How to teach your kid to cross the street safely

Crossing the street looks simple to adults. For a 6-year-old, it's a lot to manage at once: noticing cars, guessing how fast they're coming, and remembering the rules while a friend is waving from the other side.

That's why street safety at this age is about practicing with a grown-up, not crossing alone. The goal is to build habits so solid that by the time your child is ready to cross on their own, the rules are automatic.

When can kids cross alone?

The American Academy of Pediatrics says most children are not ready to cross the street alone until they are at least 10 years old. Its guidance on walking to school says the same: children usually aren't ready to walk to school without an adult until about fifth grade, or around age 10. Every child is different, so treat 10 as a starting point for your judgment, not a deadline.

Until then, every crossing is practice. The CDC's tips for ages 6 to 8 include teaching your child to watch out for traffic and how to be safe walking, biking and playing outside.

The rules, the AAP way

The AAP's pedestrian safety tips:

• Use a crosswalk or a corner whenever possible.
• Look left, right and left again before crossing.
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Don't cross between parked cars. Drivers can't see a small child stepping out.
• No phones while walking. The AAP says it's unsafe to walk while texting, scrolling or talking on the phone. (That one's for grown-ups, too.)

Skill 1: Look both ways and cross holding hands

Practice on a quiet street first.

1. Hold your grown-up's hand.
2. Stop at the curb. Every time, even if no cars are coming. The stop is the habit.
3. Look left, right, then left again. Turn your whole head, not just your eyes.
4. Walk straight across when it's clear. Walk, don't run.

Talk out loud while you do it: "I'm stopping. I'm looking left. A car's coming, so we wait. Now right. Left again. Clear. Let's go." Narrating makes the steps visible.

Skill 2: Spot stop signs and signals

1. Find a stop sign and say what it means.
2. Watch a traffic light change colors.
3. Find the walk signal for people, the little walking person and the hand.
4. Explain each one to your grown-up.

Add an important lesson: a green light or walk signal means you may go, not that it's safe. Still look before stepping off the curb, because a driver may be turning or running a light.

The challenge: lead the family on a walk

The mastery goal is for your child to lead the family safely across streets on a neighborhood walk, with a grown-up walking right beside them.

1. Plan a short route with a few crossings.
2. Your child stops the family at every curb.
3. They check every direction before saying "go."
4. They lead everyone across at the crosswalk.

Being the leader flips the job: instead of following your hand, your child has to make the decisions out loud. You're right there to catch a mistake, and you'll quickly see how well the rules have sunk in.

Your example matters most

The AAP puts it plainly: children learn the most about pedestrian safety from the behaviors they see modeled by trusted adults. If you jaywalk when you're in a hurry, or cross while looking at your phone, your child is learning that too. Use the crosswalk, wait for the signal, and put the phone away, every time they're with you.

A few more AAP tips:

• Be seen. Bright or reflective clothing helps, especially as the days get darker. The AAP notes that 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. is the riskiest time of day for child pedestrians.
• Practice the school route before school starts, if your child will walk to school with a grown-up.

Make it a quest

In Family Quests, this is the Street Smart skill. Practice quests are look both ways and cross at crosswalks holding hands and spot stop signs and signals, and the mastery quest is lead the family safely across streets on a neighborhood walk. Every Street Smart quest comes with a grown-up rule: always with a grown-up, and practice on quiet streets first. You approve each quest before it counts. Start free.

Next: teach your kid to speak up out in the world, or go back to safety basics.