With the goal of keeping kids safe Child care givers should teach kids the importance of understanding what strangers are.

What would you define a stranger as? Is a stranger who is kind or mean?

A stranger is anyone that a person doesn't know very well. It can be difficult to teach children who strangers are depending on the age of the child. Children under the age of 9 may not understand what a stranger really is they often imagine a stranger as a bad, scary man. It is important to stress with children, especially younger ones, that strangers are simply someone you don't know or someone you haven't met, and to actually get away from the word "stranger".

By defining a stranger in this way, immediate family and close friends are excluded, but friendly people like the mailman or the cashier at the supermarket are included. Some kids may think that strangers are big and weird looking or may have on strange clothes. But strangers are people that we don't know very well.

Is it safe to talk to Adults?

How does a child make the distinction between a stranger and a safe adult? Children can make the distinction not someone's looks, but by their behavior explains that there are lots of good people in the world, but there are some "tricky" people as well.

Teachers need to educate their students very specifically. For instance, when they are on a field trip they need to tell them specifically who is a safe adult and who is not. For example, it's okay to talk to the bus driver and answer his questions, but not necessarily an adult who comes up to you out of nowhere. Some adults may ask kids questions and tend not to be harmful but just to be safe kids should not talk to strangers without their parents or responsible adult around them. - 30527

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