![\"electrical](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/electrical-safety-for-kids.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAren’t children curious little creatures? They love to learn by touching anything\u00a0and everything they can. And that curiosity can lead to harm \u2013 like\u00a0a nasty shock. To stay safe, children need proper guidance for learning about electricity and playing safely around various electrical hazards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As a teacher, you\u2019re in a perfect position to\u00a0educate children\u00a0about the dangers of electricity. Our guide to electrical safety for kids includes practical, fun and engaging activities that will instil good habits and teach your class about electrical safety. Read on to find some examples.<\/p>\n
It’s important to teach children the basics of\u00a0how electricity works and how it can cause harm. <\/strong>But more importantly, you need to teach them about common sources and hazards<\/strong> at a level they can understand. That means adjusting your teaching and\u00a0activities so they’re age-appropriate for the children in your class.<\/p>\n Our guide provides examples of how to teach children about electricity and safety, and we\u2019ve even included a few class activities you can use.<\/p>\n By Key Stage 1, most children\u00a0are familiar with electrical equipment: TVs, phones, computers, lamps, and kitchen appliances, to name a few. Soon, if not already, they’ll be using electronics, so it’s important for them to learn the basics of safe usage.<\/p>\n Electrical safety for kids is effectively taught through hands-on\u00a0learning. Making it interactive helps children grasp concepts and rules, and holds their attention.<\/p>\n Start by taking children around the room to\u00a0identify things that do and don’t use electricity<\/strong>. Bring in a variety of items from home if your classroom doesn\u2019t have many.<\/p>\n Encourage the class to identify objects that are and aren\u2019t electrical on their own and to explain why they think so. When they don\u2019t know the difference, point out features that show an item is electrical<\/strong>, e.g. wires, on and off switches, movement, and light emission. Let them hold and touch things, including the wires and switches.<\/p>\n Also, make children aware that wall plug sockets are for 3-pin plugs only, not pens or fingers. Plug and unplug a lead, and explain that this is how many electrical appliances receive energy. Lastly, set a perfect example by turning off socket switches\u00a0before removing the plug, so\u00a0your kids\u00a0understand how to prevent shocks.<\/p>\n Once students are back to their desks,\u00a0give them\u00a0activity sheets<\/strong>\u00a0to test their ability to separate electrical equipment from non-electrical objects.\u00a0The activity\u00a0could\u00a0involve labelling or colour coding\u00a0groups of images that are powered by electricity, or cutting out and sticking pictures into 2 tables: electrical and non-electrical.<\/p>\n You can\u00a0also teach the dos and don’ts of electricity with\u00a0activity sheets that have\u00a0drawings of electronics in a living room or bedroom.<\/strong><\/p>\n The image could feature trailing or frayed cables, overloaded plug sockets, or electrical equipment on unstable surfaces. Have them circle\u00a0or colour in the hazards, without giving them hints.\u00a0Then, once they’re done,\u00a0hand out a new page with a\u00a0list of safety facts next to pictures of the correct hazards\u00a0<\/strong>so they can see what they got right.<\/p>\n Remember to explain why you should or shouldn\u2019t do these things, as it\u2019ll help your class retain their new electrical safety knowledge and apply it to wider scenarios.<\/p>\n By Key Stage 2, children are\u00a0probably using electrical equipment on a daily basis and getting pretty tech-savvy. They can tell the difference between things that are electrical and non-electrical, but may not yet fully understand how and why electricity can be dangerous.<\/p>\n Your lessons can now get\u00a0a bit more technical, discussing\u00a0where electricity comes from\u00a0and how equipment protects people from contact with electricity.\u00a0If you haven’t already, you can also\u00a0talk about batteries, and use hands-on activities to show them how they work on a technical level.<\/p>\n Ask your children if they\u2019ve ever seen an electricity pylon in the countryside. You may want to phrase it as “big metal towers with wires\u201d and accompany it with an image. Also ask if anyone knows what these pylons are for.<\/p>\n Use\u00a0visual aids<\/strong>\u00a0(such as a\u00a0video\u00a0or infographic) to explain that power stations generate electricity, and these pylons transmit electricity all around Britain.<\/p>\n Your pylon discussion is\u00a0a good way\u00a0to segue into why many electrical appliances are safe to touch. Our electronics are\u00a0insulated<\/strong>, but\u00a0pylons and electrical power stations are not. You may want to also explain that metal can carry (or \u2018conduct\u2019) electricity, which is why\u00a0touching\u00a0pins on plugs or the inside of a toaster, for example, can cause a shock. And it’s why going near a pylon or power station is extremely dangerous.<\/p>\n Talk about how small wires inside cables carry (or \u2018transmit\u2019) electricity, and that the outer case\u00a0protects us and our surroundings from coming into contact with live electricity. You could\u00a0show them a cable with exposed wires<\/strong>\u00a0(make sure it’s not electrically charged) so they recognise what it looks like.<\/p>\n It’s useful for kids to know that\u00a0some electronics\u00a0are powered by batteries. They won’t\u00a0be strangers to batteries since many toys use them, but they probably don’t know how they work or why batteries\u00a0come with risks.<\/p>\n Batteries are not powered by electricity in the traditional sense. They contain chemicals\u00a0that react and generate electrons<\/strong> \u2013 make sure you explain this term.<\/p>\n Because of the way the battery is structured, the electrons build up in one place and can’t move. So, when\u00a0you place a battery inside\u00a0an electrical appliance, it creates a \u2018conductive path\u2019. Electrons travel along this path to reach the other end of the battery, and along the way they charge whatever the battery’s plugged into.<\/p>\n Eventually, the internal structure of the battery changes as the electrons move. At this point, it’s either dead or needs recharging. When you recharge a battery, you reset the internal chemical structure, meaning the electrons are ready to go again.<\/p>\n A good way to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0this is with a hands-on activity:<\/p>\n Take this opportunity to teach children about the risks\u00a0batteries pose if mishandled.\u00a0Distribute A4\u00a0safety posters that\u00a0have\u00a0pictures next to each safety fact; each group can look at\u00a0a\u00a0poster while taking turns to set up the circuit.<\/p>\n Children need a strong understanding of how and why\u00a0electrical equipment can cause harm, and how they can stay safe. They can\u00a0apply\u00a0the\u00a0knowledge you give them to their home, whether it’s their bedroom or living room, and\u00a0hopefully, they\u2019ll keep themselves out of trouble.<\/p>\n Our electrical safety for kids guide provides example classroom activities for teachers of KS1 & KS2 pupils to ensure their awareness of electrical hazards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":18229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[80],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-teachers-and-parents"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n
\nElectrical Safety KS1<\/h2>\n
![\"electrical](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/electrical-safety-ks1-classroom.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIdentify objects around the classroom<\/h3>\n
Get your marker pens, scissors, and glue ready<\/h3>\n
![\"scissors](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/scissors-classroom.jpg\")
<\/p>\nElectrical safety facts to list include:<\/h3>\n
\n
\nElectrical Safety KS2<\/h2>\n
![\"child](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/child-using-computer.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhere electricity comes from<\/h3>\n
How electrical equipment is\u00a0made safe<\/h3>\n
![\"electrical](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/teacher-electrical-safety-for-kids.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow batteries work<\/h3>\n
![\"school](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/school-circuit-board-activity-electrical-safety-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCreating a simple circuit:<\/h3>\n
\n
What to include on the battery safety poster:<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"batteries](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/batteries-recycling.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nMore Information for Teachers:<\/h3>\n
\n