First day of Kindergarten is one of the beautiful experience awaiting your child. You might have taught your child many discipline rules. Have you ever thought of teaching your child about the school bus safety rules? If No, here are the few school bus safety rules that you should teach your kindergarten.
You child might be look after by the teachers in the classroom. But, it is your child yourself to take care of his/her safety in the school bus. School is the first place where the kids stay away from their parents for the extended period of time. Teach your child school bus safety rules for making his ride to school a fun experience.
This article discusses the benefits of school buses. It presents the kindergarten school bus safety rules to teach your child.
Why Your Kids Should Ride The School Bus?
Here are a few benefits to ride the school bus:
1. Your kid reaches school on time:
School bus always follows the specific timings. You know when the bus will be at the stop to pick up and drop your child. So that you can manage your time for your presence at the stop on time.
2. It gives more friends to your kid:
School bus helps your kid to make more friends and keeps them active always. It keeps your kid engaged with the new friends all the way to school. The friendly interactions with the other kids will help your kid to build social skills, self confidence, self esteem.
3. School bus will help to build green environment:
If you are sending your kid in school bus means that you are helping the environment. One study found that school buses have special mechanism to protect the environment from the pollutants. So by choosing the school bus as a means of transport for your kid you are helping to breathe green air.
4. School bus ride encourages your child to build self reliance:
Getting the school bus on the right time with the school bag, lunch box, and snacks box teaches your child the art of independence and makes the child more responsible.
5. School Bus ride offers parents peace of mind:
School bus reduces the risk of daily personal commute to school. Sometimes, you may fail to drop your kid on time. School buses bear the responsibility of on time pick up and drop of your child.
6. Updates parents on kid’s location:
Most of the school buses are provided with GPS system which updates the current location of their kids from time to time. This GPS facility assures the parents about the safety of their little ones.
School Bus Safety Rules For Kindergarten:
It is necessary to teach your child school bus safety rules which keep you away from the stress and fear while your kid is travelling in the school bus.
Here are a few kindergarten school bus safety rules:
1. Danger Zone of the Bus:
It is a zone around the school bus covering an area of 10 feet. The driver can not see the child standing in this zone. So, it is very dangerous for your child to stand in this zone especially near the wheels.
The following are a few rules that you should teach your child for danger zone avoidance:
- Never cross between the two parked vehicles.
- Never try to pick anything dropped around the school bus especially near the tiers. Ask your kid to tell their teacher or school bus driver.
- Ask them to tell the school driver if they have to cross the road after getting down the bus.
- Ask your child to stay 10 feet away from the school bus until they get into the school bus
- Warn your child to look the right before getting down from the bus.
- Wait for your child on the side where they are dropped off not the other side. Because, you child may run in the excitement on seeing you without following the safety rules.
- Never let your kid to run behind the bus if they missed the bus. Drop them at the school on your own in those cases.
- Ask your child not to touch the school bus.
2. Waiting for the bus:
Here are a few bus waiting safety tips:
- Ask your child not to get into the road while waiting for the bus.
- Ask them not to play with the friends while waiting for the bus.
- Teach them to form a line when the bus arrives.
- Ask them not to speak with the strangers while waiting for the buys
- Ask them to reach the bus stop by sidewalk, if there are no sidewalks make them to walk left side of the road facing the traffic
- Ask them to wait for the complete stop of the bus before getting into the bus.
3. Get in & Get down the bus :
- Warn your child not to jump off the bus.
- Ask them to stay seated until the bus
- Teach your child to hold the handrail while getting into or getting out of the bus.
- Ask them top find the seat quickly and sit steady.
- Ask them not to run behind the school once they get down the bus when they forget their belongings.
- If your kid has to cross the road to board the bus, the ask them to wait for the safety signal from the driver to cross the road.
- Ask your kid to allow the one standing at the front to get down first. Warn them not to push anyone.
4. When Bus Is In Motion:
Here are the rules to teach your child while the bus is in motion:
- If the school bus is equipped with the seat belt ask them to wear it without skipping.
- Warn them not to put their hands, arms and arms out of the moving or steady bus.
- Warn them not to touch or play with the emergency buttons
- Ask them not to throw the things outside of the school bus window
- Make them to kept their things ready always to get down from the bus easily.
- Ask them not to block the passage between the seats with the backpacks. Ask them to keep their backpacks on their laps.
- Teach them to stay calm and not to yell or make loud noises with other kids in the bus that may distract the driver.
- Ask them not to drink or eat anything in the moving bus. Eating in the moving bus sometimes may cause choking hazards.
- Do not allow your kid to carry dangerous, disturbing or annoying objects to carry in the bus.
- Tell them not to speak with the driver while he is riding.
Tips For The Parents To Ensure The School Bus Safety Of Their Children:
Here are the few tips that parents should follow to ensure the safety of their kids:
- Help your kid in securing their belonging before leaving the home
- Ensure that your child is reaching the bus stop safely
- If you have to drive to the bus stop to drop/pick up your child, park your vehicle away in the free space to avoid congestion.
- Compel with the school bus safety rules and procedures.
- Avoid any kind of outfits with the string that may struck in the handrails and doors.
- Make sure to arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes ahead of the pick up /drop time.
Follow the bus driver’s instructions
School Bus safety Activities for Kindergarten:
Here are a few activities that you can teach your kindergarten to make teaching school bus safety rules easy:
Activity 1# Stories
Read out some stories including road and school bus safety rules at the bedtime. Anything taught to children in the form of stories will remain in their minds for longer times.
Activity 2# Go for a trip with your child
Go for a trip to grocery store along with your kid using the public transport. Teach them the rules to be followed while getting into/out of the bus and the things to keep in mind while riding in the bus. Allow them to follow the rules in their return trip.
Activity 3# School bus safety activity book
There are many school bus activity books available in the market and you can easily download the printable books from the online. The activity books are provided with many pictures that allows kids to color the danger zones, Do’s and Don’t inside the school bus, and rules to be followed while getting into or out of the bus.
You can prevent many injuries and accidents by teaching your child school bus safety rules. Kids are recommended to take a bus ride instead of walking with parents or teenagers on the roads. Make yourself aware of the school bus safety rules to your kid and make their every school bus ride a comfortable and safe.
