P SKILLS FOR 3RD & 4TH CLASS - Stay Safe

1 The Stay Safe ProgrammePERSONALSAFETYSKILLS FOR3RD& 4 THCLASSLESSONPLANS3RD AND4 THCLASSTHE STAY SAFE PROGRAMMEP ersonal safety SKILLS for Children in 3rd and 4th Rose Cullen, Maria Lawlor & Deirdre MacIntyreSincere thanks to all the teachers, parents and children whotook part in the piloting of these lessons Child Abuse Prevention Programme (1998)CONTENTSI ntroductionPage1 Preparatory WorkPage2 Teaching the Stay Safe ProgrammePage5 Feeling Safe and UnsafePage7 BullyingPage 11 TouchesPage 16 Secrets/TellingPage 20 StrangersPage 24 Learning ChecksPage 27 SongsPage 28 WorksheetsPage 291 INTRODUCTIONThe Stay Safe lessons for 3rd and 4th classes set outto develop children s personal safety SKILLS further.

2 Aschildren become more independent, theirresponsibility for personal safety increases. Theidentification of safe feelings as Yes feelings andunsafe feelings as No feelings is reinforced for thechildren. They are taught how to recognise,understand and deal with unsafe feelings. Inrelation to bullying, these lessons give childrenfurther opportunities to develop SKILLS which willenable them to deal with this problem. Thedilemmas involved in telling about bullying areexplored in more detail. Children are encouraged todevelop their sense of personal boundaries and bodyspace, and the safety strategies for dealing withphysical and sexual abuse are reinforced.

3 In thesection on secrets and telling, a broader range ofdilemmas is presented, and safe strategies andresponses are developed and practised. In the sectionon strangers children are introduced to the idea thatit is their responsibility to make safe choices whenthey are out and Stay Safe programme should be taught in thecontext of Social, personal and health education. Itis based on the following core elements, each ofwhich is an integral part of the SPHE children s children s children to be children to identify and express the broad context of Social, personal and healtheducation, the following preparatory/parallel workis recommended.

4 Some of this work is included inthe SPHE curriculum and is not specific to the StaySafe Before the Stay Safe lessons are introduced, it isimportant that children can name and recognisevarious feelings and that they have ampleopportunity to discuss the topic of feelings ingeneral. These discussions can be integrated acrossthe curriculum in such areas as oral and writtenlanguage development, religious education, drama,poetry and stories. Parents and teachers can helpchildren learn that our feelings enable us tounderstand ourselves better. It is also important thatchildren learn how to express and cope with variousfeelings in an appropriate ensure the successful introduction of theprogramme, it is important that teachers, parentsand other significant adults in the child s life useevery possible opportunity to develop the child s self-esteem and confidence.

5 Ideally, the activities shouldbe integrated across the curriculum. Using similarstrategies in school and at home is family remains the most important learningenvironment for the child. Research conducted byCoopersmith ( , 1995) pinpointed three basicconditions which are instrumental to thedevelopment of high self-esteem in the homeenvironment: Unconditional love and affection. Well defined limits, consistently enforced. A clear amount of respect shown to foundation on which children build their self-esteem has already been established before theycome to school. However, children s experience inschool can have a powerful influence on their levelof self-esteem.

6 Three conditions are essential inorder to create an ethos and climate where learningconducive to the enhancement of self-esteem cantake place. They are empathy, acceptance andgenuineness ( 1995).High self-esteem is essential for a child s personalhappiness and contentment. It is importanttherefore that home and school are conscious ofpromoting the harmonious development of a realsense of self-worth in children. All children needlove, security and care. They also need to know thatthey are respected at home, in school and in suggestions to enhance children s selfesteemThe following activities are suggestions only.

7 Theteacher may need to make changes appropriate tothe age and ability of the children. Encourage the children to take an active role inclass/school projects and events. Give compliments and show children how toaccept them gracefully. Have a listening time . The teacher is in therole of the listener . Let the children express their personal opinionsand feelings. Encourage the children to talk about variouschanges they ve coped with. Let the children talk about making mistakesand learning from them. Allocate a responsibility to each child in theclass if possible. Rotate the responsibilitiesregularly.

8 Parents can encourage children to dojobs for themselves and for their youngersiblings. Emphasise strengths; be specific. Teachers and parents should encourage the23 PREPARATORY/PARALLELWORK child to talk about their daily experiences. Set tasks at a level at which the child cansucceed. Teachers and parents can help children to makechoices by asking them to express theirpreferences. Keep a CLASS achievements calendar, worked well together; learned how to(appropriate activity), played the game , in seeking to enhance children s self esteem,the manner in which we speak to them saysvolumes about our regard and esteem for them.

9 Well done that s a lovely drawing. I love theway you drew the countryside in the do you like about it? I like it better when you don t shout. The next time we do this, perhaps you couldremember to do bigger writing. If you need help, let me know. I knew you could do all of these examples, care has been taken toemphasise the positive. Telling a child that hiswriting is always too small does little for his self-esteem and saying that he makes you angry whenhe shouts, does even less. If you need help, let meknow, is more acceptable than I ll help you if youcan t do it, because it leaves the child with somecontrol.

10 I knew you could do it, clearly worksbetter than So you have it done at long last. AssertivenessAssertiveness is the ability to stand up for one s ownrights without being aggressive. Self-esteem andassertiveness are inextricably linked. In a senseassertiveness may be regarded as a manifestation ofhigh self-esteem ( , 1995). The Stay Safelessons give children permission to say No incertain circumstances. In this way they can help todevelop children s assertiveness. Co-operation andliaison between parents and teachers is essential toensure consistency between home and suggestions to develop children sassertiveness SKILLS .