Ask before touching unknown things — Health, 4–6 years
Some things can burn, cut, poison or cause harm even when they look ordinary. A child learns to stop, move away and ask a trusted adult before touching or tasting an unknown thing.
Unknown does not mean safe
A shiny bottle, a colourful berry, a sharp tool or a warm object may look interesting but hide a danger. We cannot tell what something is safe for just by looking at it. The safe plan is simple: stop, keep hands and mouth away, and ask a trusted adult.
Why wait and ask?
Young children explore with hands and mouths, and that is how they learn about many safe things. The problem is that dangerous things can look like toys, food or useful objects. Waiting gives an adult time to identify them and move them safely, preventing burns, cuts or poisoning.
A bottle on the floor
Tom finds a small bottle under a table. The liquid is blue, but he does not know what it is. First, he stops and keeps his hands and mouth away. Next, he calls an adult and points without picking it up. The adult reads the label, keeps Tom back and puts the bottle where children cannot reach it.
“It looks like food” is not enough
A reasonable mistake is tasting something because it is small, colourful or smells sweet. Another is picking up a tool because an adult uses one. Looking and smelling are not safety tests: a poisonous thing may look ordinary, and a sharp or hot thing may hurt before we understand it. Ask first.
At home and outside
Use this rule around cleaning products, unknown plants or berries, tools, fires, hot pans, broken glass and things found on the ground. Say, “I found something I do not know,” then keep people away and call a trusted adult. It is also safe to ask before tasting food whose ingredients you do not know.
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