Two years ago, around this time of year, we published a digest on teaching kids about safety. Whether you and your family like to take part in Halloween festivities or like to steer clear of this holiday, teaching kids about safety can benefit them. In this digest, we revisit this important topic with a couple of resources from the old digest as well as some new ones.

1) Teaching your kids to be safe -- and stay safe by Riley Children's Health (@RileyChildrens)

This post summarizes some great tips for kids and warnings about the slogan "stranger danger".  Citing the Crimes Against Children Research Center, this resource points out that 80% of offenses against children are committed by a family member or acquaintance. Yet police officers and firefighters, who could help children in these dangerous situations, are technically strangers. So, what are we to do?

2) Teaching Kids to Be Safe Without Making Them Scared by Kidpower (@Kidpower_Intl)

After reading about the dangers in the world and how to talk to kids about them, even we're scared! We imagine parents are too, and so it's not surprising that kids might become scared during these conversations. This resource provides information about how to frame the conversation.

3) Halloween safety: Tips for trick-or-treaters by Mayo Clinic

A comprehensive list of safety concerns on Halloween from trusted Physicians.

4) Reteaching Kids about Stranger Danger by Jan Faull, MEd on Parents

Telling kids “don’t talk to strangers” is probably not the best way to keep them protected from dangers. This article explains how parents can help children understand the nuances of interacting with “strangers”, like the grocery store clerk, by thinking out loud with them.

5) Halloween Safety Tips by Kids Safe Worldwide

This is a concise list of tips for kids who partake in trick-or-treating.

Every Sunday, we pick a theme and provide a curated list of links. If you have a theme suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Occasionally we publish a guest digest, and If you'd like to propose a guest digest click here. Our 5 most recent digests can be found here:

Weekly Digest #123: Does Music Help You Study

Weekly Digest #124: Pesky Learning Myths

Weekly Digest #125: The Science Behind Always Being Late

Weekly Digest #126: Memory Researchers as Science Communicators

Weekly Digest #127: Women in Physics