Childproofing your home is a responsible way to keep your kids safe, but eventually your child will need to learn how to respect electricity. Children are naturally curious and prone to poking fingers and objects into electrical outlets. When you teach your children about electricity, the risk of accidents decreases. Here are three tips for explaining electricity to the youngest members of your family.
1. Keep It Simple and Fun
Children don’t need to know the science behind electricity to learn to respect and navigate its dangers. Besides, most kids will learn the science in school. We suggest relaying to your kids that electricity is everywhere. It’s an important resource that makes modern life possible, but it can be dangerous, too. As such, electricity must be valued and respected. We further suggest avoiding the use of language that could instill fear in your child. Try striking an appropriate balance between being informative and helping your child respect the dangers electricity poses.
2. Be Patient and Answer Questions About Electricity
Your child will naturally have questions about electricity as you start to explain the concept. Be patient, and listen carefully as they restate what you say and ask questions. These are indications your child is learning and wanting to understand more about electricity.
3. Create Projects to Work on Together
You can find many types of projects for kids of all ages on the internet. For older children, we suggest starting with a search for a term like “electricity projects for kids” or something similar. You’ll find many options for fun electricity experiments you and older children can work on together to learn more about this important resource.
For younger children, we’ve found that coloring is a great activity for helping teach about safety around electricity. For more than 34 years, in fact, GVEC’s Louie the Lightning Bug Electrical Safety Program and Coloring Contest has been doing exactly that. During the last school year before current shutdowns, Louie visited 36 local elementary schools in GVEC’s service territory, presenting a hands-on educational show about electrical safety to over 3,000 second graders. Louie’s program includes an animated video starring Louie himself singing, dancing and rhyming rules and reminders of electrical safety.
You don’t need to see our big yellow bug in person, though, to enjoy a number of YouTube videos with your kids starring Louie. Try a YouTube search of “GVEC Louie the Lightning Bug.” We also suggest searching a term like “electricity coloring activities for kids” on your favorite search engine. We found numerous websites that offer printable coloring pages themed around electricity and safety.
Let Your Child Know About Electricians and Their Roles
Once your child starts to understand how electricity works and basic electrical safety, you might consider explaining that there are jobs that make sure homes and businesses have electricity to operate. The professional electricians at GVEC Home Electrician services fall into this category. We serve homeowners and small businesses in Gonzales, Schertz, Cuero, La Vernia, New Braunfels, Seguin and other areas in and throughout South Central Texas. We offer a complete range of electrical work for home and small business, including repairs, upgrades, inspections, wiring, whole-home surge protection, and much more. For more information or to schedule an appointment call us at 888.590.7773.
