kids playing with fire; teaching children not to play with fire

Teaching Children Not to Play With Fire

Children playing with fire account for a large amount of childhood deaths from fire. Sadly, many of the children killed in a fire started it themselves. It is suspected that around 250,000 fires are set each year in the United States by children under 18. It is important to give children a healthy fear and respect for fire, and emphasize how dangerous it can be.

Many parents don’t realize how young this curiosity with fire can start. Many studies suggest that this curiosity develops even before the age of 3, and there are a large amount of fires that are started by preschool aged children who are experimenting with fire. It is important, from a very young age, that you reinforce with your children a healthy respect for fire.

Children at risk for playing with fire

Children in a home with smokers are twice as likely to curiosity play with fire than those in non-smoking households. If you have a member of your household that smokes, be sure to take extra precautions to explain to your children the hazards of playing with fire, and make sure you have a responsible smoker, who does not leave his or her lighter or matches lying around the house.

Signs that a child is playing with fire

Just a helpful fact: When children set fires in the home, the most common area is the child’s bedroom. They also tend to play with matches in their closets and under their beds, in their bed under the sheets, or other dark places where they can see their creation. These are also usually the most dangerous places they could choose to start a fire.

·	Make a habit of checking under beds and in your child’s closet for burned matches or any evidence that your child may be experimenting with fire.

Talking with kids about the dangers of playing with fire

·	Show your child some matches and a lighter, while explaining to them the dangers. Use this analogy: Hold the tools up, and explain to them that these are far more dangerous than a gun. Explain to them that, every year, these kill more children than guns do.

·	Make it clear that playing with fire is just as serious as playing with a gun or a power saw, and that you will treat it just as seriously if you ever catch them doing it.

·	Make yourself a resource. Explain that if they ever have questions about fire they can ask you, or if they ever get curious there might be ways that you could help them explore fire in safe ways (Like helping you build a camp fire); but ONLY if they act responsibly.

Besides teaching children never to play with fire, tell them that if they ever see any matches or lighters laying around they should not touch them and tell an adult right away. Reward children for telling you if they ever find matches or lighters laying around anywhere. Give them praise for doing the right thing.

·	If you ever catch your child playing with fire, do not take the situation lightly. Too often, fire-setters who are not given proper guidance will likely do it again, becoming a risk to everyone around them.

If a Friend is Playing With Fire

A child does not have to be the one playing with fire in order to die from the results of it. Many children have been killed because a friend was playing with fire, and they went along, giving in to the other child’s wishes.

·	Start off by asking them what they would do if a friend of theirs was playing with fire.

·	Tell them that if they ever find anyone else playing with fire, they need to leave the room immediately, and tell the first adult they can find.

·	Explain to them that it is much more important that they keep safe, and keep their friend safe, than if they do not tell anyone and end up getting hurt or letting their friend hurt themselves.

Let them know that they can sometimes get a friend to stop unsafe behavior. If they see a friend who is playing with fire, they need to tell that friend to stop it right away, and let them know how dangerous it is. They need to threaten to tell, and most of the time their friend will choose to play something else.

Tell children that if they are ever with a friend who wants to play with fire, even if they convince their friend not to, they should tell the parents about the situation so that their mom or dad can have a talk with them to keep them safe. And parents, if kids do the right thing by telling, don’t betray their trust by simply letting the other person know they ratted out their friend. Find a discreet way to have the necessary conversations with the other child.

NEXT PAGE: WHY KIDS PLAY WITH FIRE