ForeverFamily Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I have yet to teach any of my kiddos their address or phone number:tongue_smilie:. I know, I am a bad mom :blushing:. Does anyone have any ideas for teaching kids their address and/or phone number (i.e. a song, actions, etc.)? I am just trying to figure out a fun creative way to teach them so they will be more likely to remember. Also, one of my goals this year is to be more diligent about teaching my kiddos safety skills. Like what to do if you get lost, or in an emergency, or a fire, etc. I just remember a news story a little while back about 9 year old (not exactly sure on the age) who was abducted but was able to get away using the skills that her dad and mom had taught her. I want my kids to be armed with that knowledge should they ever need it. I have been a little hesitant to teach very much in that area because my daughter gets a little anxious talking about that type of subject. Does anyone know of any good books, websites, etc. Or just have ideas from teaching their own kids. Thanks so much for any input or help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmama Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 :bigear: We are working on this for this year too - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) We just made up a jingle for the phone number. It only took a moment. I taught my kids my cell number as I figured that would be more useful than the home phone (and now we don't even have one so that turned out to be the right call!). On a practical level, when they were little and we were out and going to be somewhere where they might get separated from me - a crowded farmer's market, a children's museum, a festival, etc. - I used to sharpie it on their forearms and I think helped them learn it too. ETA: Those "going out" times were always a good time for me to check in to see if they had learned it. If they could say it cold, no sharpie, if they couldn't, they still needed me to write it. And within a month, they had learned it by heart, no fuss. I think not longer after that, one of them did get separated from me at the children's museum and went to one of the museum people to ask them to call his mama - he rolled up his sleeve and had a momentary panic that there was nothing written there! Ha! Then he realized he knew it... but I found him before any call was needed anyway. Edited February 3, 2012 by farrarwilliams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 We haven't done this either but as a frequent-mover family, about the only thing I could teach them would be my cell # and email address. Everything else is subject to change.:bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) I will let others provide suggestions but I had to share this. Years ago, my then 3 year old niece and I were in CVS. Dear niece is now 23 and in graduate school in NYC for Opera - having graduated Juilliard last year majoring in Opera. Anyway, she and I are in line at CVS (I was her nanny), and we are waiting for the pharmacist to give us a prescription (I think it was for me). The pharmacist asks for my address and phone number. My niece shouts out: 'I am first name/last name. I live at [gives address] (really small town), our phone number is xxx-xxxx, and my mom is Dr. So and So.' Really loudly! Everyone turned and looked and laughed. By the time my sister got home from her office that evening, she had already heard the story. THAT is how small the town was.:D Edited February 3, 2012 by MariannNOVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I did sort of make our address and phone number into chants so that the kids remember them easier. It worked. I didn't use a particular tune or anything, just said them in a sing-song kind of way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I put it in song: "My name is ___ ____ and this is my address.... (### Street, City, North Carolina). We also did 911 practice without connecting the call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I just drilled my dc until they knew what they needed to know. And it isn't that difficult. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverFamily Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 I will let others provide suggestions but I had to share this. Years ago, my then 3 year old niece and I were in CVS. Dear niece is not 23 and in graduate school in NYC for Opera - having graduated Juilliard last year majoring in Opera. Anyway, she and I are in line at CVS (I was her nanny), and we are waiting for the pharmacist to give us a prescription (I think it was for me). The pharmacist asks for my address and phone number. My niece shouts out: 'I am first name/last name. I live at [gives address] (really small town), our phone number is xxx-xxxx, and my mom is Dr. So and So.' Really loudly! Everyone turned and looked and laughed. By the time my sister got home from her office that evening, she had already heard the story. THAT is how small the town was.:D :lol::lol::lol: I guess this has been one of my fears as well, when taught that information my kids will gladly announce it to the whole world:tongue_smilie:! These are all great ideas! I like the idea of making up a jingle for the phone number and address. I might have to get my Dh to help me with making up a jingle he is more creative when it comes to stuff like that than I am:tongue_smilie:. We just made up a jingle for the phone number. It only took a moment. I taught my kids my cell number as I figured that would be more useful than the home phone (and now we don't even have one so that turned out to be the right call!). On a practical level, when they were little and we were out and going to be somewhere where they might get separated from me - a crowded farmer's market, a children's museum, a festival, etc. - I used to sharpie it on their forearms and I think helped them learn it too. ETA: Those "going out" times were always a good time for me to check in to see if they had learned it. If they could say it cold, no sharpie, if they couldn't, they still needed me to write it. And within a month, they had learned it by heart, no fuss. I think not longer after that, one of them did get separated from me at the children's museum and went to one of the museum people to ask them to call his mama - he rolled up his sleeve and had a momentary panic that there was nothing written there! Ha! Then he realized he knew it... but I found him before any call was needed anyway. This is a good idea! Did you really use a Sharpie? How long did it take to wear off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I need to do the 911 thing. Our address fit perfectly (minus ZIP) to Twinkle Twinkle little star. My two oldest know my cell # and I quiz them randomly. I don't think they know our home, but the cell is the better number to reach me at anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverFamily Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 I need to do the 911 thing. Our address fit perfectly (minus ZIP) to Twinkle Twinkle little star. My two oldest know my cell # and I quiz them randomly. I don't think they know our home, but the cell is the better number to reach me at anyway. I like the idea of using Twinkle Twinkle. It is a tune I will remember. My Dd laughs because I have a hard time remembering which tune goes to which rule with Phonics Road.:lol: Twinkle will be easy to remember as we have all listened to it a million times with Suzuki!:lol: I also need to teach 911 as well. I am a little hesitant to teach it to Dd4 as she might try dialing it just for fun. I guess I will need to thoroughly explain what emergency means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverFamily Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Any other ideas about teaching the topic of safety to kids? A couple of ideas I heard once were... -If your kids get lost in a store or somewhere else tell them to find another mommy with kids and ask her for help. - If you write your children's names on their clothing write it on the inside as opposed to the outside so it isn't easily visible to anyone and everyone while your child is wearing it. I wish I could remember where I read these tips. There were other great ones but I can't remember them. Anyone else know of some good tips or rules? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivka Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 We sing to the tune of "Rain, Rain, Go Away": My name is Firstname Lastname This is my address: 1234 Streetname Road. My name is Firstname Lastname This is my phone number: 123-123-1234. I play a game with my older child where she stands at the bottom of the stairs and gets to go up one step with each math question she answers correctly. My 2yo plays the game too, and in between questions like "what animal is yellow and has a long neck" he has to answer questions like "what is Mommy's name" and "what is your address." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radish4ever Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I learned my own address from a song on Wee Sing or something similar... It's "Myyyyy name is _____ _____ and this is my addddre-esssss ____ ____ ____ ___, _______ _____." so for me at the time it was My name is Jennifer ____ and this is my address.... 2801 Honeysuckle Lane, San Angelo, Texas As far as phone number, my kids have practiced it as a chant. We recently did a name/address/phone number/safety thing in our Girl Scouts lesson and my DD was able to recall it all, so I think we did well! hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I just made up a jingle and plugged the numbers or address in. They remember! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I typed up a sheet and have it on my son's office board since he's very visual and usually learns what he sees. He has our address down but is still working on phone numbers - cell #'s for me and dh. He likes to invite random kids he sees out in public over for playdates complete with telling them our full address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I just randomly quiz my kids on a regular basis. If I drop them off somewhere I make up a little card with the information and put it in their back pocket (just in case). The thing is, "I" can't remember my phone number half the time. LOL :iagree: When we're driving in the car we talk about "what-if's". I try to throw in some funny ones, too. I don't want them to be afraid, just aware. Ds11 knows home, my cell, dh's cell, and my parents home. ds8 knows our home and I'm working on the rest. It's a lot of numbers to remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 This is a good idea! Did you really use a Sharpie? How long did it take to wear off? Usually - but a little one, not a giant marker. If I used a regular pen, it could wear off really fast. The sharpie just took a couple of days. We're pretty free range and I didn't like to stress out if we were somewhere busy and swarming with kids that I had to have my eyes on two preschoolers every second. I still occasionally do it, but to friends' kids who we have out with us without their parents. Last time I had my friend's kids somewhere, I was like, oh, let me tag you with my cell number in case we lose you but their mom had already done it! Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnella Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 A really good book on the subject is Protecting the Gift. It is not, however, a pleasant read. One tip I got from that was to tell my kids to walk up to a woman who looked friendly if they were lost in a store. My husband hated this because it's sexist, but the statistics support it. The book recommended against telling your children to seek out a police officer because most kids can't tell a real police officer from a mall cop. And evidently some really notorious criminals have been mall cops/security guards. The same author did another book, The Gift of Fear, about how women can protect themselves. As he pointed out, one great way to protect your children is to keep yourself safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McKay Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I taught my kids their address by using the tune to Frère Jacques. My address is, my address is, 8-14, Snow Flake Lane, Portland Arizona, Portland Arizona, 12345, 12345 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtney.byrum Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 We taught the kids our address and phone number by talking about it regularly and quizzing them. Of course now we've moved so I guess I get to start over! I *think* they actually know the address though, guess I'll check tomorrow! I only taught cell # as that is the one number (well 2) that won't change. i don't even know our new home phone #!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 it's been such a struggle to teach zach about safety as in strangers...he blurted out his phone number/address in the middle of the post office once because he wanted the clerk at the window (little old man) to come to his b/day party :confused: UGH so I have to keep a close watch on him whenever we go out..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 We posted a piece of info on Mon., such as our phone number, and then on Fri. had a "quiz". Whoever could recite it back without looking got a piece of candy or sticker or small reward. Also put the phone number to the tune of 867-5309 Jenny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I have yet to teach any of my kiddos their address or phone number:tongue_smilie:. I know, I am a bad mom :blushing:. Does anyone have any ideas for teaching kids their address and/or phone number (i.e. a song, actions, etc.)? I am just trying to figure out a fun creative way to teach them so they will be more likely to remember. I don't have any suggestions for the safety suggestions, but I taught all my kids their names, phone numbers and addresses using the Barney Song. We rehearsed it in the car every time we pulled out of the driveway. Occasionally, I would quiz them to see if they could answer without queuing up the song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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