Help, I’m Lost!” A Fun Guide to Teach Your Little Explorer What to Do When They’re Off the Map!

Festivals, beaches, crowded parks: Summer is the season for getting out and about—which also makes it a great time to teach your young children what to do if they become lost. After all, what works for older children (like establishing a meeting place at an amusement park) doesn’t work for very young children, who can quickly become overwhelmed and frightened if they are separated from you.

“Young children should know what steps to take if they get separated, whether it’s at the grocery store or at the local Kiwanis pancake breakfast,” says Stephanie Kuntz, director of KinderCare Education’s Safety team. “Go over the steps regularly, until your child can repeat them back.”

It’s also critical to teach safety with positivity. In other words, don’t tell her that the world is a big, scary place full of people who might harm her—after all, she may in fact need to rely on strangers for help. The goal is to give her the tools and strategies she’ll need to make smart decisions in what can be a pretty scary situation. “If your child is confident and clear about the steps he needs to take and he knows who might be able to help him, he’ll be able to do the right thing,” says Kuntz.
So what (and how) should you teach her? Take a look: