The Safe Zone by Donna Chaiet and Francine Russell

Safe ZoneThe Safe Zone: A Kid’s Guide to Personal Safety by Donna Chaiet and Francine Russell is a very good book for kids, or those who have kids, and want solid advice on personal safety aimed at those still in school. I think both kids and their parents should read it, and then discuss the material and practice those things such as setting boundaries to reinforce learning.

This is not a book full of fighting techniques, but rather a book containing advice to help young people stay safe in a variety of situations. The first chapter starts with some basics such as awareness, listening to your gut, and using your voice. I also like that self-esteem was included.

Chapter two focuses on setting boundaries, and the third chapter goes into a person’s body and unwanted touches. From there, bullies are addressed in chapter four, and some advice on staying safe at home is provided in chapter five. The sixth chapter focuses on safety away from home, and then in chapter seven some strategies for getting help are presented. Nearing the end, chapter eight defines what strangers really are along with four key safety rules, and the last chapter, chapter 9, deals with actually fighting back, which isn’t the focus of this book but is something a child might have to do.

Throughout the book, there are questions asked about certain situations, and later a potential best responses are provided. Actual stories are also shared to help reinforce the lessons. Overall, I think this is a very good book and would benefit all children to read. (Parents too!)  The focus of this book is on staying safe, not on fighting. As someone who also teaches personal safety and self-defense, this is the exact approach that should be taught first. I do believe it can be beneficial for children to learn more physical aspects of defending themselves than presented here, but the material in this book is more important and should be stressed first.

Being aware, setting boundaries, and not being an easy target are the first priorities for staying safe, and this book focuses on these very well and presents them so students can relate to them and learn them. As an instructor, this book provided material to make me better when teaching kids. As a parent, I’m going to have my daughter read this book and then discuss the chapters with her.  I strongly recommend parents out there do the same.

The Safe Zone from amazon:

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