No doubt, riding the school bus is a scary thing – and not just for the kids. Parents every day put their children in the hands of a person driving some sixty screaming children down the road to school. It’s not an easy task for anyone. And just to be clear, riding a school bus is the safest mode of transportation there is to get children to and from school.
So to help alleviate your fear as a parent, now you know that and with some important safety tips, you can ensure that your child will have a good year on the school bus. Here’s how you can get your child ready for his or her first bus ride.
Teach Your Child to Ride a Bus
1. Find out if you can do a practice run on the bus. Some schools will have an opportunity for your child to ride the bus around the block so he can see what it’s like to be on a bus and learn the rules of the bus.
2. At the bus stop, make sure your child stands three giant steps away from the curb and that he gets on and off the bus one at a time.
3. Children should be told to stay seated on the bus until it comes to a complete stop. Then they can get off to get off the bus.
4. Crossing the street should always be done in front of the bus. A child should not run, but walk and should be sure he can see the bus driver while crossing and follow the driver’s instructions on whether or not it’s safe to cross. Going one stop further, children should be taught to look left, look right, and make sure it’s safe before crossing.
5. Always use the handrails to get on and off the bus. Parents, make sure your child doesn’t have anything dangling that could get caught or trip them up.
6. If your child drops something, he should be instructed to tell the bus driver first before trying to pick it up. Then he should make sure the bus driver sees that he’s safely on the sidewalk.
7. Children should face forward and sit on their bottoms at all times on the bus.
8. They should keep feet outside of the aisles so they don’t trip anyone.
9. There should be no more than three children per seat on the bus.
10. If there are seat belts on the bus then the child should strap in. Most buses do not have seat belts, though, which is why it’s important that you remind your child the importance of sitting still and facing forward with feet in front of them at all times on the bus.
11. There is no need to yell and scream across the bus at someone else. Teach your child to use his inside voice on the bus so as not to become a distraction to the bus driver.
12. Tell your child if he has any problems with another child on the bus, then he should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop to get up and tell the bus driver what another student is doing and if he can, move his seat.
13. Reassure your child that riding the bus is very safe, but it’s very important that he follow the rules and listen to the bus driver.
Now that you know the rules, you can help your child stay safe on the school bus.
