Help kids follow these safety tips along the way to their first day and beyond!

Teach your child to never talk to strangers. Go over specific scenarios, such as a motorist asking for direction or assistance, or a stranger with a friendly pet, that may
trick kids into interacting with a stranger.

Do a practice walk to school or the bus stop with your child on or before the first day of school, choosing a route with the fewest street crossings and avoiding deserted areas. If you can’t accompany your child to school or the bus stop, coordinate with a nearby schoolmate so kids can walk together.

Go over school bus rules with kids, reminding them to stay seated throughout the ride. Teach kids to never approach or prepare to exit the bus until it comes to a complete stop, and to only cross at least 10 giant steps in front of the bus when exiting, so the driver can see them.

Teach kids to remain alert at all times when walking anywhere. It is dangerous for kids to be distracted by headphones or smartphones while walking to school.

Make sure your child knows your cell phone number and place of work, as well as his or her home address. Kids should also have a backup phone number for another trusted adult, and know to call 911 in the event of
an emergency.

Teach kids what traffic signals and signs mean, and communicate the importance of obeying them. Remind kids to carefully cross streets at crosswalks, looking both ways twice and never entering the street from between parked cars.

Make sure your child’s backpack weighs no more than 10 percent of his or her body weight. Select a pack with padded shoulder straps and a hip or chest belt, and make sure your child uses all straps to evenly distribute weight.

Kids riding bikes to school should always wear their helmets, riding single file on the right side of the road. Make sure kids know the hand signals to use when turning, and to walk bikes across crosswalks.