Skill
Follows Personal Safety Practices
Child knows and follows basic personal safety rules and routines, identifying and avoiding common dangers.
Ages 36–60 months
Why it matters
As preschoolers gain independence, knowing and following safety routines lets them move through the world more safely. Recognizing hazards, following street and transportation rules, and alerting others to danger build the judgment and habits that protect children as adult supervision gradually loosens.
Builds toward this milestone
- demonstrates knowledge of personal safety practices and routines. — Head Start ELOF
What mastery looks like
- Identifies and avoids common dangers, such as keeping clear of moving swings.
- Alerts an adult or peer to a hazard they notice.
- Follows basic safety rules with guidance, such as street and transportation safety practices.
- Follows familiar safety routines with growing independence.
How to observe it
- On a walk, does the child stop at the curb and look before crossing with an adult?
- When the child sees a hazard, do they move away or tell someone?
Accessibility
- Use picture sequences, songs, and consistent cue words to teach safety routines.
- Practice routines repeatedly in real settings for children who learn best by doing.
Safety
- Adults still supervise closely; safety knowledge supplements but does not replace supervision.
Activities
Evidence
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) — U.S. Office of Head Start · 2015 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Early Atlas