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Safety Starts with Senses
Helping kids build the body and brain skills to spot danger before it spots them.
Eliana Savitsky
August 08, 2025
✨ Hey there!
Ever watch your child step right into a closing elevator… or run into the street chasing a ball… or stand way too close to someone swinging a golf club?
That’s not defiance, it’s often a sign their safety awareness needs practice.
This week, we’re talking about how to help kids develop the awareness, body control, and quick thinking they need to keep themselves safe at home, at school, and on the playground.
Here’s what we have for you today:
🛒 Quick Picks to strengthen awareness and response time
🧠 A breakdown of safety awareness and why it matters
🏃♂️ A playful, daily routine to build it naturally
✨ First Things First: Quick Wins for You
These tools give kids the chance to practice spatial judgment, reaction time, and hazard spotting:
🧩 Balance Stepping Stones – Practice staying on a path without “falling into the lava.”
🏐Ball pit or tunnel- proprioceptive input helps kids feel their bodies more clearly, reducing clumsy missteps.
🔴 Stop/Go Game Cones – Play red light/green light to build listening, reaction time, and control.
🧠 What Is Safety Awareness?
Safety awareness is your child’s ability to notice and avoid potential dangers in their environment. It’s not just about knowing rules—it’s about reading a situation, using their senses, and making a quick, safe choice.
It relies on:
Body awareness – Knowing where they are in relation to objects and people
Impulse control – Stopping themselves before darting into danger
Visual scanning – Spotting moving or hidden hazards
Reaction time – Making safe adjustments fast
When safety awareness is underdeveloped, kids might:
Walk into traffic without looking
Trip or bump into furniture/people often
Stand too close to moving swings or sports equipment
Ignore verbal safety cues in the moment
👶 Our Home Moment
One morning, I was getting dressed for work. My kid was darting in and out of my closet like a little whirlwind.
In a pinch, I grabbed a stack of shoe boxes and said, “Can you bring me all the boxes from over there?”
His eyes lit up, and suddenly, he was slowing down, navigating around the dresser, and lining them up carefully at my feet.
What looked like “helping Mom” was actually building his hazard-spotting skills—slowing down to avoid bumping into things, moving with intention, and staying in his space.
🏃♂️ The “Safe Moves” Play Routine
Do this 5–10 minutes a day to help build safety awareness.
Red Light/Green Light
Play anywhere—inside or outside.
Add “yellow light” for slow motion and “blue light” for freeze and look around.
Obstacle Course with Rules
Create paths with “safe zones” and “danger zones” (like pretend lava or moving obstacles).
Kids must look ahead and plan their route before starting.
Slow-Motion Tag
Instead of chasing fast, play in slow motion.
Forces them to watch where they’re stepping and adjust their path.
Spot the Danger Game
Set up a room or play area with 2–3 “hazards” (like a toy in the middle of a walkway).
Ask your child to find and fix them before play can begin.
💡 Why This Matters
Safety awareness isn’t about fear—it’s about confidence.
When kids can spot hazards and adjust their behavior, they feel more in control of their environment. That skill will serve them in everything from crossing the street to playing sports to navigating school hallways.
Wrapping Up for Today
Safety awareness is a skill that can—and should—be practiced daily.
Every “slow down,” “look where you’re going,” and “stop before you run” moment is a chance to build a habit that could prevent an accident later.
So set up obstacle courses, play reaction games, and give your kids small, safe challenges. Their brain will learn to look before leaping—literally.
Big high-five,
Eliana, OT & Mom
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