Teaching Stranger Danger: Activities for Preschoolers

Teaching preschoolers about stranger danger is a scary topic for young children to learn. It is often confusing for them to understand people may want to hurt them. There are many activities you can use to present the information to students in an easy to understand and non-threatening way. One activity involves using role playing for them to practice what they have learned about strangers.

Objectives/Concepts Taught

When teaching stranger danger to preschoolers, it is important they understand the concepts of the danger associated with strangers and what to do in case they come across a stranger. Children need to know that strangers can look like everyone else. They do not have to look scary to cause them harm. Teach the children to trust their gut if they do not feel comfortable around a stranger and to go tell a trusted adult about the stranger they have run into.

Tell the children if a stranger approaches them that they feel uncomfortable with or a person that tries to take them, they need to scream “Stranger Danger” and run the opposite direction. Explain to them that if a person tries to take them away, they need to do everything in their power to get away. Let them know in this circumstance it is ok to hit, bite, and kick in order to escape. Let them know they need to make as much noise as possible to get other adults’ attention to get the stranger to leave.

Teaching Stranger Danger

Preschoolers can have an easier time learning from reading books. A good book to use when teaching preschoolers about strangers is The Berenstein Bears Learn about Strangers by Stan Berenstein, Jr. This is a wonderful story for preschoolers to learn about the concepts of stranger danger and what to do in case they are approached by a stranger.

Fun coloring worksheets can also be used to teach preschoolers the concepts of stranger danger. The San Diego Police Department does a good job in education the community. You can find Safety Sam advice and activities on their website allowing students to use their creative side to learn about staying safe. McGruff the dog tells a fun story to teach children to stay safe and away from strangers.

Role Playing

Involving preschoolers in role playing activities is a fun way to teach them about strangers. Getting them involved, not only lets them understand the situation better, but also gives them practice in case the actual situation presents itself. You can create skits with the children using the information they have learned or act out scenes from the Berenstien Bears book. Allow the student to do this activity in groups of three or four. Have them rotate the groups so each child gets a turn acting out stranger safety.

Hopefully these stranger danger activities will help your preschoolers to become more aware of their surroundings and alert to trouble. Be prepared…don’t be scared!

References:

“Teaching Stranger Danger” mychildsafety.net