Teaching my 3 year old about STRANGERS?

Question

I am trying to teach my 3 year old about staying away from strangers.. But she doesn't seem to understand what i mean by a stranger.. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make her understand the word Stranger??

Answer 1

Yes. Just tell her if she is not know their name then they are a stranger. Make sure you let her know that there are times when it is cool to talk to a stranger. Like when lost approaching a fireman or police officer or an employee in a store if her mommy gets lost.

Answer 2

In todays paranoia laden press that is a tough call. I simply learned it from my daddy like this.
If mommy and daddy do not know them, then I do not know them.
But I never needed to use it because my parents raised me correctly, they were with me until I grew to an age of understanding. After that they taught me some people are not nice, I should stay away from people that are not nice.
Anyone can smile if they choose to, that does not mean they are nice.
Anyone can get angry if they choose to, that does not mean they are not nice.
When a grown up I know tells me to stop, I stop.
I do not talk WITH people that I do not know.
Everyone is a stranger, until you get to know them. So the stranger word was not a part of my teaching.
I either know you, or I don't.

Answer 3

I've been trying the same thing with my 3 year old twins. What I have learned is that sometimes they need to hear it from somebody else. I saw this commercial for a video done by John Walsh (America's Most Wanted) and Julie Clark (Baby Einstein). It looks like it may actually teach them better than I can. I'm leaning in that direction and I'm gonna check it out. Maybe it will help.
http://thesafesidedvds.com/

Answer 4

I told my daughter a stranger is anyone who's name you don't know. Then when we were driving to school, I pointed to different people in cars and said do you know their name? She would say no and I said, that's a stranger. I also got her a CD from the Zuchinni Brothers and it has all these goofy songs about strangers and what to do. She really likes it and she understands.

Answer 5

The issue is not strangers. The goal is not to raise fearful kids who tremble when someone smiles. The issue is to teach children which strangers might harm them. The goal is to raise children who feel they are part of a friendly community working together to keep everybody safe.

Help your children understand that they could be harmed by CERTAIN STRANGERS who do CERTAIN THINGS:

Teach your children: SCREAM/ RUN AWAY/TELL A TRUSTED ADULT if ANYONE they don't recognize as a trusted adult does any of the following:

TRIES TO GET YOU IN A CAR, A HOUSE, OR A PLACE WHERE THERE ARE NO OTHER PEOPLE.

TELLS YOU NOT TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT.

OFFERS YOU CANDY OR PRESENTS.

ASKS YOU TO HELP FIND A LOST PUPPY.

HANGS AROUND AND TRIES TO DO THESE THINGS WITH OTHER KIDS.

Answer 6

I don't know if this is the right way, but my friend sat her son in front of Finding Nemo. After that, they had the discussion about strangers and listening to your parents. Seems to have worked. I'm starting that with my son every time he watches Nemo now (one of his favorite movies)

Answer 7

a stranger is someone that you don't know and that she doesn't know; i had that same problem with my daughter and now at the age of 5 she gets it!! it's heartbreaking to me as a parent that i actually have to tell my daughter not to talk to people she doesn't know and that people could actually try to hurt her. it sucks; but you have to do what you have to do; i also began pointing at family members and saying who'd this? and she'd name them off; then i would point to the tv and say who's this? and she'd say " i nuh no?" (i dunno) and i'd say stranger... and then later i explained that some strangers may try to harm her. it worked out to where she knows not to talk to them but that she's not afraid of anyone either.

Answer 8

This is a tough one, because there are actually lots of strangers you DO want her to talk to.

"Sweetie, this is Mr. X, Mama's boss. Can you say 'nice to meet you'?"

or, "Little girl, Mama and Daddy are going out for the evening, and you're going to stay with Mrs. X, the babysitter. Can you please come and say hello?"

or, "This is the lady who'll be cutting your hair. Can you say 'hi'?"

You want your child to be poised and friendly, able to converse with the children and parents she meets on the playground or the grocery or wherever.

I've been working on the concept of privacy. That it's good to say hello to people and be friendly, but we don't give out our last names, or our address, or our ages, or anything like that to anyone but a policeman. But then, of course, how does a three year old recognize a policeman?

If anyone has brilliant ideas, I'm eager to hear them!

Answer 9

yeah, that is the way most people say it and yet the way that most kids don't understand. To kids that means 'well he didn't look strange to me'... i say... never talk to people you don't know. never ever take candy from someone you don't know... and it works.. My daughter was 6 and I was late picking her up from dance. The secretary offered her a candy and when i picked her up she was almost in tears.. she said that the lady by the phone... she didn't know her and wanted to give her a candy. She though the sectretary was going to kidnap her! lol, poor kid. saying 'people you dont know' makes more sense to kids

Answer 10

Hmmmm....What if you say, "if you never saw Mommy or Daddy talking to somebody, then he/she is a stranger."