When you choose to install a home security system, you ensure that your home has a greater level of safety for your family and the possessions in it. Therefore, you must take some measures to ensure that when your children are home alone, they can handle the security, which will benefit them in emergencies. As your kids get older and you can leave them home alone for extended periods, they must learn how to use the home security system. Below we provide some tips that you can follow to teach your children about home security.
- Have a conversation with them
The conversation about home security is essential, but you mustn’t instil fear in your children. Therefore, when you approach your children about home security, you should consider how children process information as they do so differently from adults, so you should refrain from sounding too straightforward. Instead, you should approach the conversation lightheartedly and focus on the roles they should play when maintaining the security of your home.
Your children should be familiar with the components of your security system, such as the cameras, control panel, sensors, and any other devices you use. Take the time to explain to your children how the different components work and how they assist in keeping your home safe. You should refrain from emphasising the horrible things that could happen to them, which will instil fear in them. Your children should also know to activate the security system if an emergency occurs so that they can call for help.
- Roleplay with them about how they should respond in an emergency
One of the most effective ways to teach your children about home security is by staging different safety drills for the various scenarios that could occur due to a lack of security, such as fires and break-ins. Firstly, ensure that they know the proper entrance and exit points in the house and where they are located in the house. Guide them through the entire process to understand what they should do.
In the safety drills that you will conduct, you should also have some “what if” scenarios that will assist your children in improving your children’s critical thinking skills. Ask them these questions and see their responses in the different scenarios that you will present to them. By practising the crucial safety scenarios, you will assist your children in feeling more confident in operating your home security system. If an emergency occurs, it will reduce their chances of panicking.
- Involve your children and ensure that you give them hands-on instruction
It is not necessary to explain everything involved in home security systems and how they work; instead, it is advised that you demonstrate some things. When it comes to the different components of a home security system, you should explain how they operate while also providing detailed instructions. Ensure that you show them how to input the password for the security system and how to reset it. You should also show your children how to activate and deactivate the alarm. Doing so will allow them to familiarise themselves with the home security system and give them confidence when they are operating the different components. It will also make them feel responsible, which helps them be more prepared during an emergency.
- Ensure that the children keep their windows and doors locked
Though your children must learn about the security system and its components, it is still vital that you emphasise home security basics, including keeping the windows and doors locked at all times. You should teach your children to never leave the house without double-checking that the doors and windows are locked.
If your kids have the house keys, you should remind them to never leave those keys in open spaces or where they are visible. If you feel like your children handling the house keys is too risky, you can ask a trusted neighbour to be a keyholder, and your children can get those keys once they are home. This option is safer than having your children carry your keys while they are out and about.
Conclusion
Most of the break-ins that occur happen when children are often home alone. Therefore, to reduce the chances of this happening while your children are at home, you must teach your children about good home security practices that will keep them from potential harm. Teaching your kids about home security is also a great way to empower them and make them feel more responsible.
See the 5 Tips on Creating an Emergency Plan for Your Family.
