Street safety is very important because it could mean the difference between life and death for your grandchild. Since they are paying partial attention, or no attention to what is going on around them, they are at risk of being injured by a vehicle. I recommend that you teach street safety in very structured way. Teach the child to stop before crossing the street, to look to the left, for moving cars. Look to the right, for moving cars. If no cars are moving, you can cross. If your grandchild does not look where they are supposed to, try using the phrase, point your eyes to the left and look for moving cars. At the start, you might need two adults to do this, so one of you can tell if the child is actually looking where they are supposed to.
I tried to work with my grandson, myself. He was taught by his parents to stop at the corner, look both ways and their dog was supposed to sit and stay. When I asked him what he was supposed to do at the corner, he told his dog to sit and stay. He did not have the looking both ways sequence down yet. I asked him to point his eyes to the left and tell me if he sees cars. He said, “Yes, I cars”. I realized that I failed to say moving cars – all the cars on that street were parked. It will not be easy, but has to be taught.
