Tannum Sands Kindergarten Child Protection Week Activities

This week-long event will involve 44 children and their families. Visits from police, ambulance and fire brigade will occur to foster a sense of trust between emergency personnel, children and their families. Police will present a session on promoting safety and protective behaviours, by highlighting the importance of telling a trusted adult if a child feels unsafe. Women’s Health will present information sessions for parents about Protective Behaviours and the statistical data of abuse and neglect.
During the week, activities from the Bravehearts Activity Box – “The Ditto Keep Safe Adventure Show” will be used with the children. Each child will also receive ‘My Body, what I say goes” written by Jayneen Sander, which reinforces the message of child protection and encourages discussion of personal safety strategies at home. Each book will have a printed message about the importance of Child Protection focusing on the theme, ‘Protecting Children is Everybody’s Business’. Reading of other Child Protective behaviour story books will include Jasmine’s Butterflies, Everyone’s Got a Bottom, Brave Nights, Scoop, My Body Rules and Sam’s Hats and we will also use a variety of Family Planning Queensland posters to elaborate on feelings and promote discussion of protective behaviours. Puppets will also be used to facilitate discussions. During the week, adults will receive resource packs including brochures and resources to connect families to the wider community. Eg: Kids Helpline, Women’s Health
The week will involve various craft activities such as creating Child Protection themed posters – Children’s handprints to make display to explain safety networks and prevention of abuse and neglect. A children’s handprint tree poster ‘Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think’. Children will make their own badge by decorating a template with the word “BRAVE”, using a DIY badge. The children will create a take home handprint calico bags. Each finger identifying adults, children can talk to if feeling unsafe. Bag will contain child protection themed colouring pages, a badge the children make and a book. The children will also create various coloured paper hats, to link to the ‘Sam Hats’ book Green Hat: People that make them feel safe; Orange Hat: Early warning signs (eg worried faces, pounding heart); Red Hat: Institutions that provide support for child abuse and neglect. Children to play Community Helpers Hunt – cut-outs of community figures (policeman, teacher, etc.), hidden, find and complete worksheet. Child Protection week aims will be reflected through the message that everyone must play their part in protecting children; developing children’s skills to recognise and respond to unsafe situations by seeking assistance; parent involvement through community sessions and sending home books and personalised bags to encourage further home discussions about abuse and neglect.