Feeling safe means knowing that someone is looking out for you and that you are protected. Trusted adults — like parents, teachers, and grandparents — are people you can count on to help you, listen to you, and keep you safe. Knowing who your trusted people are helps you feel secure.
Have children draw pictures of people who help them feel safe and make a 'My Safe People' page. Talk about what makes someone trustworthy — they listen, they help, they keep their promises. Practice identifying trusted adults in different places (home, school, neighborhood).
Feeling safe is one of the most important feelings in the world. It means you know that someone is looking out for you and protecting you. It means you have people in your life who care about you and will help you when things are hard. When you feel safe, you can relax inside. You know you are not alone.
Trusted adults are the special people in your life who help you feel safe. These might be your mom, your dad, your teacher, your grandparent, or another caregiver who loves you. What makes someone a trusted adult? They listen to you. They keep their promises. They help you when you need it. They show they care. A trusted adult looks out for you and protects you.
Here is something important: only parents can be trusted adults is not true. While your parents are usually very trusted people, teachers, grandparents, older siblings, and other caregivers can be safe people too. Different people can help you feel safe in different ways. Your teacher helps you feel safe at school. Your grandparent helps you feel safe when you visit. Many trusted people can be part of your safe circle.
Another important truth: feeling safe does not mean nothing bad ever happens. Sometimes hard things still happen. You might get a scraped knee, or feel frustrated, or feel sad. But when you have trusted people around you, those hard things become easier to handle. Feeling safe means you have helpers. When something hard happens, you know you can go to your trusted people and they will help you through it.
And here is one more wonderful thing: you should not trust every adult you meet. You should only trust specific people you know — people who have shown they care about you and help you. The people you trust are the ones you know, the ones who listen, the ones who have proved they are safe. You can feel safe saying no to people who make you uncomfortable and finding one of your trusted adults to help you.